Kusa Pabha | |
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Directed by | Sunil Ariyarathne |
Written by | Tissa Abeysekera |
Based on | Jataka tales |
Starring |
Pooja Umashankar Jackson Anthony Ravindra Randeniya Veena Jayakody Roshan Ranawana Mahendra Perera Chandani Seneviratne |
Kusa Pabha is a Sri Lankan historical dramatic film based on the 550 Jataka tales. The film grossed a high profit for the year and was a major hit among Sri Lankans. The film starred Sri Lankan and Indian-Sri Lanka actress Pooja Umashankar and Sri Lankan actor Jackson Anthony. The film was directed by Sunil Ariyarathne.
Okkaka (Ravindra Randeniya) is the emperor of India. He rules from Kusawathie city, with his queen Seelawathie (Veena Jayakody) and two sons, Kusa (Jackson Anthony) and Jayampathi (Roshan Ranawana). Kusa is strong and competent in all crafts, including warfare, but he has an ugly, oil-cake-shaped face. Since he realizes that no woman is likely to marry him, he is not interested in marriage. Nonetheless, his parents, especially mother, urge him to marry. Kusa makes a golden sculpture in a woman's shape and tells his mother that he will marry if she can find a woman who looks like the sculpture. The queen orders two royal servants (Mahinda Pathirage and Mahendra Perera) to take the statue to all other countries and find a woman who looks like the statue. After a long, unsuccessful search, the two royal servants arrive at Madura city, the capital of the Madura kingdom, during the season of the spring festival. Madura is a state under the control of Okkaka's empire. They place the statue near the river. Then the nanny of the royal family of Madura kingdom, Kudi (Kudi means hunchbacked woman) (Chandani Seneviratne), comes there and slaps the statue because she recognized the sculpture as the princess Pabawathie (Pooja Umashankar), the daughter of king Madu (Palitha Silva), the king of Madura kingdom and his queen (Kusum Renu). Because the woman who looks like the statue has been found, the marriage is arranged. Pabawathie is taken to Kusawathie city, and the wedding is conducted without a groom.
Seelawathie tells Pabawathie that there is a tradition in their caste that the wife shall not see the husband until she becomes pregnant. Kusa disguises himself as a workman and sees Pabawathie at a stable of horses and elephants. He jokes. Pabawathie urges Seelawathie to show Kusa. She makes both brothers climb onto an elephant and shows both of them. Pabawathie thinks that handsome Jayampathi is her husband Kusa. When she is bathing in a pond he hides under the waterlily leaves and catches her hand. Then she identifies him as Kusa and realizes that she was cheated. She leaves for her home, Madura. Brokenhearted, Kusa goes to Madura and works as a cook, a potter, and a florist for the royal palace. He prepares and sends delicious food, beautiful pottery, and garlands to Pabawathie. She throws them away after knowing that they were sent by Kusa.