• Kanchana Rajapaksha on her acting roles and directing dreams

Kanchana Rajapaksha’s parents, like many in the country, wanted their daughter to become a doctor. She even studied biology for her Advanced Level examination. However, Rajapaksha’s passion and interest were towards the arts, specifically teledramas and films. She decided to follow her dreams and has today appeared in several productions.

However, her dreams don’t end here, as she wants to make a name for herself behind the camera as a director. She is currently working towards this dream and joined The Daily Morning Brunch to talk about her hopes for herself as well as the country’s entertainment industry.

A journey fuelled by determination

Rajapaksha’s hometown is Badulla, but her determination brought her to Colombo, where she joined acting classes conducted by veteran actor Mahendra Perera, while also gaining employment elsewhere. “Neither of my parents had any connection to the arts and due to this, they had their concerns about me being in teledramas, especially given society’s attitudes towards actors and how things tend to be blown out of proportion and taken out of context, affecting one’s reputation,” she explained.

Rajapaksha added: “They were worried that I would have a negative experience, but I said no such thing would happen and asked that they let me go on the journey I wanted in life. Eventually, my mother changed her mind and started supporting me, even accompanying me on my first day of filming.”

Today, she also has the support of her husband, who has more experience than she does in the arts. This, Rajapaksha said, has been a strength as he helps her a lot in terms of preparing for roles. “He advises me to learn more and study this craft. This support is immense.”

Touching on how she entered the industry, Rajapaksha said it was while attending Perera’s drama classes that she got the opportunity to act in ‘Paththini’. “This was my debut teledrama role. It wasn’t a main role, but from there, I went on to act in teledramas like ‘Dankudu Banda’, ‘Hara Kotiya’, ‘Sihina Genena Kumariye’, ‘Garunda Muhurthaya’, ‘Chandoli’, and more recently, ‘Punchi Andare’, which is currently being telecast.”

She can also be seen in teledramas like ‘Kavitha’, ‘Black and White’, and ‘What Happened to Her’, in addition to movies like ‘Tsunami’, ‘Midunu Wishwaya’, and ‘President Super Star’. While she continues to expand her portfolio, Rajapaksha also continues to study the craft.

“When doing anything at all, we need to study it. Without this training or education, we can’t go forward. There are many actors, especially actresses, in Sri Lanka who appear in a teledrama or two and then disappear from the screen. They do not study acting in any way, but get roles through connections. However, they don’t go far in the field. We must learn what the craft is and the basics and techniques, at the very least. It is while learning that we must engage in acting.”

SL’s entertainment industry

According to Rajapaksha, entering the field of acting is not easy. It is also difficult to remain in the field. She herself faced several challenges, and Rajapaksha explained that one needs to be strong and resilient to go ahead amidst attempts to take advantage of actors. She described it as a situation akin to wanting both the beard and the congee (‘Kandath onalu, rawulath onalu’), where at times you feel like you want neither.

“We can’t abandon our principles just to appear on screen. The arts shouldn’t be like this, and shouldn’t require this sacrifice. It’s difficult to do so, but we must bear these challenges and go forth,” she added.

When asked if she sees room for improvement within the industry, Rajapaksha shared that the Sri Lankan teledrama industry can develop further. “The stories we currently see on screen don’t really stay in one’s mind. They aren’t memorable. However, with older teledramas like ‘Veda Hamine’ for instance, we remember the stories and characters.”

Rajapaksha went on to say that today, when a viewer switches from channel to channel, they would see similar stories and the same actor – rarely the ones with the most talent – appearing in these productions. “I see room for improvement in the field. We have several plots and storylines and yet all channels show similar stories, mostly love stories. But it would be better if we can give something more meaningful to society.”

Acting and beyond

Rajapaksha herself doesn’t want to get boxed into a certain type of character and would like to appear in diverse roles. “I study every character I receive. I haven’t set a limitation to the characters I can play and don’t want to play a certain type of character only. If, for instance, a character is required to appear semi-nude or nude as it is essential for the storyline, then we, as actors, should be able to take on such roles. We need to go by the script and if we have confidence and faith in ourselves, we can take on such roles. And we should be able to, also, especially since we have studied this craft. This is my stance.”

Speaking about what she hopes to achieve as an actor, Rajapaksha shared that most actors dream of appearing in foreign productions. She would also like to do something of her own, saying that a project like this would give her self-satisfaction that cannot be bought.

This is why Rajapaksha is currently studying filmmaking, as she would like to direct a film someday. A teledrama she wrote the script for will soon be telecast as well, she said.

“My dream is to be a filmmaker someday and not just an actress,” she said, adding: “I believe that gender wouldn’t be a deciding factor in how challenging it would be to be a director. We have many female directors in the country and I think it’s a great victory for a woman to play such an influential or significant role in the field.”