Analysis of Koombiyo teledrama.

 KOOMBIYO TELEDRAMA

''Koombiyo'' is a popular Sri Lankan teledrama that aired a few years ago, captivating audiences with its unique storyline and memorable characters. It falls under the drama genre , with a mix of suspense, comedy, and emotion that resonated well with viewers. Koombiyo is a 2017 Sri Lanka crime political thriller series created by Lakmal Darmarathna and Damith Chandrasiri. The show premiered on ITN on 26 August 2017 with 30 minutes episodes airing on Saturday and Sunday at 08.00 pm weekly. The final episode aired on 17 March 2018.

PLOT

''Koombiyo'' follows Jehan Fernando, a man with no family or home, who lives in an abandoned building in Colombo. He meets Priyantha Mahaulpathagama on a bus and convinces him to join his shady business, purchasing Lanka, which falsely sells items as supermarket products when they're actually from flea markets. Priyantha moves in with Jehan and they quickly become close friends. However, the business is busted by government officers after a complaint from a dissatisfied customer, who turns out to be Jehan's former batchmate. The cast is eventually settled , and both are released without charges.

After their business fails, Jehan and Priyantha start a motivational magazine using copied content, enlisting the help of an unemployed street gang led by Jude to sell it on buses. However, the venture fails when a fight breaks out between Jude and a bus conductor, leading to their arrest and imprisonment.

Jehan is approached by local gangster Austin and his henchman Tiran for a car theft job, revealing Jehan's true identity as a respected criminal mastermind with a history of successful heists. After successfully stealing the car, another client recommended by Austin, hires Jehan to silence a journalist planning to exploiting his need for a housing loan, setting up a fake bribery scenario that he secretly records, ultimately blackmailing the journalist into compliance.

Jehan along with his friend who is a computer hacker creates a software which predicts ''lives ambition''. And with the help of Hiruni manages to sell to a company.

After successfully causing a strike, Jehan's plan takes a dark turn when Priyantha is imprisoned, and an employee is killed during the protest. Troubled by their involvement in the death, Jehan retreats to a remote village, where he starts teaching science and English to escape his criminal past. Meanwhile, Priyantha is manipulated by party officials, who secure his release, making him famous. When Jehan tries to reconnect with Priyantha is too brainwashed to respond.

Austin gets killed by his enemy ''Barrel Sunil''. Tiran flees the country to Malaysia. CID officer ASP abeysekera arrest Jehan.

While competing in local government polls, Priyantha learns that Jehan had arranged for him to receive a share of profits from a software venture, showing Jehan's car for him. A party official confirms this, promoting Priyantha to visit Jehan is prison for advice on winning the election. Following Jehan's guidance, Priyantha wins the polls, and two years later, Jehan is released from prison.
 

Priyantha meets Jehan after 2 years and gives him refuge in his home. Priyantha is getting a bit disillusioned by his party officials. Priyantha finds Jehan a job and Jehan realises that even Priyantha now is a bit corrupt. After an argument between them, Jehan tries to leave Priyantha but Priyantha brings him back home. Tiran returns to Sri Lanka illegally and threatens Jehan to help him get his revenge for Austins death.

Koombiyo Cast

A specialty about Koombiyo was that amateur actors with no affiliations to other prominent TV shows played leading roles. Jehan Fernando, the main protagonist of the show, was played by Thumindu Dodantenna, while his partner is crime, Priyantha Mahaulpathagama, was played by Kalana Gunasekara. Former Miss Sri Lanka for miss world Yureni Noshika played the character of Hiruni, Jehan's love interest in the show.

Also, Senaka Titus Anthony and Andrew Pulle played the roles of Austin Mudalali and Tiran respectively as Jehan's long term companions. Peter D' Almeida  played the role of Opposition Leader Dudley Maldeniya and W. Jayasiri played the role of the Opposition Leader's secretary. Parakrama Jayasinghe played the role of the strong leader of the left- wing political party, while Nishantha Priyadarshana fulfilled the role of a member of the same party. 

Shakya Holdings was another element of the Koombiyo TV shows and the characters within this fictional organization were played by Bandula Sooriyabandara (Shakya Jayawardana), Lakshman Mendis (Dissanayake) and Buddika Jayarathna ( Saliya).

Apart from Thumindu Dodantenna, who played a revolutionary role as the main protagonist Jehan Fernando, critical praise also came in for Peter D' Almeida, who represented the character of Dudley Maldeniya, the mastermind and commissioner of the main storyline within the show.

 The initial production started in 2012 and the shooting completed in 2015. However, the drama was rejected by many local television networks because the protagonist of the drama is con- man. Ultimately after requesting for the second time, ITN agreed to telecast the drama in 2017.

As well as by October, 2017 ''Koombiyo'' became the highest rated crime television drama on IMDb database receiving a score of 9.9/ 10 in which resulted by majority voting 10/10. This Sri Lankan series has ranked first by placing the internationally acclaimed crime TV series Breaking Bad and The Wire in the fourth and sixth places, respectively, on the most popular teledrama of the year award and Thumindu Dodantenna won the most popular actor of the year award in Raigam Tele'es 2018. 

Themes and Messages

• Friendship and Loyalty:- A central theme in ''Koombiyo'' is the strong bond of friendship among the main characters. Despite facing numerous challenges, they support each other, emphasizing the value of loyalty and teamwork.

• Justice and Morality:- Many episodes explores issues of justice, where the friends take on cases that often involve righting wrongs. The show promotes a sense of moral responsibility, encouraging viewers to stand up for what is right.

• Humor and Light heartedness:- Even through the teledrama deals with serious themes, it does so with a light touch. The humor makes the show accessible to a wide audience and keeps it engaging without becoming too heavy.

Other hand Koombiyo became a cultural phenomenon in Sri Lanka, not only entertaining but also sparking discussions about various societal issues. Its portrayal of ordinary people taking on challenges resonated with many viewers, making it more than just a teledrama- it was a reflection of the everyday struggles and triumphs of the common person.

So, ''Koombiyo'' stands out as a significant work in Sri Lankan television, appreciated for its engaging storyline, strong character development and the blend of humor with deeper social messages. It's teledrama that remains memorable for its ability to entertain while also imparting valuable life lessons. 

   

Genre                      Political thriller

Written by               Lakmal Darmarathna

                                Damith Chandrasiri

Directed by             Lakmal Darmarathna

Starring                   Thumindu Dodantenna

                                 Kalan Gunasekara

 

                                 Yureni Noshika

Composer                Achala Solomons 

Country of origin     Sri Lanka

Original language    Sinhala

No of seasons           01

No of episodes          57

Producer                    Asanka Dodantenna

Editor                          Damith Chandrasiri

Running time              17 minutes

Original release 

Network                        ITN 

Release                        August 26, 2017- March 17, 2018

Theme song 

Music/ Artist                  Achala Solomons

                                      ( ''Payana kaledi re dawal mahansi                                                          wee kanna de res karayi koombiyo'')