One voice, million hearts: Myriad reflections of a maestro

Having watched “Rhythm of Guitar,” which was like a Sri Lankan “Mamma Mia,” I expected many to follow in the same genre. From Clarence to Milton, it is amazing how cinema can capture the versatility and vibrancy of valued celebrities. Today’s column is not a conventional movie review but a concentration on “One Voice, One Million Hearts,” from a managerial perspective. 

Overview 

“Eda Raa” (“One Voice, One Million Hearts”), is a Sinhala musical movie that appeals to all masses. It is described as a biographical drama film that depicts the true life story of  Milton Mallawarachchi, known as a musical legend with a “magical voice.” Directed by Aruna Jayawardena and produced by Oneline Production and Entertainment in collaboration with Ranil Mallawarachchi, Dr. Arosha Fernando, and Chamaka Manjula, Channa Deshapriya covered the cinematography, with Shan Alvis in charge of editing and color grading. The movie has an amazing screenplay by Suneth Malinga Lokuheva and Priyanath Vidanapathirana, while Suresh Maliyedda provides the brilliant music as usual. 

Merry movements of musical movies

“Eda Raa”, like “Rhythm of Guitar” reminds me of many memorable musical movies. Among such classics, “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Sound of Music,” and “The Wizard of Oz” are often regarded as the most popular. “West Side Story,” “Cabaret,” and “My Fair Lady” also highlight the high impact created by musical movies. Mama Mia is one of the recent ones that created a music sensation. 

Mama Mia is a 2008 musical romantic comedy film directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson, based on her book from the 1999 musical of the same name. The film is based on the songs of pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson. The film features an ensemble cast, including Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, and Julie Walters. The plot follows a young bride-to-be named Sophie (Seyfried) who invites three men (Brosnan, Firth, and Skarsgård) to her upcoming wedding, with the possibility that any of them could be her real father. 

Milton moving from “rags to riches” 

Let us move from Mama Mia to Milton. It is indeed amazing to see a village lad who had a painful childhood rising to centerstage as a vibrant vocalist. He was born on 7 April 1944 in Kotte, Colombo. He completed his education at Ananda Sastralaya, Kotte, and got his first job as a bill clerk at the Welikada Co-Operative and later worked as a cashier at the Nawaloka business On 23 December 1973, he married Swarnamala Malathi Panangala, and was blessed with four children, Ranil, Harshini, Nadeeja, and Tharaka. 

At early stages of his singing career, he entertained the audience with popular Hindi songs. He was the vocalist of a musical band called the “Sakyans”, and thereafter the “La Ceylonians” since 1965. He transitioned from not only Hindi songs to Sinhala originals but also from records to cassettes. He is acclaimed as the first Sinhala singer to produce a music cassette. It is interesting to see his mega musical journey from records to cassettes and then to CDs, aptly named as the “Prince of Love Songs.” 

Milton, like many other artists, was much into liquor and cigarettes. Whilst finding solace amidst pressure, he was slowly digging his own grave by sheer neglect of taking care of himself. The movie portrays him as a person who had plenty of fun with his friends, having moved from “rags to riches.” Yet, he had a price to pay. With a brief illness, he  passed away on 10 March 1998 at the age of 53. 

Talent in abundance 

Milton’s musical talent was identified as “magic” by many supporters. His voice contained the rare appeal with needed depth and breadth. He was glad to have spotted it by veterans in the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation at that time. He continued to create sensations because of his magical voice, which truly attracted “million hearts.” 

In the movie, Roshan Ravindra portrays the complex character of Milton in a magnificent manner. The magic of Milton’s music was aptly blended with the equal magic of Roshan’s acting. Selecting the right person for the right reason is amply demonstrated here. He is not a stranger to both Cinema and television, with his previous powerful performances. The way he demonstrates the simplicity and seriousness of Milton at the same time from an innocent rural lover to an intense, mature music maestro was simply amazing. 

Apart from Roshan with his ravaging role as Milton, Nethmi Nisheka Roshel Rogers as Swarna, Senali Fonseka as Annette,  and Sheshadrie Priyasad as Shirani have done justice to the assigned roles as the three beautiful women surrounding the life of Milton. Further Biyanka Amarasinghe as Victor Rathnayake, Vishwa Kodikara as Vijeya Kumaratunga and Kalana Gunasekara as Premakeerthi de Alwis rekindle the visual memories we have about the golden times of artistic giants of Sri Lanka. 

Way forward 

I remember what Kahlil Gibran said a long time ago. ““Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” The movie “Eda Raa” has done justice to the above statement. It can not only be viewed simply as an entertainment extravaganza but also, we can find several significant aspects beyond the fun. The sweat, tears, frustration, discouragement, longlines and many other negative aspects which can collectively be a poisonous recipe for peril were with Milton as well. How he overcame those in showing his resilience towards revival, was a true embodiment of an endearing person aiming excellence. 

“Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours,” so said Elton John. Amidst the hustle and bustle of our busy life, “Eda Raa” offers a refreshing relief, resonating with revered memories. For me, it is not only about Milton as a Magical singer but a convincing story about perseverance, persistence, and profound performance. 

(The author, a Senior Professor in Management, and an Independent Non-executive Director, can be reached at [email protected], [email protected] or www.ajanthadharmasiri.info.)