Michelle Dilhara

Biography

Hatharasinghege Michelle Dilhara (Sinhala: මිෂෙල් දිල්හාරා; born 1 May 1996) is a Sri Lankan actress and environmentalist. One of the most popular television actresses in Sri Lanka, Dilhara is best known for playing the role of Ayoma in the television series Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin Apart from acting, she also engages in various philanthropic activities and is a social activist and an author. In 2019 Dilhara received the National Youth Icon Award at the World Youth Summit held in New Delhi, India for her book Social Invisibility is not a Fiction, it Exists and for her "Theory of Alternative Social Cogwheel". In 2020 Dilhara won the Best Upcoming Actress award at the Raigam Tele'es awards ceremony for her role in the critically acclaimed serial Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin. For the same role, she also won the Best Upcoming Actress award at the 2019 Sumathi Awards, as well as won the 15th Sri Lankan Television State Awards in 2021. In 2020, Dilhara was nominated as the Best Actress at the 26th Sumathi Awards for her role as Mahimi in the television series Can You Hear Me. In 2021, she was nominated as the Best Supporting Actress at the Raigam Tele'es awards ceremony for the television series Pork Veediya and then nominated as the Best Supporting Actress at the Sumathi Awards for the serial Podu season 2. In 2022, she was once again nominated for the best Supporting Actress award at the Raigam Tele'es for the serial Lokaa. In 2024 and 2025, she won the Most Popular Teledrama Actress of the Youth Award at the Popular Awards. In 2025, Dilhara won the Most Popular Teledrama Actress award at the Pinnacle Awards and then won the award for Raigam Tele'es Most Admired Actress in the consecutive years of 2024 and 2025. Currently, she performs her role as the Earth Day Network Ambassador for Sri Lanka. She is also an advocate and promoter of Net zero and Carbon neutrality. She collaborated with the Korean Ambassador Santhuth Woonjin Jeong to create a framework to implement Sustainable Development Goal 13, the net zero initiative within the Korean Embassy in Sri Lanka.

== Personal life == She was born on 1 May 1996 in Ragama as the eldest of three siblings. She has two younger sisters: Mishen Prasadika and Rochelle Fiona. Her father, Hatharasinghege Premawardena, is a businessman and her mother, E. Jean Stella Fernando, is a housewife. She started her education from Negombo South International School and then moved to Newstead Girls College, Negombo for G.C.E O/L and A/L. During school times, at the age of 11, Dilhara started practicing martial arts and Karate-do-Shitokai under Sensei Rohan P. Udayakumara. Meanwhile, she also participated in several local and international Karate championships and won several medals. In 2010, she won the gold medal at the 2nd International Gōjū-ryū Karate Open Championship. Dilhara is currently studying for an External Degree in IT and the Higher National Diploma in Psychology. She is also following a course on Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development under the Senior Lecturer Duminda Guruge, at the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.

== Acting career ==

Dilhara was a member of the school's drama team where she started to act on the school stage on several occasions. After completing the A/L examination, she joined Abhina Academy conducted by veteran artist Anoja Weerasinghe in July 2016. According to Dilhara, Weerasinghe was her first mentor in acting, where she learned yoga as well as voice controlling and facial expressions. Later in October 2016, she joined Damayanthi Fonseka's acting Academy for further knowledge based on emotional balancing and character adaptation in drama. Then she joined Abhiranga Art Center Negombo, conducted by Randika Wimalasooriya in June 2017 to further learn Drama and Theater. During this period, she got the opportunity to study art from the Indian Theater Director, Ujjwal Singha

