With her inclusion in the prestigious Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30 Asia,’ actress Dinara Punchihewa has achieved a major milestone that brings glory and pride to her home country. In an interview with the Sunday Observer Montage Dinara speaks about her career goals, the value of drama in life, and the current opportunities for women in the film industry.
Excerpts
Q: You are among the 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders, and trailblazers across the Asia-Pacific region selected by Forbes for its ninth edition of the “30 Under 30 Asia” list. That’s such a remarkable achievement. Can you tell us more about this great experience?
A: It brings me a lot of joy to be on this list – Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia.” This is my hard work being recognised and I feel very grateful. I have been chosen for the entertainment and sports category. There are 10 categories in this list. Some of them include Social Impact, Finance and Venture capitalism, Health and science, etc. So I am very grateful that I have been chosen for this and I know that Forbes does extensive research and a lot of background checks, they look at your portfolio, etc before selecting individuals. So to be recognized for the work I do and for my craft and to represent Sri Lanka on this global platform brings me a lot of joy and I’m truly humbled.
Q: Tell us more about Punchi Actors and your documentary Mala.
A: I have been recognised, I guess, for Mala, Gaadi, and Punchi Actors. Mala is a short film that I directed. I went to Ladies College, Colombo, and then afterward I went to Queen Mary University where I studied drama. After I graduated in 2016 I went to the Jeff Goldberg Studio for Method Acting and then in Sri Lanka, I worked as a journalist – a news presenter. Also, I took part in many stage plays. Behind the scenes, I worked on the production team of ‘The Good Karma Hospital’.
So it was during this time that I directed Mala which is a short film after which I auditioned for Gaadi, Children of the Sun directed by Prasanna Vithanage and I got the lead role.
Punchi Actors is an initiative that I started five years ago in 2019. It’s an initiative that uses drama and artistic techniques. So I do this in terms of workshops at different childcare centers and orphanages and I collaborate with different people. It’s kind of my way of sharing my knowledge and my experience in drama and acting with others.
We basically have volunteers and that’s how we conduct our workshops.
I launched a book also called Drama and Play under the Punchi Actors Initiative where I have included a lot of artistic exercises, drama games, and activities. For children, it’s a very basic book with these basic activities. But it gives an overall picture of drama. The book is translated into Sinhala and Tamil and it was distributed freely to schools across the country, a few orphanages, child care centres, and some NGOs.
Q: Could you tell us more about your filming career, starting with your debut in ‘Gaadi’? What inspired you to become an actor? Can you share more about your journey up to now?
A: Even though my debut started with
Gaadi I think it has not been an overnight success. As I said before I have worked on my craft for years. I’ve always wanted to be an actor and if I can remember that’s all I’ve wanted to do! So definitely it’s a childhood dream that has come true.
So after Gaadi, I took part in several movies. I have now completed five films and I’m waiting for the release of two films (Peacock Lament directed by Sanjeewa Pushpakumara and The Ashen Cloud by Rukmal Nirosh)
Q: Would you be passionate about sharing your knowledge as a lecturer if a suitable acting school was established in the country?
A: Yes, of course. I would love to. I have a dream of opening my own drama school one day. I don’t know when I’m going to do that, but one day in the future, I would love to have an acting school for children and the youth.
Q: You are a graduate of the UK’s Queen Mary University. Tell us more about the drama education you received there.
A: Queen Mary University was incredible. I studied the drama program there which covers so many areas. Also, I think for me, living in London, which was like the hub of theater was an amazing experience. Some of my homework included going and watching plays, analysing plays, and working with different practitioners in London.
I think I enjoyed how multicultural and cosmopolitan the city of London was. I worked with people like Julia Bardsley, Lauren Barri Holstein. My modules were so different and it was so different from what I did in Sri Lanka. I went to University straight after school, so I wasn’t exposed to all of this till I went to university. So for me, I was very surprised by how amazing, and intense theatre and performing arts could actually be.
Q: How do you see the future of the Sri Lankan film industry?
A: We’ve had a bleak few years because of what we went through in terms of the economic crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, and there were lots of delays in terms of films being released and films being made. But now things are changing, and Sri Lankan Cinema is getting global recognition in certain films.
So, lots of films are being sent for International film festivals. This is our tiny island with a tiny film industry and a tiny pool of artistes. But it’s so nice to see that all of these things are happening, and for the future of Sri Lankan cinema, now we have a lot of producers that are coming into the country and producing films. And I think for a film, one of the biggest things that are needed is producers. So it’s good news to hear that too.
So I think the future looks bright for the Sri Lankan film industry because we have a great pool of talented actors and actresses and we are now slowly having more and more platforms to showcase these talents.
Q: Do you think now there are equal opportunities for females as there are for males in pursuing an acting career?
A: Yes, I am emphasis on now, because when we look at maybe a couple of years ago, that was not the case. But now I think, with the future of the OTT platforms, with the future of Netflix, and with the future of everything being online, we see more and more strong female roles that are breaking stereotypes, more female-centered characters, and more female-centered movies.
So, for example, if you look at Netflix, and you look at most of the series and most of the movies, the main role is female.
And, they’re females that look like you and me. They are not made up. So it’s beautiful to see that. I think, even for a growing child, or when you look at the movies, and you see someone that looks like you you feel really inspired.
So I’m really happy to see that there are equal opportunities for females and males.
Q: If you were given the opportunity to change the world, what would be the first three steps you’d take to make it a better place?
A: I have a huge list. The first thing for me is to eradicate poverty. I think it breaks my heart to see so much poverty in this world. The number two would be to make education and healthcare accessible to everyone. And the number three is if I could change the world, I would definitely want all the wars to end.
Q: To what extent do you agree that appreciating others’ talents and making the best use of your opportunities are the pathways to success?
A: I think it’s very important to appreciate others especially when they are also new to the industry. So I’ve been very fortunate and blessed enough to have good wishes and good support from the Sri Lankan Cinema industry. People have been quite nice in that way and so I think it’s really important to appreciate others. Then you do feel a sense of happiness and a sense of joy and a sense of belonging especially when you’re new and I think we rise by lifting others.
Q: What message do you have for aspiring artistes, as well as the young?
A: I would say definitely work on your acting, on your craft. Use your time to be a part of productions workshops, and enroll yourself in those. There are lots of workshops happening in this country. Study it online. There are many programs on YouTube etc and just be prepared always because you have to be ready when you get the opportunity.
Also just work hard and believe in yourself. Always remember that what you see on Social Media is not what people are actually portraying. Yes, a part of it is what people are portraying, but the other part is not. So don’t be influenced, just because somebody else seems better than you or whatever. Always remember that you are on your own journey and you are on your own path and even though things take time to happen, it will happen. So if you’re really passionate about your career and if you’re passionate about acting and drama keep at it. Always surround yourself with a good support system because that’s also important when your times get tough.
Q: What are your future plans? Any plans to direct a movie again?
A: I would want to focus on my acting at the moment. I just want to keep doing films and gain more knowledge before I direct a feature film later in life. In terms of career goals, I want to keep doing movies that have characters that I love and characters that I believe in.
