Though her acting stint did not take off as expected Derana Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Earth 2014 and Miss Global Beauty Queen Sri Lanka 2015 Imaya Liyanage is not disheartened.
“I did not get as many opportunities as I had hoped in the field of acting. However, I am not discouraged. True, I am sad that the veterans in the field did not make use of my talents but there is still scope to achieve great things. I also faced a lot of heartache and humiliation in the modeling field. Yet, I want to achieve much in that field as well. Those were my biggest dreams and I am striving to achieve them someday. I thoroughly believe that the right things come at the right time,” she said with a note of optimism.
The alluring beauty is currently residing in Italy. She is engaged to Rajith Ishan Saparamadu after a 14-year romance.
“We met during our G C E Ordinary Level classes. He was studying at a boys’ school and I was schooling at Holy Family Convent, Wennapuwa. We are both Catholics. Therefore, we also encountered each other often at the Sunday school. He was handsome and so… proud! Girls used to talk about him in our school. He was also shy but it is his pride which captivated me. I was taken aback when he expressed his love for me. After more than a decade long relationship, we got engaged on December 8, 2019. The wedding was scheduled to be held in December last year. It was postponed due to the pandemic and the difficulty in finding flights to Sri Lanka,” she explained adding that one of her unfulfilled dreams is to host a beautiful wedding. Another goal she hopes to achieve is to start her own business project.
Imaya’s life in the limelight took off when she applied for the Derana Miss Earth Sri Lanka beauty pageant as soon as she concluded her studies.
“I have always been a fan of beauty pageants. I wanted to take part in one to gain experience. Little did I know that I was lucky enough to win the title! Around 400 applicants were present for the audition. I made it to the final 15 and spent three months being trained, groomed and attending workshops to sharpen my skills. We also had to face a number of mini pageants. August 2, 2014, marks the turning point in my life. I was invited to join the acting field after winning the crown,” she said.
Her fondest memory at Miss Earth 2014 in Philippines was winning second place in the Miss Talent mini pageant. She says that she felt proud to bring honour to Sri Lanka by clinching the silver medal.
Commenting on the abundance of beauty pageants held in the country today, Imaya recalls that only a handful of major beauty pageants existed during her time.
“They were concerned about the standards of the competitions so it was not easy winning the crown. This made it a dream which one had to really work hard to achieve. The crown brought a lot of recognition, importance and honour. It is sad to see beauty pageants being conducted under the guise of money and other obscene things today. The most suitable contestant is not selected as the winner in most instances. Youth living out of Colombo are afraid to take part in such events because they hear unfavourable rumours about such pageants. Anyone can take part in such a competition and win a Miss Sri Lanka title today as they do not look for criteria like education, knowledge, talents, amiable personality or smart appearance,” Imaya opined.
She points out that another issue that a beauty pageant title holder faces in Sri Lanka is not having anyone to sponsor him or her at the international pageant.
“This makes it difficult for the team to find suitable clothes that is on par with the other contestants taking part in the global competition. Therefore, it is one of the reasons that those who can afford to fund themselves are chosen to represent the country at such events while more suitable candidates are left out,” she lamented adding that many foreign countries make use of this opportunity to showcase their products and designs on the international platform thorough their representatives.
“Everything is sponsored for them and they are given a rigorous training. This boosts their self-esteem and they face the competition in high spirits,” she said.
She advices beauty pageant contestants to focus on their country rather then themselves, when they aim for the crown. Many intelligent and beautiful contestants from across the world will compete at the event so one needs to prepare and work on improving one’s strengths to make a significant impact.
“Be humble, down to earth, educate yourself and focus on your dream. Work to achieve it. Brush up your languages skills and personality. Pay attention to your outer appearance and realize what makes a woman special. Then you can add value to yourself and reach your goal,” she noted.
Imaya has ventured onto the mini screen, the silver screen and stage plays. She says that Tikiri Ratnayake’s ‘Muthu Kuda’ was the most significant production she had taken part in. Sakunthala, the role she portrayed in the production, was a brave Sinhala woman who lived during King Sri Vikrama Rajasinhe’s reign.
“Though she was a secondary character in the teledrama, children simply loved her. They used to bring small gifts like flowers for me at locations where we shot the scenes. I am grateful to the director and the assistant directors Gamini Silva and Bandu for choosing me for the role,” she added with a smile.
Imaya believes that everything in acting is a challenge. It is a vast subject. She loves depicting diverse characters. These days she spends her time mastering the Italian language.
“I also love reading books and watching films and TV series. I hope this year treats everyone well. May the pandemic end and let everyone be happy and feel comforted,” was her wish for 2021.
