I was still indulging myself with a wistful and blissful nostalgia on the ecstasy of the 95th Academy Awards, which was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles recently. I set aside Charles Dickens’ ‘The Pickwick Papers’ in order to relish my glass of ‘All Queens Rose Brut California’ wine, while making a call to Suraj Mapa, an acclaimed and versatile actor who has been in stardom for some time.
Being an actor, the life of Suraj Mapa, is an amusing territory where stirring and thriving experiences, engulfed with trailblazing and jocular happenings often get enshrined within the aesthetic domain of his acting career.
While winning the hearts of the Sri Lankan movie goers, Suraj simply becomes a roller-coaster of red-carpet events and premiers. Suraj invariably, effortlessly and distinctively appears dapper that would even get him recommended for a possible photo shoot with renowned men’s magazines such as Esquire and GQ.
Meanwhile, he drives his concern on to ‘Nonimi’ which daily pervades and permeates into the living room of every ardent teledrama fan while keeping themselves with a sense of excitement and inquisitiveness of each episode telecast on screen.
Success
No distortion of the facts is involved in declaring in the fact that each of Suraj’s pieces of art has so far reached huge success: ‘Nonimi’ in that context is his synonym and the metaphor. ‘Nonimi’, beyond any doubt, is his sumptuously and imposingly scripted and directed masterpiece.
The drama has got a categorically touching and intriguing story that assures with an astounding insightfulness on the aspects of human sentiments that may be misinterpreted due to misunderstanding and lack of communication among people belong to different communities.
“Nonimi is unique in multiple ways, notably in terms of the story that it brings out. I would rather prefer if my audience would try reading what is brought out with ‘Nonimi’ rather than just watching and enjoying, particularly only the bit of romance that runs across the drama,” Suraj say.
Suraj is often flexible with time, change and criticism. He knows of the traits that rest upon his dedication in making ‘Nonimi’ a unique masterpiece. He has let his entire passion substantially for acting, for the stage, for the audience as well as for that of the lines matter-of-factly gleam and glint through his emotion, bursting with his every dictation.
Suraj, being an actor and a director simultaneously is passionate about his character and the anecdote, tale and the narrative that he acts and directs where he is able to get his audience believe in his story and that is what explicitly acting is.
Born and bred in the cool climes of the island’s central hills, Suraj’s love for nature is unassuming and self-effacing. His perception on the law of nature is a palpable and conspicuous manifestation of ‘The Bard’s’ concept and the consciousness of the same where ‘The Bard’ declared “How hard it is to hide the sparks of Nature”.
Suraj says that he is often abides by the law of nature and never compromises on it. As I recall my conversation with him, he reminds me repeatedly of one of the Bard’s declarations on law of nature which is “one touch of nature makes the whole world kin”.
Down to earth approach
Suraj is arguably an actor cum director with an authentic and meticulous sense of ebullience, exuberance and buoyancy, surrounded by the same degree of empathy, generosity and tender heartedness that makes him get attracted and impressed by anybody. The down to earth approach that he maintains in appreciating the team which collaborates with him in ‘Nonimi’ is worth appreciating.
Suraj is a strong adherent and a firm believer in racial and religious harmony which apparently has given him an insight that inspired to get involved in a drama of the calibre of ‘Nonimi’.
It is universally accepted that the followers who believe in different religions as well as that of the communities that belong into different races are required to exercise tolerance and moderation towards each other and their beliefs and not instigate religious and racial enmity, hostility and hatred.
“I firmly and strongly believe that religious and racial harmony must prevail on the planet earth and we should be prepared to step out of our comfort zones to meet with people of different backgrounds, religions and races. The world becomes such an amazingly beautiful place as and when the human beings start fall in love with each other forgetting petty and trivial differences which have no significance,” Suraj opines.
Racial and religious cohesion
Suraj’s ‘Nonimi’ may act in the form of a catalyst that encourages the need to be able to engage, read and listen to the sensitive topics such as harmony and mutual understanding among different communities.
‘Nonimi’ makes its viewers enlightened of the fact that considerable social mixing has the potential of fostering greater racial and religious cohesion. In some of its episodes, ‘Nonimi’ indirectly takes an attempt to convince its regular audience on the uttermost significance on the aspects of mutual understanding, cohabitation, cooperation and unity among different communities. Moreover, centrally based on one of its characters, ‘Nonimi’ directs its attention on cyberbullying, which is as found by a multiple number of studies, one of the most critical and destructive negative consequences of social media among many.
Last but not least, I may conclude my words on Suraj’s perception on law of nature and his ‘Nonimi’ which is currently being widely popular within a larger and wider audience consisting of the locals as well as Sri Lankan expatriates living around the world, with a far-reaching comment made by ‘The Bard’ that is “Poise the cause in justice’s equal scales, whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause prevails”.