In Prasanna Vithanage's 'Paradise', an Indian marriage is tested by the Sri Lankan economic crisis

Renowned Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanage’s new movie features characters from the Indian state branded as “God’s own country” visiting a country frequently called “paradise”. Neither description fits, as Vithanage reveals in an elegantly filmed, riveting drama that captures the recent turmoil in his homeland as well as the simmering tensions in a marriage.

Vithanage’s Paradise is set in Sri Lanka in June 2022. In March that year, protests broke out across the country after its economy cratered, leading to severe fuel shortages, power cuts and punishing inflation. The precipitating factors includes a collapse in tourism because of the coronavirus pandemic and financial mismanagement by the ruling Rajapaksa clan.

In the movie, Malayali couple Kesav and Amritha (played by Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran) arrive in a hotel in Riverstone two months after Sri Lanka has officially declared bankruptcy. The region is part of the Ramayana trail, with sites that correspond to the locations mentioned in the epic.

Kesav, a filmmaker who is preparing for an important series, and Amritha, an aspiring writer, initially appear to be the kind of shallow travellers who would rather shooting videos than experience the attractions in front of their eyes. As Paradise reveals, it is only after their laptops and phones are stolen that they begin to see their surroundings differently.

Their understanding...

Read more