"Shiva's daughter" A MovieAn English movie.
Background of the story.
This is an emotional love story which ends in tragedy. Both Parents oppose to their children's loving relationship because they are of different communities from Sri Lanka known as the Tamils and the Sinhalese. This story is period based, which happens within six months in London during the peak of the war of Sri Lanka in 2009.
Characters of the film.
Danny is a Sri-Lankan Sinhalese by birth who is in his mid-thirties. He is a Doctoral student reading PHD finals in International relations specializing in "Conflict resolution". Also, Danny is a pacifist who is not interested in Governmental politics in Sri Lanka. Danny is been adopted in London by his Uncles Joy since Danny's mum passed away in Sri Lanka. Joy is Sarath's wife's brother. Joy too has a brother in London called Raj who is another Uncle for Danny. However, all Danny's expenses and the cost of his private education in London are being funded by his biological father Sarath. Sarath is rich and also a Deputy Foreign Minister of the Government of Sri Lanka.
Dammi is a Sri-Lankan Tamil born in Paris who is now in her early thirties. She reads LLB finals in Middlesex University. Dammi is the only daughter of Shiva who is an educated Tamil Gentleman. Shiva is a strong activist in human rights and a forerunner among the Tamil protesters in London whose aim is to stop the war in Sri Lanka to save thousands of Tamils trapped in the war zone.Shiva and his daughter Dammi live in London, having been the asylum seekers in Paris on the basis that they were the victims of the communal riot in 1983 in the Capital City of Sri Lanka where Shiva lost his only son to the rioting mob.
Synopsis.
The movie commences by showing how the Tamils were protesting in London against the war and it ends on the day the war ends while the "Tamil Rebel Leader" is finally killed. However, the Civil war is not the theme of the movie but a love story is.Danny is a Sinhalese and Dammi is a Tamil. They meet each other at the University while Danny visits to Lecturer law students in " Conflict Resolution".
Danny's biological father is Sarath who is the Deputy Foreign Minister in Sri Lankan government. He is arrives in the UK on a mission to seek support from the United kingdom for their war against Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka. However his only ambition and dream in his life is to see his son Danny returns home after his PHD to start his career in politics in Sri Lanak. However, Danny being a pacifist, flatly refuses his dad's request to return home because (A) he has no interest in Governmental Politics in Sri Lankan. (B) He is in love with Dammi and he wants to marry her. This infuriates his father Sarath. Sarath feels himself being betrayed by his son Danny.
Shiva too talks to Dammi several times to give up his relationship with Danny and Dammi though loves her dad very much, refuses his request.
Tamils are intensifying their protests in thousands on the streets of London and camping in Parliament square. Shiva is spear-heading the organizations. Hunger strikes and protest marches against the war are undertaken worldwide. MPs are raising the issues in the British Parliament. Indian actors are holding meetings and hunger strikes in South India. David Multiband (Foreign Minister) travels to Sri Lanka to initiate ceasefire.
Shiva is having meetings with his colleagues about their next strategy on protests and lobbying the parliamentarians in London. Police have meetings with the organizers so to conduct the protest marches abiding British Law.
Sarath, having failed to convince Danny to breakup with Dammi, requests his in Laws Joy and Raj to find out the details of Dammi and her family before he leaves London to Geneva.
Upon knowing that Dammi's dad Shiva too is not in favor of Dammi's relationship with Danny he requests Joy and Raj to arrange a meeting with Dammi's dad Shiva and consequently Sarath , Joy, and Raj meet Shiva.
However, during the meeting Shiva recognizes Sarath because there were bad memories between them when they were contemporaries in those days in Sri Lanka. Shiva recalls the events and abuses Sarath for what he had done to him and I and storms out of the meeting.
Both Danny and Dammi continue relationship.
Dummy and Danny gets attacked by the Tamil vigilantes at the protest march and Dammi receives the worse of it. Her kidneys are damaged and needs transplantation. Since NHS can't provide the operation because of shortage of donors, the specialists suggest that it can be done legally in Apollo in Madras. The cost is estimated to be £75L.
However a dilemma exists. Shiva knows that he wouldn't get his Indian Visa to Join his daughter and Danny has no money either to take Dammi to India for transplantation.
The news is flashing nationwide on Radios, TVs and newspapers that NHS is postponing serious operations for lack of funds and because of this some patients of serious illnesses are at risk of dying.
Danni applies for bank loans but the Bank rejects his applications for lack of collateral and credit rating. Joy volunteers to unlock money from his house to pay the cost.
Shiva is now swallowing his pride and meets Sarath to help him to get his Visa because Sarath knows higher places at the Indian Embassy. Sarath agrees with Shiva that he will get the Visa to on condition that Shiva helps his son to return to Sri Lanka and Shiva agrees to it.
Danny too approaches Sarath for money and Sarath grips Danny to a deal that he will return home to enter politics after the operation and Danny agrees to it under his circumstances. Sarath now celebrates within himself that he finally got his son to do what he always wanted.
However, in spite of all arrangements are been made for Dammi to be flown to India, she dies on the last day while the war ends where tens and thousands of Civilians too are killed. It is this genocide that Shiva wanted to stop but on the last day he loses his daughter and loses the people too.
The movie ends.
