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| Wednesday, 24 December 2003 |
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Kanchana : A new star is born by Anjana Gamage Everyone has their own dreams and Kanchana Mendis had her own dream to be a doctor. But her destiny had other plans for her. At the age of 12 , she became a child actress in "Suba Anagathayak" teledrama directed by Dharmasena Pathiraja. Today, she is a glittering star on the screen both big and small. Speaking to the "Artscope" after winning the coveted Sumathi tele award for the Most Popular actress Kanchana said she was taking part in a television programme on Sumithra Peries's "Sakman Maluwa" in which she played the main role. After acting in "Suba Anagathayak" it did not take a long time for her to climb the ladder of success as far as teledramas and films are concerned. With over 40 teledramas and ten films to her credit Kanchana had the fortune to act in Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne's "Sudu Sevaneli" and Udayakantha Warnasooriya's two award wining films "Rajya Sevaya Pinisai" and "Rosa Vasanthe". Teledramas "I believe that my first teledrama "Suba Anagathayak" paved the way for me to establish myself as an actress. After that I acted in teledramas such as "Sandaliya", "Sandakada Thanna", "Makaranda", "Doo-Daruwo", "Akaradaruwa", "Suralova", "Deyyinge Kamaththa","Fantasy Avenue" and "Damini" that won the hearts of the people" , she said. "Working with the veterans in the film field is another achievement in my life. The guidance of Sumithra Peries when I was acting in " Sakman Maluwa" was invaluable. She always encouraged me to act naturally. I learned a lot because she is a perfectionist on the sets. Merit award Kanchana won the President's Award for the best supporting actress in 2000 for her role in "Rajya Sevaya Pinisai". She also received a merit award at the Sarasaviya Film Festival this year for her role in "Rosa Vasanthe". Kanchana had the rare opportunity of acting in two Indian films "Kanagalal Kai Rasi" directed by Bharathi Raja and "Warna Jalam". The films are to be released in India early next year, she said. She has also acted in I.N. Hewawasam's "Apuru Soldier" and " Pura Sakmana" awaiting release.
"Both the Indian films are family stories. The pronunciation of Tamil dialogues was the only difficulty I had during the shooting. However, I managed it by writing them in my own language. All the other Indian artistes gave me their full support to make things easy for me. Now I have been offered another lead role in an Indian film,' she said. "An award means a lot to an artiste. It shows that their performances are appreciated. But I have never acted with the intention of grabbing awards. Sometimes we are not getting awards for the roles that have been played very well. However I am satisfied with what I have achieved", Kanchana said. "I am happy that I became an actress rather than a doctor. My family has been giving all the support and encouragement and they have helped me a lot for my success. Especially my mother is a tower of strength for me. She brought me up with lots of hardship as my father died when I was only two years old. So she has made a lot of commitments for the family of four girls. I am the youngest and my other three elder sisters have already got married now," she said. "The gossips are not new to the film field. Hardly anyone escapes from gossips when they enter the industry. Most of the newcomers to the industry become distressed due to gossips. I know what I am doing and no one can stop me from acting," she added. |
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