Breaking through the clutter of star kids Amila Karunanayake is the flavour of the moment. The actor dabbled with modeling and fashion designing before he made it to the movies. Good-looks mixed with talent and a humble persona add to his charisma, when it came to swooning the ladies with his charm.
His latest film, Harsha Udakanda's ‘Kabadi', has hit the wide screen. Amila portrays the role of Manuranga, a kabadi player, who faces an unexpected incident which turns his life inside down.
“As an actor I am always looking out for different and challenging roles. After reading the script, I felt that I must have come across one of the most challenging roles I will get to do in my acting career. Therefore, I did not hesitate to tackle the role. I am grateful to the director and the producer Nishantha Jayawardane who had faith in me and trusted me to give life to this character,” Amila said.
'Kabadi' encompasses romance, comedy, action, sports, family values, friendship, sports and little bit of politics. Amila stresses that it is a production that is guaranteed to keep the viewers entertained.
“It was a 'dream come true' situation for me as the feedback and the love of my fans poured in. However, the pandemic has also taught me to wait patiently. We are at risk in the professional front as we have to carry on regular shooting. At times it is difficult to follow the basic guidelines in our profession. Hence, we are also suffering from financial difficulties. However, we get more time to spend with our families. That is an invaluable benefit,” he pointed out.
He believes that his experience in modeling, fashion designing, and at International pageants moulded his path as an actor. He took part in the Mr International 2008 pageant in Malaysia and competed against contestants from 32 countries across the world.
“One of the most memorable incidents at this event was that I lost my wallet at the airport. I was really troubled over the matter but the national director, Rosita Wickramasinghe, kept sending me money for my expenses throughout the pageant,” he said.
Next came Manhunt International 2011. Amila flew to South Korea to complete with contestants from 75 countries at the event. Some of the best memories of his stint in the glamour scene are connected with this pageant.
“I made some lifelong friends at the event. We also faced some tough times there since we were taken to temples far away from the city. We had to wear their traditional clothes and eat veggies cooked in the traditional Korean manner for two weeks. That didn't go down well with me,” he recalled with a smile adding that he is immensely proud of the way he handled those matters alone while he was still a novice in the field.
Queried on what he learnt from his pageant experiences and Amila is quick to say that it is the fact that one might be good, but there is always someone more prepared.
“I don’t take criticism seriously because my responsibility is to do my work the best way I can and always be honest with what I do. But I think twice as if I feel that there is something in it that I can use to improve my work,” he explained.
For him each and every role he had taken on in films and teledramas have been challenging. However, he adds that the character he played in his first movie, 'Rupantharana' was the most demanding especially since he was new to the sector.
“Taking on Manuranga’s role too was quite a trial, especially because the role had been played by Indian superstars in six different languages! I had to meet their standards amid the tight budget allocated for the project in Sri Lanka. I did things my way and I hope the viewers are satisfied,” he said
For Amila the greatest joy of being a public figure lies in the excitement and smiles of the people when they encounter each other. The biggest disadvantage is being constantly under the spotlight so that he cannot live a normal and relaxed lifestyle with his family.
“Now I can’t just walk out without being prepared,” he sighed.
Amila has an impressive list of productions to his name. Starting off with Nalaka Vithanage's ‘Rupantharana’, Amila played significant roles in ‘Porisadaya’, 'Sikuru Yogaya', and 'Face to Face'. He played the character of an obsessive lover in award winning Maldivian director, Seaxan Ali’s horror film, 'Kaushi' in 2018. Ali roped him again for a second movie, 'Soul', which he made for the SAARC Film Awards 2020.
Amila also played a triple role in Bennet Ratnayake’ teledrama ‘Palingu Piyapath'. He took on the lead roles in two historical dramas directed by Sanath Abeysekera titled ‘Urumayaka Aragalaya’ and ‘Mahaviru Pandu'. He is also part of the cast in 'Sansara Sihine' which is telecasting on ITN these days.
Hailing from Kaluthara, Amila is a past pupil of Nalanda College, Colombo. His father, Ariya Karunanayake, is a businessman . His mother, Suneetha Bandara, is a retired school vice principal. His brother, Tharaka, is a software engineer who is occupied in Australia. Tharaka is also into music and is part of the 6th Lane team that sang the song 'Amma'.
Amila is married to Mihiruni Jayawardane, an engineer by profession.
The couple have two children, a son, Abeeth, and a daughter, Aadhya.
Amila is currently shooting for two teledramas while preparing for a movie role. He says his dream is to play the role of an athlete because he used to engage in the sport from a young age. He vies to play diverse roles and win public affection. He also plans to develop his clothing brand ‘ADETAIL’. His message to Sri Lankan youth who are looking forward to stepping into diverse fields and excel in their skills is to believe in yourself and work towards achieving your goals.
