'Gehenu Lamai' comes to Melbourne

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When Gehenu Lamai — or The Girls, as it’s known in English — hit Sri Lankan cinemas in 1978, the country was going through a turbulent chapter in its history. Just a few years earlier, in 1972, Ceylon had officially become Sri Lanka. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world’s first female prime minister, had just finished her second term in 1977, leaving behind a political landscape full of both hope and uncertainty.

It’s against this backdrop that director Sumitra Peries — the first Sri Lankan woman to direct a feature film — brought to life Karunasena Jayalath’s 1966 novel The Girls. The story centres on Kusum, a schoolgirl from a modest rural family, who falls in love with Nimal, her classmate and cousin from a much wealthier household. Kusum dreams quietly of a life beyond her station, but when Nimal’s mother discovers their relationship, her future is forever altered.

At the time, upward mobility for young women like Kusum — especially from the lower middle and working classes — was nearly impossible. For wealthier, well-educated women like Peries herself, there were more doors open. She grew up in an influential family, trained as a filmmaker, and had worked behind the scenes for years alongside her husband, legendary director Lester James Peries, before making her directorial debut. With The Girls, she not only told a deeply personal story but also carved a path for other women in Sri Lankan cinema.

The film subtly mirrors Sri Lanka’s politics of the 1970s. This was a decade when marriage was still seen as a woman’s main route to financial stability, yet Bandaranaike’s government was beginning to acknowledge the value of rural women’s economic contributions. Policies like the 1972 Land Reform Act aimed to redistribute land and weaken the power of wealthy landowners — changes that shifted class dynamics but also brought new economic challenges.

In The Girls, these class tensions seep into everyday conversations: Nimal’s mother talks about a girl from a rubber plantation-owning family as a more “suitable” match for him, while a debate between schoolboys hints at the era’s socialist leanings and scepticism toward foreign business interests. Notably absent, however, are the rising ethnic tensions between Sinhalese and Tamil communities — Peries instead keeps her lens firmly on rural life, social hierarchy, and forbidden love.

The film’s realism also comes through in its portrayal of family duty and cultural expectations. Kusum, despite her own heartbreak, urges Nimal to respect their mothers’ wishes — because, as she says, they understand the “value of money, wealth, and status.”

Fast forward to 2025, and The Girls is making a return — this time at the Melbourne International Film Festival in a stunning new 4K restoration by the Film Heritage Foundation, in collaboration with the Lester James and Sumitra Peries Foundation and FISCH (France–India–Sri Lanka Cine Heritage).

For some viewers, this will be their first time seeing the film. For others, like Vineetha Wijerathna, it’s a trip down memory lane. Vineetha first saw The Girls in 1978 at Chaya Cinemas in Kegalle, surrounded by her classmates and teachers. Just 14 at the time, she was struck by the film’s dialogue, scenery, and especially Wasanthi Chathurani’s gentle yet powerful portrayal of Kusum.

“She was such a good example for young people,” Vineetha recalls. “Be loving, be kind, be compassionate — that’s the message I took away.”

Back then, Gehenu Lamai was already a beloved novel and a hit with audiences of all ages. Vineetha had read the book several times before seeing the film, and she’s eager to revisit it on the big screen.

Even today, she says, some of the pressures faced by young women in Sri Lanka haven’t changed much. Family background, caste, and class can still dictate life choices. That’s why The Girls remains such a relevant piece of storytelling — a poetic reminder of how love, ambition, and societal expectations continue to collide.

On Sunday 17 August at Kino Cinema, audiences will have the rare chance to step back into 1970s Sri Lanka — and to reflect on how much, and how little, has changed in the decades since.

Resource - MIFF Official Website

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