By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Amila Darshani does not believe in making a half-hearted effort when it comes to following a dream and takes the time to train in the respective fields in order to be able to give it her best. She is, among many things, an actress, and stars in Lal Priyadewa’s Meka Puduma Kathawak, which is scheduled for release in January.
She has worked with Lal Priyadewa before this as well, and her first role in a film was in his comedy movie, Appata Siri. However, before that, she attended Anoja Weerasinghe’s Abhina Academy of Performing Arts as well as Mahendra Perera’s acting workshops.
“I mainly work in movies now and have received invitations to act in a few in the future. But I still model as well, taking part in bridal shows and casual shoots,” Amila said.
She trained under model Rozanne Diasz, but moved to acting since she preferred it. She also hopes to work in some of the teledramas she has received invitations for. When asked about the kind of characters she likes to play, Amila Darshani said: “I like characters that allow me to act within a broad range. I also like characters that are related to my daily life.”
She went on to highlight the importance of proper training, saying that while some don’t face this issue, others find it hard to act in front of a camera.
“But having practical training helps us to relax in front of the camera and enables us to contribute to the production at the level expected by the director. However, along with training, the production crew’s friendliness and support are also needed when acting.”
According to Amila Darshani, this has never been an issue when working with Lal Priyadewa, and she described him as being akin to a friend as well as a father figure.
“I receive a lot of support on set, so there is no pressure, and acting is easy, because of the way the director works and the support I get. The rest of the crew is also easy to work with,” she said, referring to her work in Meka Puduma Kathawak.
When asked about the current state of the local film industry, Amila Darshani said that she does see a change in the type of movies as well as characters.
“Sri Lanka has talented and skilled directors and actors, but most times, there are limitations, especially in terms of budget, when compared to industries like Bollywood. India has a large population, thus a large audience and high revenue. Sri Lanka has a much smaller audience and smaller budget limits filmmakers.”
Amila Darshani went on to say that while there are good movies produced in Sri Lanka, there is still a lot that can be improved, especially compared to global standards.
She further commented that despite setbacks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, there are quite a few new projects being launched, but that some projects that were temporarily shelved due to the pandemic show no signs of being revived.
“During this time, I mainly took part in photoshoots and our work reduced significantly, as there were travel restrictions that made it difficult to step out.”
Another impact of the pandemic was a drop in the number of patrons visiting gyms, something Amila Darshani was also affected by, as she is a gym instructor. Her goal is to own her own gym someday and she plans on working as a yoga instructor as well, as she already practices it. This is very much her day job, and she described acting as a hobby.
“With modelling and acting, maintaining a good figure is important, and I felt fitness was something I should learn by myself, instead of getting instructions from someone else,” Amila Darshani said, adding that she has studied this area.
“Many people don’t quite understand this field and think it is about maintaining a certain physique. There are many women who do not get involved in fitness due to a lack of awareness,” Amila Darshani said, adding that she trains both men and women, but mainly focuses on women.
“I have observed that most women, unlike men, don’t continue their workouts, and tend to drop out after a couple of months. Men, on the other hand, are committed and show a lot of interest.”
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, only gym rats continued, and the economic crisis that followed resulted in a drop in female customers. However, this is changing now and Amila Darshani said: “As of a month ago, both men and women are coming to the gym, like in pre-Covid-19 times. This could be because they were stuck at home for a while.”
She seemed optimistic, not just about acting projects but also about her work as a gym instructor.