Daya Alwis

Acting

Daya Alwis

Born 1942-11-07

Thuiappuarachchi Don Daya de Alwis (7 November 1942 – 27 April 2015), widely known as Daya Alwis, was a versatile Sri Lankan actor, screenwriter, director, and dramatist who left a lasting mark across Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama, and television. He holds the historic distinction of being the first individual in Sri Lanka to win awards covering all three major performing mediums: stage, cinema, and teledrama.

Acting credits

Mangrove Island poster
9.0

Madol Duwa (Mangrove Island) is a 1976 Sri Lankan drama film directed by Lester James Peries and produced by Upasena Marasinghe. The film stars Ajith Jinadasa as Upali, a young rebellious youth who travels to a small island to get away from the restrictive society around him. The film is based on Martin Wickremasinghe's 1947 novel Madol Doova. It was a commercial success

Mangrove Island

1976

Bambaru Awith poster
6.8

In a fishing village, Anton Aiya is an exploiter who outwardly resembles and acts like a regular fisherman, but he exploits and feeds off the other fishermen. In this setting, members of the urban entrepreneurial youth. They have adapted to Western culture, dressing like Westerners and preferring Western music. Conflict arises between Anton Aiya and Baby Mahattaya (Victor), a representative of the urban youth. A middle-class leftist, Weerasena, is also part of this group. The arrival of these youths has clearly caused a social crisis requiring a solution, and all Weerasena can do is stand on a platform and deliver a speech that no one listens to. He finally leaves for the city.

Bambaru Awith

1978

Mother Teresa of Calcutta poster
6.7

The inspirational portrayal of Mother Teresa, a simple nun who became one of the most significant personalities of the 20th Century. Armed with a faith that could move mountains, Mother Teresa followed her calling to help the poor, the lepers, the dying and the abandoned children in the slums of Calcutta, challenging many authorities - including the church - along the way.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

2003

Night of Destiny poster
NR

A story of a notorious rich man in the upper class society of Colombo and how he has ended up with his wife who has no sense about her husband's illegal activities.

Night of Destiny

1998

Maya poster
NR

The story follows a seven-year-old girl from an aristocratic family who is brutally murdered and subsequently reborn in a rural village.

Maya

1984

Weesi Dela poster
9.0

Nirmal lives in a small village with his father and a beautiful sister, Sirima. The family is shattered when Sirima is raped by one of their neighbours.

Weesi Dela

1997

The Way of the Lotus (Devoid of Passions) poster
9.0

This psychological drama attempts to dwell into the mind of Aravinda, whose Buddhist empathy and detachment are contrasted with his worldly friends and relatives. The English translation of the title, "The Way of the Lotus" implies Aravinda as Lotus-rising above dirt and mud to blossom.

The Way of the Lotus (Devoid of Passions)

1987

Handaya poster
5.0

Sooppuwa, a young boy is unhappy with Sena, who has been given the responsibility of looking after Handaya, the horse. To avenge Sena, Sooppuwa and his gang attack him and kidnap his brother Chutte. Sena is challenged in a horse race, where he emerges a winner in spite of many obstacles.

Handaya

1979

Paththini poster
4.0

Kannagi (Pooja) born in the Chola kingdom, one of the three kingdoms in South India around 1,500 years ago, is happily married to Kovalan (Uddika), a millionaire. Kovalan attends the crowning ceremony of the Chola dancing queen, Princess Madhavi (Aruni). Pleased with he performance the king wants Madhavi to indicate whom she would pick to become her husband from among the wealthy male guests present. She selects Kovalan. Spellbound by Madhavi's beauty and her dancing skills, Kovalan too likes Madhavi. The happy marriage crashes. Kovalan spends all his wealth on Madhavi. Broken-hearted, the weeping Kannagi bears up the agony.

Paththini

2016

The Storm poster
NR

Maruthaya is a very honest, daring, and dramtic exposure of the traumatic experiences of an honest politicain and his family. Director Vasantha Obeysekera’s frank and sensitive handling of an age old topic, conveys a clear message that in politics, honesty is not always the best policy! And politicians are losers everytime! Maruthaya highlights the tragic plight of a politician’s family, which had tasted all the perks of power when the going was good, and the shattering experience of being faced with defeat at the elections, and all the evil that comes with it in Sri Lanka.

The Storm

1995

Mee Haraka poster
10.0

An illiterate and sexually frustrated young man finds himself attracted to a chic woman from the city who has come to his rural village as a school teacher.

Mee Haraka

1994

August Drizzle poster
6.5

A film that touches Life, Death and Expectations.One Person’s death fans the flame of expectations in another. the life that begins with that expectation ultimately ends in death. Loneliness, loss of social contacts and deceit are the underlying human conditions of the film.

August Drizzle

2011

Kolomba Sanniya: Coming Sweet poster
5.0

Kolomba Sanniya (Colombo Mania) is a 1976 Sinhalese language comedy film directed by Manik Sandrasagara that follows the lives of middle and upper-class people in rural and urban Sri Lanka. The film stars Geetha Kumarasinghe, Joe Abeywickrema and Denewake Hamine are notable for containing the first depiction of best comedy in a Sinhala film.

Kolomba Sanniya: Coming Sweet

1976