Uddika Premarathna (born 16 September 1980;
උද්දික ප්රේමරත්න) is a Sri Lankan actor, singer, television announcer and former
member of parliament. He is an actor in
Sri Lankan cinema and television.
Personal life
Premarathna is married to Anusha Kumari Pannala and the couple has one son, Angsh Prachien, who was born on 24 April 2013.
Assassination attempt
On 17 September 2023, Premarathna narrowly escaped an
assassination
Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives.
Assassinations are orde ...
attempt at his residence in
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...
. Unidentified gunmen opened fire at Premarathna as he was getting out from his car. Premarathna was unharmed in the incident.
Career
Premarathna made his cinema debut in 2011 film Buddhist film ''
Mahindagamanaya'' as a minor role. In 2013, he rose to prominence as the main role in the film ''
Samanala Sandhawaniya'', playing the role of Vadisha Wikramanayaka. The film successfully completed 100 days in theaters.
Premarathna was nominated for "Most Popular Actor" at the 2014
Hiru Golden Film Awards. He also won "
Best Actor" at the 2014
Sumathi Awards for his performance.
In 2015, Premarathna was cast for the role of
King Dutugemunu
Dutugamunu (, ), also known as Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya, was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for first uniting the whole island of Sri Lanka by defeating and overthrowing Ellalan, Elara, a Ta ...
in the blockbuster film ''
Maharaja Gemunu'' directed by
Jayantha Chandrasiri. The film was awarded Most Popular Movie at the 2016 Hiru Golden Film Awards. In 2017, Premarathna acted in two films. He played the main role of King Walagamba in the epic historical film ''Aloko Udapadi'', which was critically acclaimed. In the children's film ''Paha Samath'', Premarathna played the role of Samath's crippled father.
In 2019, Premarathna acted in the thriller action film ''Rush'' as the lead character, Rashan 'Rush' Wijemanna. He described the role as completely different from his previous roles, most of which were Sinhalese kings and monarchs.
In 2020, a series of drama and performing workshops organized by the Ape Maga Foundation, led by Premarathna, were held on 5 and 6 August 2020 at the North Central Provincial Auditorium,
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...
.
Post-Political career
Former MP Uddika Premaratna, after resigning from Parliament, is reportedly seeking political asylum in Canada. He and his family departed to Dubai in December with intentions to travel to Canada, utilizing his Diplomatic passport for the journey. On 18 September of the previous year, his vehicle was targeted in a shooting by unidentified assailants, though the police were unable to find those responsible. Speculations suggest that the attack may have been fabricated to strengthen his asylum claim. However he has said its only for work visa.
Selected television serials
* ''Ahimi'' as Saman
* ''Alupaata Heena''
* ''
Bonda Meedum'' as Senaka
* ''Eka Gei Minissu'' as Jagdish
* ''Fengshui Gedara'' as Nissanka
* ''Girikula''
* ''Hadawila Arana'' as Sithum Sooriyabandara
* ''Hansa Pihatu''
* ''Hopalu Arana'' as Thug
* ''Kalu Araliya'' as Wasantha
* ''Kapsuwahaskal'' As Valenta
* ''Me Suramya Paradisaya'' as Mahathun
* ''Mini Gan Dela'' as Aranolis
* ''Muthu Palasa''
* ''
Paara Dige'' as Rehan Aluvihare
* ''Renagala Walawwa'' as Malan
* ''See Raja'' as Kashyapa
* ''Sihinayaki Jeewithe''
* ''Sillara Kasi'' as Niketha
* ''Sneha'' as Adithya
* ''Yasa Isuru''
Political career
In 2020, Premarathna was announced as a candidate for the
2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election from the
Anuradhapura District
Anuradhapura ( ''anūrādhapūra distrikkaya''; ''Aṉurātapuram māvaṭṭam'') is a district in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 7,179 km².
Major cities
* Anuradhapura (Municipal Council)
Other towns
* Bulnewa
* Eppaw ...
as a member of the
Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance
The Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance (Abbreviation, abbreviated SLPFA; ; ) was a political alliance led by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna formed in 2019. Initially, the alliance consisted of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the Sri Lan ...
. He won the election with 133,550 votes and won a seat in the
16th Parliament of Sri Lanka
16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. It is the fourth power of two. In English speech, the numbers 16 and 60 are sometimes confused, as they sound similar.
Mathematics
16 is the ninth composite number, and a ...
.
Premarathna resigned from his parliamentary seat on 27 February 2024.
Filmography
Songs
* ''Adare Kalath''
* ''Nethu Addara''
* ''Mage Wela Mage''
* ''Dase Kalman''
Awards
OCIC Awards
, -
, , 2016 , , , ''Samanala Sandhawaniya'' , , Best Actor
, ,
Sumathi Awards
, -
, , 2019 , , , ''Minigandela'' , , Best Actor
, ,
, -
, , 2023 , , , People's vote , , Most Popular Actor , ,
Raigam Tele'es
, -
, , 2023 , , , People's vote , , Most Popular Actor , ,
References
External links
*
Rush Over to Watch Rushපහරේ සැරසුපිරි තරුව රන්ජන් මතු දකින තරු 10 ක් ගැන කියයිසදේශ්ගේ අලුත් චිත්රපටය දිගටම වැඩ
{{DEFAULTSORT:Premarathna, Uddika
1980 births
Sri Lankan male film actors
Living people
People from Anuradhapura
20th-century Sri Lankan male actors
Sri Lankan male television actors
Sri Lankan Buddhists