The film adaptation of Dr. Martin Wickremasinghe’s Madol Doova is directed by Dr. Lester James Peries. It stars Ajith Jinadasa as Upali, Padmasena Atukorala as Jinna, Somalatha Subasinghe as Upali’s stepmother and Joe Abeywickrema as Headmaster.
The film is set in the Galle District and begins with the death of Upali’s biological mother when he is a little boy. His father re-marries soon after and Upali is unhappy about his stepmother. He rebels by gathering a group of friends to cause mischief in the village. Upali’s father admonishes him for his bad behavior but Upali only becomes more rebellious. He has a close friendship with the servant boy Jinna who is almost the same age.
Upali’s behaviour becomes intolerable and his father boards him with a friend who is a headmaster. But Upali causes mischief there also and the headmaster and his wife tell Upali’s father to take him away. Upali eventually returns home but runs away with Jinna to a small island which the two of them cultivate and they live there.