• ‘Rizana – A Caged Bird’ is directed by Chandran Rutnam and stars Vidushika Reddy, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and Jeremy Irons

In 2013, the world watched in shock as Saudi Arabia ignored pleas from the Sri Lankan Government and international human rights groups and beheaded Rizana Nafeek, who was accused of killing a baby in her care. Rizana left Sri Lanka for Saudi Arabia in 2005 and was 17 years old when she began working as a domestic helper.

There were many issues and irregularities with her arrest and trial, including confession under duress, lack of access to a translator, and there being no lawyer to assist her during key moments.

As much as this incident shocked the world, memories tend to fade with time, and with that, stories such as Rizana’s lost forever. However, filmmaker Chandran Rutnam isn’t letting that happen – at least not with Rizana’s story.

With ‘Rizana – A Caged Bird’, starring Vidushika Reddy as Rizana, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Dr. Rani Chelvam, and Jeremy Irons as Julian Miles, Rutnam is determined to make Rizana’s story one that isn’t forgotten. With filming still ongoing, the cast and crew of the movie addressed the media at an event held on Tuesday (24), where the title of the film was revealed, followed by a panel discussion.

Breaking into global cinema

According to filmmaker Chandran Rutnam, a chance meeting with producer Jagath Sumathipala led to the creation of ‘Rizana’. Sumathipala, who is the chair of Sumathi Holdings, was in search of a production that would take Sri Lankan movies to a global audience.

Pointing out that Sumathi Studios has been in the film industry for over five decades, Sumathipala said that today, the Sri Lankan cinema industry isn’t thriving, despite regional counterparts expanding.

“When it comes to Sri Lanka, our industry got stagnant,” he said, adding that this was despite Sri Lanka having excellent directors and talented artists. Sri Lankan movies are screened at film festivals and they receive awards, but Sri Lankan films don’t reach the world market. “That was worrying us,” Sumathipala said, explaining that they looked at what the next step would be in taking their efforts to the next generation. “The only way is to go internationally.”

He added: “Taking Sri Lankan cinema to the world is no small feat. It requires vision, experience, and relentless passion. That’s why I turned to my dear friend, esteemed director Chandran Rutnam,” he said.

Sumathipala added that taking Sri Lankan cinema to a global stage requires not just creativity but also the right partnerships, which is why they have joined hands with a studio in India to support international marketing and distribution. “We are confident that this collaboration will help us take Sri Lankan stories to global audiences.”

Telling Rizana’s story

Addressing the gathering, Rutnam spoke about how the film came to be, from a chance meeting with Sumathipala to having his script rewritten by his son, James Rutnam, to selecting the perfect cast.

“I must say that filmmaking, as you all know, is the most collaborative art form in the world,” Rutnam said, pointing out that while he may be the captain of the ship as the director, the ship would never sail without a good crew. He took the opportunity to thank all those involved in the production, highlighting the importance of working in unison.

Speaking about his son’s involvement in the production, Rutnam said: “I must say I was very proud and overwhelmed by his script. And I showed it to others, and they all loved it.”

While Rutnam was excited about the upcoming production, he pointed out that Rizana’s story should have been told a long time ago. It was a story he himself had read about and researched, even meeting Rizana’s family.

He saw it as a story the world must know about, especially as migrant workers continue to face challenges. “So, we are, while making this movie, also making a statement,” he said.

As the writer of the movie, James Rutnam spoke about the challenge of telling the story well and accurately, especially since the movie is based on a true story.

“We had a time crunch to write the script. But we had talked about it for a few years, and this is where I first learned about Rizana’s plight and what happened to her. And on and off, I did a little research,” he said.

James Rutnam added that research was the biggest challenge. When using many sources, especially on the internet, it was important to tell fiction from fact, he explained. The writer emphasised that there was a responsibility to get the facts right. “A lot of times with movies, once the movie is released, people will turn to the movie for the facts. So we really needed to get the story correct,” he explained.

Like his father, James Rutnam too, was hopeful of the film’s impact in representing the plight of many other women like Rizana.

“When we’re shooting and dealing with the production and all the challenges, we always remember there’s an underlying thing of why we’re doing it and who we are representing. Because Rizana can certainly get lost. And her family can get lost,” he said.

James Rutnam added: “As time goes by, no one addresses what has happened. She’s hopefully going to be a representative to get people talking about this.”

Playing Rizana

Vidushika Reddy will be giving Rizana life on screen. About portraying the role, Reddy said: “This is a new experience. When I auditioned for this role, I wasn’t hopeful at all. But for my luck, Mr. and Mrs. Chandran Rutnam both decided that I was the right girl for the role.”

She added that portraying the role has been difficult. When asked about the filming of the execution scene, which Rutnam said was filmed the day before the title reveal, Reddy said: “It felt like it was happening to me for real. I can relate to this story because it’s happened to me in my life as well, which is why I feel a lot more towards the character.”

Sarathkumar, meanwhile, spoke about playing Dr. Rani Chelvam, and how her own work as an activist influenced her acting. “Rani Chelvam is very close to what I do back home. The reason being that I advocate for a lot of women who don’t have a voice. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day because they don’t know how to voice what’s happening to them. And even if it does happen to them, there’s no one else to voice their stories. That’s where the power of media, the power of cinema comes into play.”

Sarathkumar explained that her character bridges the gap between Rizana and Julian Miles, helping them understand each other better. “And also I feel that Rani Chelvam has created the only bond that you can create in prison with Rizana. She closely understands her, gets to know her, gives her support, and just shows a bit of kindness in a world where you think you can’t get any.”

The actress echoed the crew’s thoughts on this being a story that must be told, adding: “Not many stories get a chance, but the ones that we can tell, we must tell.”

She said she was indebted to Rutnam for giving her the opportunity to be part of a film like ‘Rizana – A Caged Bird’ and that working with Irons has been wonderful.

A film that speaks to the heart

The presence of Irons in Sri Lanka has created quite a buzz given the British actor’s work in cinema and theatre. This is the actor’s first visit to the country, and he said the country has lived up to his expectations and that he was hopeful of returning.

About playing a role in what could be a significant production about an important story, Irons said: “I thought it was a beautifully written script of an extraordinary story – and a story which I have some memories of 20 years ago reading in the news, but a story which continues to this day with women, but also, I have to say, with men who go abroad into different societies to work, to send money home to their families, and who are badly treated and treated without the proper human rights that we should all have.”

He pointed out that in the years since Rizana’s execution, things have not changed significantly. “And it’s a problem all across the world. So I thought, this is a story that we should make.”

He said he too, hoped the story would bring to light what is an international situation and “warn people from poorer backgrounds of the dangers that could lie ahead and give support to those who are in that situation of working and sending money home and having no rights.”

When asked what his takeaways were from Sri Lanka and working with a Sri Lankan director and producer on a Sri Lankan film, Irons said: “I think it teaches me that film, a bit like theatre, is the same the world over. The process is the same.”

“The language is maybe sometimes different, but we’re joined together – the film community. And I find this in theatre. If I go to Finland and I watch some Shakespeare or some Ibsen, I think: Yes, I know these people. Those actors are just like me. I know those directors are just like our directors,” Irons explained.

He elaborated: “We are humanity. We’re all the same. We all have hearts and souls and loves and passions and sorrows. And that, I think, is why this will be an international film, because it speaks about the heart. It speaks about sorrow. It speaks about injustice.”

Irons went on to say that the same problems and heartaches exist everywhere, which is important to remember.

PHOTOS Lalith Perera