Musical Tendencies of the Film “ABHA”

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study is to identify the musical tendencies of the film “Abha”, which was produced in 2008, depicting the historical narrative of king Pandukabhaya. Since the screening of “Broken Promise” (“Kadavunu Poronduwa”) in 1947, Sri Lankan film industry has expanded across various fields. The trend of making imitation films of India or any other country has continued to date within the film industry of Sri Lanka. Among such trends, films based on a historical narrative can be identified as another major trend in filmmaking that has become popular in the country. A trend of producing historical fiction films was obviously seen after the year 2008, a trend that dates back to the film "Ashokamala" (1947) which was based on the story of Saliya Ashokamala. It can be argued that, researchers and critics of film music have not paid adequate attention to the musical tendencies of historical films. The film "Aba", music directed by Mr. Nadeeka Guruge, depicts the reign of king Pandukabhaya. Singing in the form of Andaheraya and the use of musical techniques such as body music, which can be defined as singing by blowing or beating on various parts of the body such as the face, chest, and mouth, reveal the musical tendencies that existed during the reign of Pandukabhaya. In its data collection, this study includes fieldwork with literary information, discussions with subject matter experts and interviews. The findings of this research confirmed that, a variety of musical instruments made of various pieces of wood and metal have been used in the movie to provide a more nuanced representation of the musical background of the contemporary society.