Dinara Punchihewa

Dinara Punchihewa was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka to parents who loved film and theatre. Her family always supported her as she sang, danced and, acted her way through childhood to where she stands today. Her passion for the arts began at the age of eight when she won the All Island Singing Competition and it is safe to say she never looked back. From her young age, Dinara knew she wanted to be an actress. She completed her education at Ladies' College, Colombo where she won best actress awards in school plays. She also took part in drama workshops in Colombo, LAMDA in the UK, Jagriti Theatre in Bangalore, West End in London and with Atul Mongia in Mumbai. Dinara also worked for Phantom- a Bollywood Production team with Film Team Sri Lanka, had vocal training with Mary Anne David and, Prashalini Piereis, completed Trinity Guildhall Speech and Drama exams and an Associate Diploma in Performance which led to all round theoretical and practical training. In 2013 Dinara moved to England to complete her undergraduate degree. She performed in devised plays, interactive performances and film components during her three years there which include, 'Big City, Bright Lights,' 'Women and War' and 'Little Shop of Horrors.' She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Theatre and Drama, from Queen Mary University of London in 2016, and arrived in Colombo to embark on a career in Theatre, TV and film. Her most recent involvement in Sri Lankan theatre includes Rag the Musical, Chatroom and Cinderella the Musical. Dinara also worked at Capital Maharaja Organization for MTV as a journalist and news presenter for a brief period in 2017, while pursuing her passion for acting in a few television commercials. She also worked as a production assistant on the sets of the British TV series 'The Good Karma Hospital' Season 2. At the start of 2018, Dinara directed and acted in a short film named 'Maala' and through this she was discovered by director Prasanna Vithanage. She is currently acting as the lead role in his new movie 'Gaadi' (Children of the Sun).