YAALUWODA YAALUIDA

Sri Lanka’s first fashion movie ‘Yaaluwoda Yaaluida’ premieres

The official red-carpet premiere of ‘Yaaluwoda Yaaluida’, Sri Lanka’s first fashion movie written & directed by Dilshara Jayamanna & produced by Rasitha JInasena, was held recently at the Colombo City Centre Scope Cinemas. The movie, a Netflix flavoured Sinhala romantic comedy for the TikTok age, is due to be released in cinemas islandwide on 3^rd March 2023.

Starring newcomers Shereen Willis as Steffi and Eraj Gunewardane as Mithun in the two lead roles, Yaaluwoda Yaaluida aims to create a cultural shift in Sri Lankan cinema by exploring several themes that appeal to today’s young audiences such as the ups and downs of falling in love, the difficult bridge between friendship and love, today’s world of high-end fashion, and the almost inevitable impact of social media on young lives. An ensemble of some of Sri Lanka’s most loved actors and actresses including Saranga Disasekara, Yureni Noshika, Dinakshie Priyasad, Danu Innasithamby, Mass Ramli, Romaine Willis, Sarah Illyas and many others, combine to elevate the performances of the young duo on their big screen debut.

The inspiration behind the movie is Director Dilshara Jayamanna’s desire to shine the spotlight on a significant cultural shift in the way today’s young Sri Lankans approach, see and feel part of pop culture be it fashion, music, career choices, and even their attitudes towards the international community. Jayamanna and his creative team have been able to perfectly capture the essence of this cultural shift and bring it to life on the big screen for audiences of all ages to enjoy and appreciate. Aligning to today’s world that increasingly understands and appreciates the immense impact of strong females on every aspect of modern society, the movie changes the game by putting the female as the lead and building the storyline around her dynamic screen presence and performance.

The back-story of the movie is bound to inspire today’s younger generation, notably the female audiences. Lead actress Shereen was discovered on TikTok by Executive Producer Harshini Kithulagoda and provided a platform to reveal her acting prowess which she does so with tremendous success. Lead actor Eraj, who comes from a background of acting in plays, also impresses as the male friend of young Steffi and their on-screen chemistry will leave audiences wondering as to whether they end up remaining friends or become more than friends as the title of the movie suggests.

The movie also lands a couple of firsts in Sri Lanka’s film industry. The song ‘Tharunai’ by DJ Mass and Romaine Willis is the first EDM (Electronic Dance Music) track in a Sinhala movie while the movie is also the first Sinhala movie to have an Anime sequence, created by young designer Sejini Ratnayake.

Produced by veteran producer Rasitha Jinasena, the studio behind Yaaluwoda Yaaluida is Starfish Neuro, a bold new Sri Lankan content studio making premium content for cinemas and online audiences. Other key members of the production team include Rangana S. Bandara and Hasitha Warnasuriya (Directors of Photography), Kavinda Mudalige (Editor), Jude Gayantha (Costumes), and Nuwan Sanuranke (Production Design). The movie has an outstanding soundtrack with music by Nishan Daniel and songs performed by Dinesh Gamage, DJ Mass, and Romaine Willis.

Shereen Ann Willis and Eraj Gunawardena