Movie La Vida Lanka

Ever experienced watching a movie for say 45 minutes… then an intermission?  I thought intermissions were for plays only.  Not in Sri Lanka!  Apparently it is a practice to have an intermission in the middle of a movie!  Hello?  What’s up with that?

Well, people go off to the toilet, get snacks, some go home altogether (I think they even sell tickets for half the movie!).  While people who opt to wait it out get a treat viewing print ads ala slide show – yes I am NOT kidding.  Then a few other commercials, this time moving, follow.

Slide of an Ad in Sinhala

Slide of an Ad in English

I learned from S (my Sinhala classmate) that intermissions were usual for Bollywood movies.  I didn’t know Bollywood movies last for around 3-4 hours! I agree for that you do need an intermission!  But not for your average Hollywood movie which was what we were watching.  Oh well I guess Bollywood trumps Hollywood in this side of the world.

The movie house is quite ancient and it reeks of years of sweat that stuck to the chairs and walls.  It feels like watching a movie in old Guadalupe or Cubao standalone movie houses big in the 70’s and 80’s but doing it today.  I have never experienced that but that’s how it looks from the outside.  People put their feet up, answer the phone, talk to each other, not only during intermissions but also in the middle of the movie.     

A Stolen Shot of the Moviehouse During The Intermission

That’s how our baptism to the Sri Lankan movie house experience went!  Movie la vida Lanka!