Nimmi Harasgama
Born
Sri Lanka
OccupationActress
Years active1997–present
Awards

Nimmi Harasgama (Sinhala: නිම්මි හරස්ගම) is an actor, writer, and producer. The British National Television Awards nominated her for best "Drama Performance" for her portrayal of Nurse Mari in ITV's The Good Karma Hospital. She made her screen-debut through the English movie Mother Teresa in 1997 by portraying a supporting character. Her first appearance in Sri Lankan cinema.[2] was as the lead in the Sinhalese movie Ira Madiyama (2003) for which she won Best Performance/Best Actress at several international and national award ceremonies - these included the 2004 International Film Festival of Las Palmas and 2006 SIGNIS Salutation Awards Ceremony.

Personal life

Nimmi Harasgama was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka to a Sinhalese father and Tamil mother.[3] She has two siblings from her father's first marriage: the artist Nelun Harasgama and Prithi Harasgama. When she was five her family moved to the UK where she attended the Westwood House School for Girls a Church of England school.[3] Nimmi attended Goldsmiths, University of London where she received a B.A. (HONS) in Drama and Theatre Arts. In 2001 she received a scholarship to an Acting in Film Workshop at the New York Film Academy.[4][5]

Career

After appearing in a supportive role in the English movie Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor in 1997, Nimmi made her first step into Sri Lankan cinema in 2003 playing the lead role in Prasanna Vithanage’s film Ira Madiyama (August Sun) where she played the role of a woman whose husband was missing in action.[6] Her successful performance brought her positive reviews and several accolades, including the Best Actress award at the 2004 International Film Festival in Spain.[7][5] Following Ira Madiyama, she appeared in another film about the life of Mother Teresa: Mother Teresa of Calcutta (2003) which was filmed in Sri Lanka and Italy.[6]

In 2012 she appeared in her first Tamil speaking role in Enakkum oru per (I Too Have a Name), a short film written and directed by Suba Sivakumaran, which was nominated for the Golden Bear for Best Short at the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany.[5] In 2011 she partnered with ETV, a Sri Lankan television station, to star in the chat show Put a Chat With Auntie Netta based on a character she created.

In 2020 she played the female lead in Deepa Mehta's film Funny Boy based on Shyam Selvadurai's book of the same name. Her performance garnered rave reviews: "Accomplished British-Sri Lankan actress Nimmi Harasgama (also seen in August Sun and the short I Too Have a Name) stands out as the bold, married Nalini..."[8]

In 2023, she collaborated with Bafta-winning Welsh director Philip John to co-write the cross-cultural romantic comedy film "Chennai Story." The movie, which is directed by Philip John, features Indian superstar Samantha Ruth Prabhu and rising star Viveik Kalra in leading roles.[9]

Filmography

YearFilmRoleLanguageNotes
1997Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's PoorChristinaEnglish
2003Ira MadiyamaChamariSinhala and Tamil
2003Mother Teresa of Calcutta (film)Sister CelesEnglishTelevision film
2007Nisala GiraNandithaSinhalaFull Length Feature
2008Flowers of the SkyPriya GunaratneSinhalaFull Length Feature
2009ShaftedSharmaEnglishShort film
2012Enakkum oru perSisterTamilShort film
2009The Great Rudapest MotelMadameEnglishShort film
2020Funny BoyAmma / NaliniEnglish, Tamil, and SinhalaFull Length Feature

Television

YearTV SeriesEpisodeRoleLanguageNotes
2005DoctorsLeap in the DarkMira ChopraEnglish
2008DoctorsNaughty or NiceDr. Shareen PatelEnglish
2011DoctorsSticky and SweetLinda SahotaEnglish
2011DoctorsAnything You SayLinda SahotaEnglish
2017The Good Karma HospitalSeries 1 (6 Episodes) Mari RodriguezEnglishITV (UK), ACORN TV / AMAZON PRIME (USA)
2018 The Good Karma Hospital Series 2 (6 Episodes) Mari Rodriguez English ITV (UK), ACORN TV / AMAZON PRIME (USA)
2018RequiemSeries 1 Episode 1Detective Inspector Alice BentonEnglishNetflix
2020 The Good Karma Hospital Series 3 (6 Episodes) Mari Rodriguez English ITV (UK), ACORN TV / AMAZON PRIME (USA)

References

  1. ↑ Alahakoon, Ajith (30 July 2005). "Presidential Film Awards Festival 2004". The Island (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Nimmi Harasgma". National Film Corporation Of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 Amarasingham, Kumudu (24 April 2005). "Between the lines". The Sunday Leader. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  4. ↑ "Cast:Nimmi Harashama". akasakusum.com. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Jayawardhane, Ruwini (7 December 2015). "Nimmi's numerous moments!". Daily News (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Passionate about art". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 23 May 2004. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "Nimmi Creates 'Auntie Netta'on ETV". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 10 April 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  8. ↑ Shedde, Meenakshi. "Such a long journey". India Today. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  9. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (2023-02-16). "'Blinded By The Light' Star Viveik Kalra Joins Samantha Ruth Prabhu In Rom-Com 'Chennai Story' — EFM". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  10. ↑ "'Ira Madiyama' wins fifth award". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 18 July 2004. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "Signis salutation for cinema and small screen". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 26 August 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
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