Upeksha Swarnamali

Upeksha Swarnamali, born to Sri Lankan parents in Kuwait, spent 20 years there before returning to Sri Lanka in 2004. She attended the Indian International School in Kuwait and holds a Diploma in Dancing. Her mother, Nirmalee Swarnamali, raised her as her father was not present in her life due to their divorce when she was four years old. She has a half-brother named J. Shehan Fernando.

In her personal life, Swarnamali faced difficulties in her first marriage to Mahesh Chaminda, as she was a victim of domestic violence. The abuse resulted in her hospitalization with severe injuries, leading to their divorce on January 31, 2013. Later, on March 13, 2016, she married car sales owner Samantha Perera, and they have a daughter together.

Swarnamali began her career as a model and appeared in various music videos, including "Chanchala." She gained recognition for her role in the television drama series Paba. Additionally, she participated in the reality dance show Sirasa Dancing Stars and won the Sumathi Award for Best Upcoming Actress. In 2008, she acted in Sri Lanka's first digital movie, Hetawath Mata Adaraya Karanna. While filming the teledrama Ahas Maliga, she had a frightening encounter when she was bitten by a cobra, but fortunately, it was not a serious incident due to the removal of the snake's fangs.

In terms of her political involvement, Swarnamali garnered attention when she was removed from the teledrama Paba, which aired on the state-run ITN channel. She claimed that her removal was due to her public support for then-opposition presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka. In the 2010 General Elections, she was elected as a member of the Sri Lanka Parliament, representing the United National Party with 81,350 preferential votes, ranking second in the Gampaha District UNP list. However, she faced controversy for her lack of political knowledge and understanding of the Sri Lankan constitution.

Swarnamali initially supported the United People's Freedom Alliance and voted for the 18th amendment to the constitution before joining the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. She retired from active politics in 2015. Additionally, she participated in the reality show Mega Star and reached the finals, securing the fourth position.

In 2014, President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed Upeksha Swarnamali as the Monitoring Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare.

While she has acted in more teledramas than films, Swarnamali's notable film career began with her latest movie, Cindrella.