Haara Kotiya
හාර කෝටිය
Genre	Mystery Thriller Romantic
Created by	Saddha Mangala Sooriyabandara
Developed by	Thiwanka Udagedara
Screenplay by	Saddamangala Sooriyabandara
Story by	Saddamangala Sooriyabandara
Directed by	Jayaprakash Shivagurunathan
Creative directors	Manoj Wickremasinghe Jayantha Abeyratne Amila Premarathne
Starring	Saranga Disasekara Rohan Wijetunge Thushini Fernando Ruwan Perera Suraj Mapa Dinithi Walgamage
Voices of	Shyamen Dangamuwa
Theme music composer	Dinesh Dissanayake
Opening theme	Heena Thibunata Kotiyak Athe Na Eka Rupiyalak (Hara Kotiya) Kotipathiyo Duk Widinawa Kamara Athule (Kotipathiyo)
Composer	Dinesh Dissanayake
Country of origin	Sri Lanka
Original language	Sinhala
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	566
Production
Production location	Rajagiriya
Cinematography	Thusitha Anuradha Mayura Kushalya
Editor	Thiwanka Udagedara
Running time	17 to 20 minutes
Original release
Network	Swarnavahini
Release	January 4, 2017 (2017-01-04) – March 8, 2019 (2019-03-08)
Related
Kotipathiyo (sequel)

Haara Kotiya (Sinhala: හාර කෝටිය) is a 2017 Sri Lankan mystery thriller teledrama broadcast on Swarnavahini.^[1] The series is directed by Jayaprakash Sivagurunathan and written by Saddha Mangala Sooriyabandara. The original season ran from 4 January 2017 to 1 January 2018, and the second season, titled as Kotipathiyo, ran from 2 January 2018 to 8 March 2019, shortly after the conclusion of the original season.

The first season stars Saranga Disasekara, Ruwan Perera and Dinithi Walgamage in lead roles along with Rohan Wijetunga and Suraj Mapa in supportive roles. In the second season, the serial continued with newcomer actress Thushini Fernando.

The show was met with overwhelmingly positive reception, and achieved nationwide popularity, with the series beings nominated for Sumathi Awards and Raigam Tele'es in multiple award categories.^[2]

Seasons

Plot

Two unemployed friends, Lara and Dinka, live in a slum near a city. However, their lives are eventually turned for the better when two men riding a motorcycle throw an unknown briefcase. The news of a bank being robbed and the suspects' arrest spreads fast; it is later revealed that the money stolen is still missing. Lara and Dinka find the briefcase thrown by the men and take it to their home in secret. They open the bag only to discover it contains 400 million rupees. The duo hide the money in various different places, and swear not to use any of the money until the news of the robbery dies down.

Lara meets and befriends Abhisheka, a wealthy girl, although Lara introduces himself as Lala. As this happens, Chamiya, a pickpocket, is shot dead at a robbery and his mentor, Ranjith "Ranji" is criticized by everyone. Ranji realises that Lara and Dinka are hiding a big secret, and follows them. The police also find money hidden across the slum. Lara learns that the stolen money was actually a property of Abhisheka's father, Victor Dunuwila. Ranji falls in love with Lara's widowed sister, Aruni.

The robbers are released and their leader reveals himself as Napoleon, a mastermind thug. Napoleon also begins to come across the money and concludes that someone in the slum had taken the money and hidden it. He kidnaps Ranji and follows him to search for other young ones in the slum. Ranji eventually discovers that it was Dinka and Lara who took the stolen money, and the three of them agree to equally share the money amongst themselves. Lara and Dinka are arrested and the truth about the money is revealed. With the news spreading throughout the slum, Ranji picks money and is shot. The police discovers that money is counterfeit.

Abhisheka realizes Lara's truth and hates him. Her boyfriend, Dilan, forms a rivalry with Lara. Lara learns that Dilan and Napoleon are partners and that Dilan was the mastermind behind the robbery. Lara escapes from thugs and attempts to save Abhisheka. Police uncover counterfeit money in Abhisheka's home and her father is arrested. Dilan engages with Abhisheka while Napoleon flirts with Abhisheka's friend Rashmi. Lara kidnaps Abhisheka and hides her until he gets Abhisheka to realize the truth about Dilan. Abhisheka escapes and flees.

Lara kidnaps Dilan and his two men. Abhisheka confesses the truth that Lara kidnapped her and hid in their place, prompting the police to unsuccessfully search for Lara and crew. Using Dilan's phone, Dinka exposes the truth about Dilan and his secret agent in Abhisheka's house. Later, Abhisheka and Rashmi discover that Manoja, a servant, is an undercover agent of Dilan. When the police show up, Manoja flees. Without news from Dilan, Victor and the police track down Lara and crew. Dinka asks Abhisheka to come and meet her. Rashmi tells the news to Napoleon and Napoleon sends his gang to rescue them and capture Lara and crew. At Dilan's house, Napoleon's gang and Lara's gang engage in a shootout, ending with most of Napoleon's men down, forcing the crew to retreat. Dilan captures Abhisheka and Dilan reveals his truth to them. While escaping, Dilan shoots Abhisheka, fatally injuring her, while Dilan escapes and hides under Napoleon's protection.

Abhisheka soon realises that Lara has feelings for her. She also turns to him, but Lara simply rejects her, noting that their family backgrounds do not match. Meanwhile, Dilan threatens to kill Lara and Napoleon. Rashmi flirts with Napoleon, but he simply rejects her advances. After her recovery, Abhisheka secretly meets with Lara to confess her love to him. Right at that moment, Dilan appears and shoots at Lara. However, amidst the confrontation, one of Napoleon's henchmen shoots Dilan and flees. The police arrive and arrest Lara and Ranji. Abhisheka is disappointed by Lara's response, and leaves the country to go abroad with her family. In the end credits, it is revealed that Dinka was the mastermind behind most of the events of the story. He broke the promise he made with his friends and secretly kept the money, and produced the counterfeit money which was used to frame Abhisheka's father.

Haara Kotiya 2 - Kotipathiyo title card

Cast

Critical response

Despite being usual romantic television serials made by Sivagurunathan, the plot of Haara Kotiya expressed beyond those expectations. The series has been shot around slums and towns around Rajagiriya. The story deals with life in the slums and its related complications. However, the plot also explains the love between different levels and journey to become rich and wealth. This changed plot and acting credentials by the actors gave the drama to become one of the most popular television serials in the Sri Lanka. The title song Heena Thibunata Kotiyak by Shyamen Dangamuwa became a popular hit as well.^[4][5]

Accolades

References