Since his roles in Sidney Chandrasekara’s teledrama A9 and Thushara Peiris’s 2008 movie Prabhakaran, Darshan Dharmaraj has made his way in the local cinema industry, even winning best actor awards for his performances in the 2012 movie Ini Avan and the 2018 movie Porisadaya. The actor was only 41 when he passed away yesterday (2 October).
Born in Rakwana, Dharmaraj has acted in movies like Machan (2008), Spandana (2015), and Dawena Vihangun (2018). His more recent work includes Kabaddi (2021), Bhawatharana (2021), and Kawruwath Danne Na (2021).
Praana, in which Dharmaraj starred alongside Shyam Fernando and Niranjani Shanmugaraja, is scheduled for release this week. The movie is directed by Sanjaya Nirmal. Shanmugaraja posted on Facebook: “My hero, my inspiration, Darshan Dharmaraj is no more. Sri Lankan cinema lost another talented soul.”
“It is an unbearable sadness that you have left us in a most unexpected and sudden manner. Winning best actor for my 2019 movie, Porisadaya, Darshan Dharmaraja, you showed that you knew about humanity above your acting career at that awards ceremony,” Porisadaya director Sirithunga Perera said on Facebook. He shared a video from the awards ceremony, where Dharmaraj, after accepting the award, insists on Perera coming on stage as well.
Paying tribute to the actor, personality development and corporate etiquette trainer and public relations and media consultant Kumar de Silva wrote: “Darshan, you didn’t have to move any part of your body to act. Your face alone sufficed. Your face was your key acting tool. It was potent. You acted from your soul. Very, very, very sad you had to go, my friend. Your legacy is inescapable. It lives on. May your journey be speedy.”
Meanwhile, actress and model Nithya Devindi, who starred alongside Dharmaraj in the Race teledrama, wrote that the opportunity to act alongside him was a treasured memory she never dreamt would become a reality. “This is because we were able to complete that drama successfully with your good qualities and humour. Good things end soon; good people leave soon. There can be no one else to take your place, and there will always be an empty space for your name in Sri Lanka’s cinema and small screen industries.”
