Dharmayuddhaya
Dharmayuddhaya is a 2017 Sri Lankan Sinhala-language crime thriller directed by Cheyyar Ravi. It is a shot-for-shot remake of the Indian film Drishyam (2013). The movie stars Jackson Anthony as Harishchandra and Dilhani Ekanayake as his wife Rani, with Kusum Renu, Kumara Thirimadura, Thisuri Yuwanika and Roshan Pilapitiya in supporting roles. Music is by Sachith Peris, and it was produced by MTV Channel and The Capital Maharaja Organization Limited, with distribution by M Entertainments. The film runs 158 minutes and was released on 14 July 2017.
Plot in simple terms
Harishchandra, an orphan who builds a real estate business, lives with his wife Rani and their two daughters, Achini and Sachini. Their life changes when a hidden cellphone video records Achini in a bathroom during a minor incident at a nature camp. The video is controlled by Shane, the spoiled son of MP Vishaka Samaranayake, who uses it to blackmail Rani. When Shane demands more, Achini ends up hitting him with a pipe and killing him. Terrified, Harishchandra and Rani hide the body in a compost pit, and Sachini witnesses the event.
To protect his family, Harishchandra crafts a careful alibi, showing that they were elsewhere on the night of the murder—keeping receipts, movie tickets, restaurant bills, and travel records as proof. Vishaka and a police officer, Vimal, begin to probe, but Harishchandra’s plan seems to work. Yet the investigation unfolds with twists: the police doubt him, but the family’s stories match, and the evidence against them weakens. A key development reveals that some people connected to the meditation program may have falsified alibis, leading Vishaka to arrest Harishchandra and his family. After intense pressure, Sachini eventually reveals details about Shane, and a search for the body turns up only a calf carcass by design. The authorities drop charges, and Vishaka resigns in guilt. A closing flashback hints that Harishchandra may have buried Shane’s body in the foundations of the new police station, leaving the full truth ambiguously unresolved.
Production, release and reception
The film is a remake of Drishyam and marked by its big box-office success in Sri Lanka. It earned about 22.4 crore Sri Lankan rupees after 100 days of screening, with hundreds of thousands of viewers by various milestones. The director, Cheyyar Ravi, had passed away before the release. The official trailer came out on 30 January 2017, and the premiere was held on 13 July 2017 at Regal Cinema, with the wide release on 14 July 2017.
Dharmayuddhaya 2
A sequel, Dharmayuddhaya 2, was announced by MTV Channel on 28 May 2025. It is directed by Aruna Jayawardene, with Bimal Jayakodi set to play Harishchandra, while Dilhani Ekanayake, Kumara Thirimadura, Kusum Renu, Thisuri Yuwanika and Roshan Pilapitiya reprise their roles, along with other cast members in supporting roles.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:42 (CET).