Sujani Menaka


Samarawickrama Dahanayake Sujani Menaka, popularly as Sujani Menaka, is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. Started as a child artist in advertisements, she is best known for the role in NSB commercial Sathen Sathe and titular role Sara in the teledrama as well as film adaptation.

Personal life

Sujani Menaka was born on 17 May 1980. She is an old girl of St. Paul's Girls School, Milagiriya. Her father was an art director in films.
She is married to popular actor Bimal Jayakody. She met Bimal during the teledrama Ramya Suramya back in 2000. They married in 2007. The couple has two daughters and one son.
Bimal's father is the elder brother of popular actresses Geetha Kanthi Jayakody and Rathna Lalani Jayakody. Geetha's daughter Paboda Sandeepani is also a popular award winning actress in cinema and television. Rathna Lalani is married to fellow actor Sampath Tennakoon.

Career

She faced a camera at the age of 3 in Prarthana teledrama directed by maestro Lester James Peries. Then, at the age of 10, she was selected for the NSB commercial Sathe Sathe, which gain enormous popularity as a child artist. In 1987, she acted in her maiden cinematic role as a child artist in the film Ahinsa. Her stage drama Athurupasata Chat Ekak will be showing in future.

Selected television serials

Her maiden cinematic experience came through as a child artist in 1987 film Ahinsa, directed by Malani Fonseka. Some of her popular films are Thrishule, Sathya and Sara.
YearFilmRoleRef.
1987AhinsaMary's daughter
1991Raja Sellam
1991Mama Obe Hithawatha
1992Raja Daruwo
1992KulageyaMervyn's daughter
1992Sathya
1993Thrishule
1994150 MulleriyawaVirindu newspaper hawker's daughter
1998Julietge BhumikawaSaroja's servant
2010SaraSara
2011GamaniUpul's lover
TBDWeerya
TBDTheja
TBDWeera Puthra
TBDUthuru Sulanga

Awards and accolades

She has won several awards at the local stage drama festivals and television festivals.