By seeing my talents Mr. Okshan Wijerathne selected me for his tele drama Golu Thaththa which was telecast on Swarnawahini. The role I did - Kathika Koluwa was my first tele drama experience.
Self love is the magic that brings life to our spirit. Once self love starts to grow within you, your hidden talents would begin to emerge in a way you never thought they would. Youth Observer caught up with the silver screen's rising star - Eshara Bhashitha Kawminda of Golu Thaththa fame, for which the young actor won a Merit Certificate at the Raigam Awards 2017.
Eshara was featured in the main role in the one episode tele film Shodhaka, which won the award for ‘Best One Episode Tele Drama’ at the State Film Awards 2018. It was also nominated for the ‘Best One Episode Film’ category at the Sumathi Awards 2018.
By the age of 11 Eshara had initiated his journey in to Media by choosing to learn the subject in distinct areas to broaden and enrich his knowledge. Eshara said; “As a kid I honed my presentation skills, acting skills, facial expressions and voice controlling. By seeing my talents Mr. Okshan Wijerathne selected me for his tele drama Golu Thaththa which was telecast on Swarnawahini. The role I did - Kathika Koluwa was my first tele drama experience. Okshan Sir was the person who taught me to live in the character and to bring out the best in me to become a true artiste. This journey will continue and you’ll see me on the silver screen soon.”
“Since childhood, curiosity made me to follow, learn and experience everything of the unseen world. So I started taking the paths which I thought could lead me to the places that I’ve never been. Dancing is one such path that expresses my true personality as a young artiste. I could bring home the All Island Awards from Kandyan, Sabaragamuwa and Pahatharata dancing competitions.”
Even though he made himself to be a fine young dancer, at the end of the day he never was satisfied with what he learned. Participating in Model United Nations conferences (MUN) has exposed him into the environments where global issues were discussed by young delegates. Eshara said; “Sharing knowledge, researching and speaking on a particular global issue as a young delegate, taught me that youth could change the world’s future for the better. This was one of the best experiences I had, which I consider every young person should have the chance to participate in to learn to become responsible in taking over the future of the country."
For him leisure is just moments of adding value to his inner self. Answering the question on how he spends his leisure time, he said:"I believe that reading, watching documentaries and photography opens my third eye. By self learning photography, I gained second place at the District Photography Competitions. This inspired me in creating a Photography Society in my school. I’m also interested in graphic designing, playing drums and the guitar. Leisure time is best for self studying 'acting'. So I study performances of local actors such as Mahendra Perera, Roshan Ravindra, Jagath Chamila, Kalana Gunasekara and foreign actors such as Marlon Brando, Jim Carrey, Johnny Depp and Leonardo Dicaprio who are my role models”.
If you think that nothing stops him from growth; you are correct. At present he is an Advanced Level student in the Science stream at St.Servatius College. He never forgets to improve his inner values while enhancing his outer shine. “I’m vegetarian. Don’t ask me why, but ask yourself why you are not. I think every animal has the right to live. How long can you taste a piece of meat on your tongue? It may be 3- 5 seconds. For a moment’s pleasure we are taking their lives. Place your feet in their shoes and see how you would feel. You will realise that every living being has a right to live," Eshara elaborated on his principles of life.
When asked about the ones who helped make his dreams a reality, he said, “What could I do without my family? My father, mother and three sisters are the ones who have been there for me always. It is a never ending connection which makes me thrive to do my best, even at difficult times. For me there are no other heroes other than my parents.”