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Nilendra Deshapriya, studied drama and theatre at school and at the age of fourteen he wrote his first stage play “The Horse Carriage” inspired by the film "Rashoman" by the legendary Akira Kurosawa which became a huge success. He was an active member of the “group 78” at the Lionel Wendt Theater, a community where the creative elite gathered and produced many theatre productions.

Nilendra Deshapriya embarked on his journey of film making as an assistant director with highly reputed film directors’ in both local and international productions.

Later he rose to become one of Sri Lanka’s most sought after television personalities who introduced the genre Reality TV to Sri Lankan audiences, producing many successful television formats such as Super Star based on singing talent all over the nation which garnered the highest ever television ratings in the history of Sri Lankan television and also the franchised version of “Who Wants To be A Millionaire.”

Thanha Rathi Ranga[Between Yesterday and Tomorrow]is his directorial debut as a filmmaker.

Career
Nilendra Deshapriya, born in 1962, studied drama and theatre at school and at the age of fourteen he wrote his first stage play “The Horse Carriage” inspired by the film Rashoman by the legendary Akira Kurosawa which became a huge success. He was an active member of the “group 78” at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, a community where the creative elite gathered during his time and produced many theatre productions.

In a career spanning 30 years, Nilendra Deshpriya embarked on his journey of filmmaking as an assistant director with highly reputed film directors’ in both local and international productions. He joined the film industry in 1980 with the movie “Regina” by Thilak Lakshman Seneviratne. Few of the landmarks amongst many successful art house productions he worked in are; “Siri Medura” (The Mansion) which represented Sri-Lanka at 'Festival De Nantes' in France in 1983, Keli Madala by DB Nihansinghe which represented Sri Lanka at the Singapore Film festival in 1984. Later Prasanna Vithanage’s “Sisila Gini Gani” (Disappearance), Surabidena (A womb for hire) which Participated in Singapore & Hawaii International Film festivals and Maruthaya (Storm) which participated in Frighbourg Film festival in Switzerland.

In 1997 Nilendra contributed as Sri Lankan Assistant Director for a BBC television adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s novel “Midnights Children”. Then he joined the Maharaja Organisation to launch its flagship channel Sirasa TV in 1998 as Director Entertainment and then Director of Broadcasting. He produced the first ever Sri Lankan daily soap series in collaboration with Sirasa TV & Sri Adhikaari Brothers India. Amongst many other phenomenal productions he was the Sri Lankan Executive Producer of the 27 hour long live broadcast connecting the 5 continents, produced by BBC London and WGBH Boston.

Later he rose to become one of Sri Lanka’s most sought after television personalities who introduced the genre Reality TV to Sri Lankan audiences, producing many successful television formats such as Super Star based on singing talent all over the nation which garnered the highest ever television ratings in the history of Sri Lankan television and also the franchised version of Who Wants To be A Millionaire.

http://www.life.lk/article/buzz_with_danu/nilendra-deshapriya/35/10162

About Thanha Rathi Raga
My passion for cinema started when I was only seven years old. My grandmother who was a social worker used to relate bedtime stories to me, my mother used to do the same when I was a kid. I still remember the very first day my grandmother took me to a cinema hall to watch the movie The Ten Commandments. I remember how much I protested, crying out aloud hesitating to watch the film. Then suddenly the magic moment arrived when the third bell rang, the curtain gradually went up and there was pin-drop silence. From that day onward I wanted to become a film maker.

Films
Filmography 35 mm - Feature films, First Assistant Director

[1]

1980 - Regina

1981- Doringe Sayanaya

1981 - Asipatha Mamai

1982 - Podi Wijey

1983 - Siri Medura( The Mansion)

1983- Dolos Mahe Pahana

1984- Keli Madala

1989- Sisila Gini Gani

1990 -Guru Gedara

1990- Surabidena

1991- Maruthaya

1991- Ayoma

1992- Elivena Dawasa

1993- Juliette Ge Bhoomikawa

1993- Anthima Reya [Night of Destiny]

35 mm –Short films, Assistant Director

Samawatha

Palamuveniya Saha Anthimaya

Cinderellage Sereppuwa

Television
Television Career

Television Features/Series - Assistant Director

Irata Handana Mal

Yashorawaya-2

Sulanga

Veda Haamine

Wes Muhunu

Maamage Duwa

Isuru Soya

Vanaspathi 19 Episode television drama series, unfolding the commercial history of Sri-Lanka in the 19th century.

Damini (459 Episodes) First ever Sri Lankan daily soap series in collaboration with Sirasa TV & Sri Adhikaari Brothers India

Nonawaruni Mahathwaruni- Slapstick Comedy Series

Nidi Kumari- 60 episodes

Fantasy Avenue- 25 episodes

Millennium Day Broadcast The 27 hour long live broadcast connecting the 5 continents, produced by BBC London and WGBH Boston

Television Documentaries

Corridors of Silence

Destitute Children

Noh and Kabuki [Great traditions in a high tech society]

[02 TV documentary films entirely shot in Japan with the financial support of the Hoso -Bunka Foundation in Collaboration with NHK-Japan] Nonimena Pahan