After a prolonged period of Sinhala cinema, in which we had experimental and fringe cinema on one side, and sex thrillers and raw comedy on the other, Adaraneeya Wassanaya (Love in Autumn) looks as if it could once more revalidate the middling order of  romantic commercialism of the sixties, seventies and eighties.

Why would romanticism be important at this juncture of the Sinhala film industry? Perhaps, as the innate thrills of violence and sensuality seem to be exhausting its wantonness on the large screen, there is a strongly felt need to emphasize new screen norms and a new iconology for the mass audiences.

And to replace, at least in part, the values of avant-garde objectivity to the rules of life, with rudimentary and uncomplicated expressions such as \'true love\', \'good over bad\', \'simplicity over sophistication\', \'modesty over indulgence\', and so on.

Stirrings of this kind of audience inclinations could bring in steadier box office trends, and stimulate the growth of the regular commercial film market, as romanticism had done before.

Based on the best selling novel, Wassana Sihinaya by Upul Shantha Sannasgala, this debut musical film direction by new comer Senesh Dissanaike Bandara, creates a fresh look in the Sinhala cinema. With many of its actors and actresses drawn from \'the popular new young\', and its music director, Navaratne Gamage, ushering a different dimension in local playback singing, Adaraneeya Wassanaya looks as if it is set to create new commercial trends. Notwithstanding weaker moments in the story flow and its validation, the plus points which can be picked from this film for a future robustness in local cinema is too significant to disregard. For, the signs of a new iconology emerge. As said before, the lure of this film is in its beautiful melodies, music and singing designed to capture more refined musical sensitivities than what is generally heard in local cinema. Rathirya (If I was the night) sung by Indika Upamali, is a new experience in film song. This sensitivity can also be seen in the cinematography, by the novel perspective of certain scenes.

New comer Roshan Rajapakse plays a sensitive male lead (Kasun) and at moments, it is obvious, that if given more leverage, he could grow to be a good character.

The potential shown by the female lead Chathurika Peiris (Chaapa) and others of the new wave, Sahan Ranwala (Niranga), Suzan Sandrasagara (Uttara) and Pradeep Senanayake (Rohan) as well is significant and gives a pleasant insight into how modern talent could be harnessed to create new waves in the futuristic Sinhala cinema.

For commercialism, Adaraneeya Wassanaya\'s beacon at this current juncture is clearly visible. It is up to the future film-makers to define it.