By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe 
Pix by Kushan Pathiraja 

When two families hear about an eligible bachelor who is returning to Sri Lanka after 20 years, they decide to visit his residence on the day of his arrival. What begins as a casual conversation soon turns into chaos and drama when both families realise that they are competing for the same prize. This meticulously written, deceptively chaotic play by veteran playwright Indu Dharmasena titled ‘Must Be Looking for a Bride, no?’ guarantees approximately one and a half hours of pure comedy. 

According to Indu, like in many of his other plays, the inspiration behind writing this story plot is a real-life incident of how people try to matchmake for their own daughter or sister. He said that this is a regular occurrence in the Asian context, especially when they hear of an eligible bachelor. 

In this play, Indu himself portrays the role of Revantha Kahawatta, the eligible bachelor that the two families are keen to meet. Having written and produced 65 plays throughout his career, each one of his story plots is in fact a mirror image of Sri Lankan society. “Sometimes the crowd may be able to identify themselves or people they know through these characters,” he said, speaking to Daily Mirror Life. 

Indu’s original satirical comedies are heavily inspired by master playwright Ray Cooney’s real-time, fast-paced style of comedy. His latest production follows a similar style.

“There are seven characters in this play, and I’ve tried hard to make sure that there is no overlap in any of the characters. They stand out as different individuals whom the audience would usually meet in society. So, come and enjoy. Perhaps we may have to laugh at ourselves,” he added. 

Revantha’s cousin Priyantha, played by Uzair Kidwai, is quite a calm personality. He forewarns Revantha to brace himself for an avalanche of legendary Sri Lankan hospitality, especially as he’s an eligible bachelor. 

Uzair is returning to the stage after a short break, and he is excited to be part of the production. Despite being a Pakistani national, Uzair considers Sri Lanka his home. He also enjoys the fact that he is able to take a closer look at Sri Lankan society through this production. While schooling at the British School, Colombo, he has participated in several plays, including The Sound of Music, The Whiz and several of Shakespeare’s plays, including A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

“I studied drama at IGCSE level. It’s interesting to learn different techniques and styles from different directors. But this time I’m keen to take on the challenge of learning the language and getting into Priyantha’s role,” he said while inviting crowds to come and watch the play and to treat it like an escape from work and reality. 

Indu’s beloved wife Sanwada Dharmasena has been a constant in Indu’s plays since August 2004. She recalled her first play ‘Madai Tommiya 007 Wuna’ where she had no dialogues but instead had three dance items. 

“Indu keeps reminding me about how each role should be done almost all the time. Whether it’s early in the morning, or during shopping or while having meals, he keeps telling me how to improve my role. I’m appreciative of it, because the more he fixes my role, the better it is for me to play the role. As a result, I have been blessed to hear people say, “San, the role was nicely done,” she said.

In this play, Sanwada plays the role of Milanka Hadadeniya, who is desperate to find a match for her sister. 

“I played the same role when Indu first staged this play in 2014, and each time I have played Milanka, the dynamics have been different. This also depends on cast dynamics and how each person relates to one another,” she said. 

In her concluding remarks, she invited the crowd to come and enjoy the play. “I think it’s very relatable for Sri Lankan culture and South Asian culture in general. Come, relax and watch the play for what it is,” she added. 

But Milanka’s sister Tilanka has doubts about why this eligible bachelor is nearly forty and still single. Tilanka’s character is brought to life by Mekhala Siriwardana, who is returning to the stage after a long hiatus. She’s no stranger to the theatre scene as she has acted in many inter-school Shakespeare competitions which were also directed by Indu. 

“I played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew and Lady Olivia in Twelfth Night. I was very much used to these roles. Quite recently I had the opportunity to perform with Indu at a back-to-school production also directed by Indu, and I was quite nostalgic afterwards. That’s how I joined this production,” she said.

Tilanka is the fussy, bossy type, but Mekhala says she’s quite the opposite in real life. “But even back in school we learned so much from Indu. It is the same even now, and it was somewhat easy to fit into this character. So I like to invite everybody to come and enjoy this light-hearted comedy, and I’m sure they are going to have a ball,” she added. 

This writer is also part of this production, giving life to Yamuna Gonagoda. The Gonagodas are a newly affluent family who are equally determined to see their daughter Raya marry into a respected family. Yamuna is keen to make some connection to the Kahawattas and takes much of an effort to keep the Hadadeniya sisters out of the scene. 

Acting alongside Indu has been an experience unto itself. He has taught me the subtleties of a stage performance; from delivering lines to picking up cues, timing and every aspect of becoming a different character on stage. It takes a great deal of effort, energy and commitment to act out a different character to make it look funny to the audience. The chemistry between the characters matters, and he has guided every one of us in his own humble manner. 

While Yamuna plans different schemes to keep the Hadadeniya sisters out of the scene, her husband Cyril is eyeing the Kahawatta properties. Cyril’s character is brought to life by Abbasali Rozais (fondly known as Abbas), who is returning to the stage after a short break. He says that the character Cyril is quite different to who he is in real life. 

“What is quite nice about Indu’s plays is that they are caricatures of Sri Lankan society. We have all seen or may know of a character like Cyril in real life as well,” he said. 

Abbas has written and directed two plays, Clueless in 2005 and Presidents, Promiscuity and Pineapples staged in 2010 and again in 2011. “Life is quite serious at times, so the best thing one could do perhaps is to come and watch this play. Sometimes they may end up laughing at themselves,” he added. 

Yamuna and Cyril are hatching all sorts of schemes to see their daughter Raya marry Revantha. Raya is keen to meet Revantha because her dream is to pursue higher education overseas and to live a lavish lifestyle. Rachel Hamer brings Raya’s character to life as a spoilt, daddy’s girl. 

“Challenging” is how she describes her role because, according to her, it is not a character that would come naturally. 

“Raya is a spoilt, daddy’s girl and I have to really act to get into the role. But it’s also fun because it’s very different to who I am,” she added. 

She has acted in several stage plays, including Fiddler on the Roof by The Workshop Players directed by Jerome De Silva and Run for Your Wife directed by Kevin Cruze. Rachel believes that the Sri Lankan theatre scene should return to its former glory. “Watching a stage play should be a family affair, and everybody needs to enjoy some good comedy,” she said in conclusion. 

As misunderstandings multiply and secrets unravel, one question remains: who will win Revantha’s heart? Who will walk away as the lucky bride? If you want to see the chaos unfold, then grab your tickets to watch these characters come to life at ‘Must Be Looking for a Bride, No?’ on August 21, 22 and 23 from 7.30 pm onwards at the Lionel Wendt.