Dilhani Ekanayake

Dilhani Ashokamala Ekanayake (; born 4 March 1970) is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. One of the most popular film actresses in Sinhala cinema, Ekanayake has won several awards as the most popular actress in multiple times.

Personal life

Ekanayake studied at St Clare's girls school, in Colombo. She is married to singer and actor Priyankara Perera son of singer Milton Perera. She has a son, Dilmin Perera.

In late 2020, her husband Priyankara was diagnosed with a kidney failure.

Career

Before becoming a film actress, she acted in few ballets. In 1987, along with Channa Wijewardena, she performed the ballet ''Ukussa''. Ekanayake made her cinema debut in 1991 film ''Dedunnen Samanaliyak'' directed by Yasapalitha Nanayakkara. In that year, she won the Sarasaviya award for the Best Upcoming Actress. In 1992, she won the award for the Most Popular Actress at the same festival.

Her early roles were confined to commercial films. Her ability to dance and her trade mark smile captivated the audiences. She is known as the '' Sridevi'' of Sri Lanka. Her career hit a different trail with her role as an abandoned Tamil girl in the film '' Me Mage Sandai'' by Asoka Handagama. This serious role paved the way for other remarkable performances in ''Sudu Kalu Saha Alu'' (Shades of Grey), ''Mage Wam Atha'' (My Left Hand) and ''Sulanga'' (Wind). In 2005, she again won the award for the Best Actress for the role ''Sudu Kalu Saha Alu'' at Sarasaviya Festival. In 2007, she won Presidential award for the Best Actress for the role in ''Sulanga''.

Also she made some notable roles in ''Mage Wam atha'', ''Sulanga'', ''Me Mage Sandai'', ''Sudu Kalu Saha Alu'', ''Pem Kekula'', ''Nilambare'', ''Gamani'' and many comedy films such as ''Cheriyo Darling'', ''Chaya Maya'' etc.

Though cited as a cinema actress, she has also starred in several teledramas of which ''Maya Ranga'', ''Swarna Kingkini'', ''Meeduma'', ''Sath Sanda Kirana'' and ''Amarapuraya'' stand out. She plays a major role in the Sri Lankan movie star show ''Ridee Reyak'', which is a very popular annual event in Sri Lanka. She also performed as a judge of ''Ranawiru Real Star'' and ''Mega Star'' as well. Her latest performance came through in ''Dhawala Doowili'', ''Bharyawo'', and ''Deviya Sugala'' teledramas.

She has been a brand ambassador for Lux.

Awards

Sarasaviya Awards

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, , 1991 , , , ''Dedunnen Samanaliyak'' , , Best Upcoming Actress , ,
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, , 1992 , , , , , Most popular Actress , ,
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, , 2002 , , , , , Merit Award , ,
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, , 2002 , , , ''All performances of the year'' , , Special Jury Award , ,
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, , 2005 , , , '' Sudu Kalu Saha Alu'' , , Best Actress , ,

Presidential Film Awards

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, , 2001 , , , '' Me Mage Sandai'' , , Best Actress , ,
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, , 2005 , , , '' Sulanga'' , , Best Actress , ,
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, , 2023 , , , '' Ginnen Upan Seethala'' , , Best Supporting Actress , ,

Signis Salutation Awards

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, , 2001 , , , '' Me Mage Sandai'' , , Silver Performance (Female) , ,
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, , 2012 , , , '' Gamani'' , , Gold Performance (Female) , ,

Derana Film Awards

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, , 2012 , , , '' Gamani'' , , Best Actress , ,
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, , 2015 , , , ''People's vote'' , , Most popular Actress , ,
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, , 2018 , , , '' Dharmayuddhaya'' , , Best Actress , ,

Filmography

References

External links

*
Official Website - National Film Corporation of Sri Lankaදිල්හානි රංජන්ගේ අම්මා වෙලා - Dilhani Ekanayakeසැබෑ මවගේ ගුණය කොතනත් එකයි

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekanayake, Dilhani
Living people
Sri Lankan film actresses
1970 births
20th-century Sri Lankan actresses
21st-century Sri Lankan actresses
Actresses from Colombo
Sinhalese artists