=== Television === In 2016, Dilhara made her first teledrama appearance in Dedunnai Adare directed by Saranga Mendis. Then she acted in the popular television serial Salsapuna directed by Nalan Mendis and telecasted on Sirasa TV, which made her breakthrough in the acting career. She was selected for the role "Preethiwa" popularly known as "Podi Paththarakari" by Sandhya Mendis, Chairman of Susila Productions. Even though the character was introduced in the middle of the serial, it was highly popularized among the public. During the same period, she then appeared with the leading role in the first Mobile drama Dhara, produced by Susila Productions. In 2017, Dilhara was selected to the television serial Poori directed by Ranil Kulasinghe, which was telecasted on Independent Television Network. In the serial, she played the role of a village girl named Maali. In the same year, she was cast for the fantasy teledrama Bodhi, directed by Sanjaya Nirmal. It was telecasted on Sirasa TV, where Dilhara played the role "Goddess Kali". In late 2017, she appeared in the serial Emy as the titular character "Emy". It was directed by Sanjaya Nirmal and telecasted on ITN. Her character was highly popularized. In 2018, she acted in the popular serial Sidu telecasted on TV Derana and directed by Thilina Boralessa. She acted as the "daylight angel", who helped and protected Sidu during his journey with the little monk Soratha. During the same period, she acted in the science fiction television serial Thuththiri, with the role "Urmila" directed by Sanjaya Nirmal. The drama is also considered to be the first Sifi comedy mega drama in Sri Lanka. In 2019, Dilhara acted in several television serials across many genres. She acted in the popular serial Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin aired in Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, directed by Sunil Costa. The serial was critically acclaimed and won several awards at local television award festivals. In the serial, Dilhara played the role of "Ayoma", who is a teenage girl facing the hardships of life. This marked her first major role in the television screen, winning three Best Upcoming Actress awards at the Raigam Tele'es and State Television Awards. Later she acted in the serial Haratha Hera directed by Chandika Wijayasena. She played the role of a wealthy girl named Pabasara. Later she acted in the serial Haratha Hera and played the role of a wealthy girl named "Pabasara". In mid-2019, she portrayed the character "Kaweesha" in the television series Dadayam Bambaru directed by Sanjaya Nirmal, which was aired in Swarnavahini. Later during same the year, she acted in the television serial Kisa, which was her second main role, directed by Nimal Rathnayake. Then she was cast for the serial Sihina Kumari directed by Roshan Weerasinghe where Dilhara played a dual character of two sisters, "Amaya and Himaya". In 2020, she started to act in the comedy thriller serial Sihina Samagama which is currently aired on Swarnavahini. In October 2020, she appeared in another thriller serial Can You Hear Me aired on National Television. She played the role of a young teenage girl named "Mahimi". She was nominated as the Best Actress at the 26th Sumathi Awards for the performance in Can You Here Me. The series is the first-ever attempt to take Sri Lankan teledrama to international audience via social media where it is airing with English subtitles. In 2021, Dilhara was cast for the role "Chenugi" in the serial Pork Street where she portrayed the character of a middle-class girl who was struggling financially with her husband. This role earned her a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress at the 2021 Raigam Tele Awards. During the same year she appeared as Dewani in the television series Race, which was aired on Siyatha TV. In 2022, Dilhara was cast for the character Dushi in the popular TV series Podu Season 2 which was aired on TV Derana. The TV series was directed by Sharmila Dharmarasa. Dilhara portrayed the character of a wealthy teenage girl who was in the middle of a love triangle. During the same year, she appeared in the television series Looka which was directed by Jayaprakash Sivagurunathan. The TV series was aired in the Independent Television Network. Dilhara portrayed the character "Navya" and her performance in Looka earned her a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress at the 19th Raigam Tele Awards. In 2023, Dilhara was cast for the television series Kaasi, directed by Iresh Lokubandara aired on Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. She portrays the character Sagarika, a middle-class girl who is forced by her parents to marry a man who is twice her age as solution for their financial issues. In the same year, she was selected for the role Malki in the serial Sidadiye Samanaliyo directed by popular actor Dhananjaya Siriwardena.

=== Film === Dilhara made her film debut in the 2018 sports film, Udumabara, as a supporting role, that of "Michelle", a talented athlete who competed against the lead character.

== Beyond acting == Apart from acting, she was also involved in several television commercials including popular the Maliban tea advertisements in 2017 and 2018. Later in 2018, she hosted the musical program 16+ telecasted on Sirasa TV.

In 2019, she hosted the entertainment program Weekend Vinode along with Udith Abeyrathne and Rukshana Dissanayake which aired every Saturday on Swarnawahini. In 2018, she acted in the music video Hitha Mage Nokiyama sung by a newcomer Dilani Kasthuriarachchi. In 2019, she acted in Nilan Hettiarachchi's music video Adara Belman. She also collaborated for the music video Umathu Prema Kumara sung by Sashika Nisansala in 2019. In 2020, she acted in the music video Nethra along with Damitha Abeyratne. The song was voiced by Abhisheka Wimalaweera and dedicated for the Mother's Day.