Muscat – Eda Raa – One Voice, Million Hearts, a biographical drama celebrating the life and music of the Sri Lankan legend Milton Mallawarachchi, currently screening at Cinépolis Cinemas, is taking Sri Lankans is Muscat on a trip down memory lane. 

Directed by Aruna Jayawardena, the Sinhala film traces the journey of Mallawarachchi, widely revered as the ‘Prince of Love Songs’. It follows his rise to fame, his prolific career spanning more than 850 songs, and the personal and professional challenges he faced away from the stage.

For Sri Lankan expatriates, the film has become more than a cinematic tribute, reviving memories of family gatherings, childhood and songs that have endured across generations.

Sajeewa Jayasuriya, project director in a firm based in Muscat who watched the film with friends over the weekend, said the experience brought back memories of the music she grew up listening to.

“Milton Mallawarachchi’s timeless melodies, filled with beautiful meanings, still speak to our hearts,” she said, adding that she left the cinema deeply moved and determined to watch the film again.

Sajeewa hopes it will eventually become available on Netflix or some other streaming platform, allowing more people to revisit the singer’s music and legacy.

For Umangga Kariyawasam, director of events in a company in Muscat, the film offered a journey back to her childhood, when Mallawarachchi’s songs filled homes, weddings and family celebrations.

She recalled how the familiar melodies transported her to gatherings where her father and uncles would sing together.

“What touched me most was realising that, even after all these years, I could still remember every single word,” she said. The songs, she added, remain part of her family’s gatherings today.

“For me, Eda Raa was more than a movie. It was a reunion with my childhood, my family memories and a beautiful era of Sinhala music,” Umangga said.

Dilmi Aththatage, a quantity surveyor, said the film’s release in Oman brought her immense happiness and revived cherished memories.

“Some voices never fade, and some songs never die,” she said, describing Mallawarachchi’s music as an integral part of Sri Lankan culture and collective memory.

She hopes to watch the film again and relive the emotions it stirred.