Uddika Premarathna | |
|---|---|
| උද්දික ප්රේමරත්න | |
| Member of Parliament forAnuradhapura District | |
| In office 20 August 2020 – 27 February 2024 | |
| Succeeded by | Sarath Chandrasiri Muthukumarana |
| Majority | 133,550 Preferential Votes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1980-09-16)16 September 1980 (age 45) |
| Political party | Jathika Nidahas Peramuna[1] |
| Other political affiliations | Supreme Lanka Coalition(since 2022) Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance(2019–2022) |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Spouse | Anusha Kumari Pannala |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | St Joseph's College, Anuradhapura |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Actor, singer |
| Website | uddikapremarathna |
Uddika Premarathna (born 16 September 1980;උද්දික ප්රේමරත්න) is a Sri Lankan actor, singer, television announcer and formermember of parliament. He is an actor inSri Lankan cinema and television.[2][3]
Premarathna is married to Anusha Kumari Pannala and the couple has one son, Angsh Prachien, who was born on 24 April 2013.[4]
On 17 September 2023, Premarathna narrowly escaped anassassination attempt at his residence inAnuradhapura. Unidentified gunmen opened fire at Premarathna as he was getting out from his car. Premarathna was unharmed in the incident.[5]
Premarathna made his cinema debut in 2011 film Buddhist filmMahindagamanaya as a minor role. In 2013, he rose to prominence as the main role in the filmSamanala Sandhawaniya, playing the role of Vadisha Wikramanayaka.[6][7] The film successfully completed 100 days in theaters.[8][9]
Premarathna was nominated for "Most Popular Actor" at the 2014Hiru Golden Film Awards.[10][11] He also won "Best Actor" at the 2014Sumathi Awards for his performance.[12]
In 2015, Premarathna was cast for the role ofKing Dutugemunu in the blockbuster filmMaharaja Gemunu directed byJayantha Chandrasiri.[13] The film was awarded Most Popular Movie at the 2016 Hiru Golden Film Awards.[14] In 2017, Premarathna acted in two films. He played the main role of King Walagamba in the epic historical filmAloko Udapadi, which was critically acclaimed.[15] In the children's filmPaha Samath, Premarathna played the role of Samath's crippled father.[16]
In 2019, Premarathna acted in the thriller action filmRush as the lead character, Rashan 'Rush' Wijemanna.[17] He described the role as completely different from his previous roles, most of which were Sinhalese kings and monarchs.[18]
In 2020, a series of drama and performing workshops organized by the Ape Maga Foundation, led by Premarathna, were held on 5 and 6 August 2020 at the North Central Provincial Auditorium,Anuradhapura.[19]
Former MP Uddika Premaratna, after resigning from Parliament, is reportedly seeking political asylum[20] in Canada. He and his family departed to Dubai in December with intentions to travel to Canada, utilizing his Diplomatic passport for the journey. On 18 September of the previous year, his vehicle was targeted in a shooting by unidentified assailants, though the police were unable to find those responsible. Speculations suggest that the attack may have been fabricated[21] to strengthen his asylum claim. However he has said its only for work[22] visa.
In 2020, Premarathna was announced as a candidate for the2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election[31] from theAnuradhapura District as a member of theSri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance.[32][33][34] He won the election with 133,550 votes and won a seat in the16th Parliament of Sri Lanka.[35]
| Election | Constituency | Party | Alliance | Votes | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 parliamentary | Anuradhapura District | Jathika Nidahas Peramuna | Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance | 133,550 | Elected | ||
Premarathna resigned from his parliamentary seat on 27 February 2024.
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mahindagamanaya | Seru | |
| 2013 | Samanala Sandhawaniya | Vadisha Wikramanayaka | [36] |
| 2014 | Duwana Muwan | Amara | [37] |
| 2015 | Maharaja Gemunu | King Dutugamunu | [38] |
| 2016 | Paththini | Kovalan | [39] |
| 2017 | Aloko Udapadi | King Valagamba | [40] |
| 2017 | Paha Samath | Samath's Father | [41] |
| 2019 | Rush | Rashan 'Rush' | [42] |
| 2023 | Midunu Vishwaya | Varenya | [43] |
| 2024 | Sihinayaki Adare | Ajith | |
| TBA | Raavana† | [44] | |
| TBA | Missis† | [45] |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Samanala Sandhawaniya | Best Actor[18] | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Minigandela | Best Actor[48] | Won |
| 2023 | People's vote | Most Popular Actor | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | People's vote | Most Popular Actor | Won |
