More than ten years after its publication, Melbourne writer Su Dharmapala’s debut novel, The Wedding Season is being adapted for the screen, starring Sri Lankan-Australian actress Menik Gooneratne, British actor Nikesh Patel and American actor Saagar Shaikh.
Firs treported in Variety, the romantic comedy, renamed Written in the Stars, is set within Melbourne’s Sri Lankan community and follows a 32-year-old professional woman named Shani who” “reluctantly agrees to let Vedic Astrology guide her through 90 dates in 90 days to find her soulmate.”
The script, written by Gooneratne, was selected for the Blacklist’s 2021 CAPE List, an initiative that highlights stories centered on diverse Asian Pacific characters and experiences from writers Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
The book was published in 2013. Dharmapala, who is the founder and CEO of polipedia.com.au, said that “after twelve long years of hard work”, she admires and respects Gooneratne and producer Leanne Tonkes’s determination to bring the book to the big screen.
“They are truly amazing women as is the entire women-led production team,” she told Women’s Agenda.
“The time is entirely perfect for the adaptation as we are having a conversation in the present time about multiculturalism and the values immigrants bring to Australia.
“We hope that you will be able to see on screen that immigrants bring more than dance and food to the plate, that we bring joy, grit and hope of a better, more happier society for all of us.”
Gooneratne is known for her roles in Neighbours, Lion, Pluribus and Mortal Engines, while Nikesh Patel has starred in Channel 4’s Indian Summers, the Hulu miniseries Four Weddings and a Funeral and the BBC sitcom Starstruck.
Production is scheduled to begin in Melbourne next month on the Australian-Canadian co-production, directed and executive produced by Fawzia Mirza.
Backed by Screen Australia and Telefilm Canada, the film will be sold internationally by Blue Fox Entertainment at the Cannes Film Market, with Maslow Entertainment distributing in Australia and Mongrel Media handling Canada.