Sunil Costa
සුනිල් කොස්තා
Born
Kandawala, Negombo, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationSt. Mary's College
Occupation(s)Director, script Writer, actor
Years active1990–present
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
SpouseNilmini Costa
Children3
Parents
  • Aloysius Costa (father)
  • H. D. Liliana (mother)
AwardsBest Director

Sunil Costa (Sinhala:සුනිල් කොස්තා; born 6 April 1959) is a Sri Lankan film director, screenplay writer and a film actor in the Sri Lankan cinema and theater.[1][2]

In 2012, he won the Best Director, Best Script Writer, Best Production and Jury Awards at the Sumathi Awards, Raigam Tele'es and SIGNIS Awards for his television serials such as Kannadi Koottama, Rodha Hathare Manamaalaya, Sherlock Holmes, Pinsara Dosthara and Piyasa.[3][4][5]

In 2019, his teledrama Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin won the Most Popular Teledrama Award at the 24th Sumathi Awards ceremony.[6][7][8][1][9][10][11] In 2020 Costa was nominated as the Best Director of the year 2019, and his television series Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin received 14 nominations including the Best Teledrama of the year 2019 at the Raigam Tele'es award ceremony.[12][13] During the same year, Costa was nominated as the Best Director and Best Script Writer at the Television State Awards 2019, and his television series Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin received several other nominations as well.

In 2022, Costa was nominated as the Best Director and Best Script Writer at the Raigam Tele'es Awards 2020 for his television series Can You Hear Me? (2020 TV series).

Personal life

Costa was born on 6 April 1959 in Kandawala, Negombo, to Aloysius Costa and H. D. Liliana. Costa completed his primary education at Kandawala St. Joseph's College, and completed his secondary education at St. Mary's College.

He is married to Nilmini Costa. The couple has one daughter; Nethmi and two sons; Isira and Dilru.[14]

Career

In 1990, Costa marked his acting debut in the film Christhu Charithaya, a film based on the life of Jesus Christ until crucifixion. The film was directed by Sunil Ariyaratne and produced by Alerik Lionel Fernando. In 1994, Costa made his directorial debut with the telefilm Arundathi that won the UNDA Award for the Best Cameraman in 1995 at the SIGNIS Awards award ceremony. Since then he continued to write, direct and produce three other telefilms.[7]

In 1995, Costa won the UNDA Merit Award for the Best Direction at the SIGNIS Awards ceremony for his second telefilm Kaakko. His third telefilm Kannadi Kuttama received the UNDA Merit Awards for the Best Director, Best Script Writer, Best make–up Artist and the Best Tele Film of the Year 1996 at the SIGNIS Awards (Sri Lanka) award ceremony.[15] In 1996, Costa directed his fourth telefilm Sellange. He received the Sumathi Best Tele-Film of the Year award at the Sumathi Awards 1997 for the telefilm. He then began directing and script writing the television series Romeo Juliet which aired on Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. The series was an adaptation from William Shakespeare's play “Romeo & Juliet”.

In 2007, Costa directed his next television series Siri Sirimal with 39 episodes that were telecast on Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. The story describes about the life of a boy named Siri Sirimal. The series is said to be an adaptation of the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. In 2009, the Best Music score Golden Award was awarded to Dinesh Subasinghe at the SIGNIS Awards (Sri Lanka) award ceremony for the television series Siri Sirimal.[16] The television series Sherlock Holmes was directed and written by Costa in 2007. This series was inspired by the novel Sherlock Holmes by Sir.Arthur Conan Doyle. The television series received the Raigam Tele'es Jury Award for the Best Director of the Year 2009 and the Jury Award for the Best Director of the Year 2009 in Sumathi Awards.[17]

In 2011, Costa began working on his television series Pinsara Dosthra which was an adaptation of the novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. This was telecasted on the Independent Television Network. Costa received the special Jury Award for Pinsara Dosthra as the Best Director of the year at the Sumathi Awards in 2012. Dinesh Subasinghe also received the Best Music Director Award of the year at the Sumathi Awards during the same year.[18] In 2015, Costa started directing his teledrama Piyasa which was telecasted on Independent Television Network. The teledrama won three awards for the Best Director, Best Script Writer and Best Teledrama of the year 2017 at the SIGNIS Awards (Sri Lanka).[19]

Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin is the most recent teledrama that was directed and written by Sunil Costa. The teledrama was aired in Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation on weekdays from Monday to Thursday. The teledrama depicts the hardships faced by a mother and daughter when finding her father. In 2019, the teledrama won the Most Popular Teledrama Award at the 24th Sumathi Awards ceremony. In 2020 Costa was nominated as the Best Director and Best Script Writer of the year 2019, including another 14 nominees at the Raigam Tele'es award ceremony for the teledrama Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] In 2018 film Vijayaba Kollaya Costa portrayed the character of a priest. This film was directed by Sunil Ariyaratne.[31][32][33] In 2020, Costa was nominated as the Best Director and Best Script Writer at the Television State Awards for his television series Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin including several other nominations[20][23]

In 2020 Costa directed the thriller TV series Can You Hear Me?.[34] It was written by him and produced by Chinthaka Kulathunga. The TV series aired in Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation on weekdays from Monday to Thursday.The plot talks about different groups of the society that has been systematically ignored by the majority of the public. The series consists of three seasons.[35][36][37] In 2022 Costa was nominated as the Best Director and Best Script Writer of the year 2020, including 4 other nominations at the Raigam Tele'es award ceremony for the television series Can You Hear Me? (2020 TV series). During the same year he was nominated as the Best Director and Best Script Writer of the year 2020 at the SIGNIS Awards award ceremony for the television series Can You Hear Me? (2020 TV series).

Directed television series

YearSerialRef.
1994Arundathi
1995Kaakko
1996Kannadi Kuttama
1996Sellange
1997Romeo Juliet
2003Roda Hathare Manamalaya
2007Siri Sirimal
2008Sherlock Holmes
2011Pinsara Dosthra
2012Sudui Usi
2015Piyasa
2019Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin
2020Can You Hear Me?[38]

Awards and accolades

SIGNIS Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1995KaakkoBest Direction UNDA MeritWon
1996Kannadi KuttamaBest Direction UNDA MeritWon
1996Kannadi KuttamaBest Script UNDA MeritWon
2003Roda Hathare ManamalayaBest DirectorWon
2003Roda Hathare ManamalayaBest ScriptWon
2017PiyasaBest DirectorNominated
2017PiyasaBest ScriptNominated
2020Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest DirectorNominated
2020Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest ScriptNominated
2021Can You Hear Me? (2020 TV series)Best DirectorNominated
2021Can You Hear Me? (2020 TV series)Best ScriptNominated

Sumathi Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1997SellangeBest TeledramaWon
2009Sherlock HolmesBest Director JuryWon
2012Pinsara DosthraBest Director Special JuryWon
20Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest DirectorNominated
2020Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest ScriptNominated
2020Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest TeledramaNominated

Raigam Tele'es

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2009Sherlock HolmesBest Director JuryWon
2019Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest Director[39]Nominated
2019Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest ScriptNominated
2019Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest Teledrama[40]Won
2021Can You Hear Me? (2020 TV series)Best DirectorNominated
2021Can You Hear Me? (2020 TV series)Best ScriptNominated
2021Can You Hear Me? (2020 TV series)Best TeledramaNominated

Television State Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2012Pinsara DosthraBest Direction Special JuryWon
2019Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest DirectorNominated
2020Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest ScriptNominated
2020Sudu Andagena Kalu AwidinBest TeledramaNominated

References

  1. 1 2 "Sudu andagena kalu awidin' 99 episodes of reality". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "Sheltering teledrama audiences". Daily News (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Piyasa to hit small screens soon". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  4. ↑ The Daily Mirror (14 January 2013). "Dinesh the magical musician". Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Sumathi Awards 2012". sumathiawards.lk. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "The character Ayoma changed my career" (in Sinhala). Dinamina. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Sudu andagena kalu awidin everybody is mad director Sunil costa". Divaina. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "Sunil sir made me forget who I am". Silumina. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  9. ↑ "Best things are popular". Sarasaviya (in Sinhala). 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "Sumathi Award winners 2019". Sarasaviya.
  11. ↑ "Sudu andagena kalu awidin a teledrama which gives a new path to amateur actors". Resa. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "Nomination List Raigam Tele'es 2019". Raigam Tele'es. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  13. ↑ "Raigam Tele'es award nominees". Sarasaviya. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "Sunil Costa's creativity review from the village". Mawbima. 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "Entertainment". nation.lk.
  16. ↑ Fernando, Susitha R. (11 February 2007). "'Siri Sirimal':The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". Sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "Hitting the high notes". The Sunday Times. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  18. ↑ Samarasinghe, Sarashi (7 December 2008). "Sihina Wasanthayak acclaims high rating". The Nation. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "Dinesh Subasinghe in bid to rewrite history strikes". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 13 February 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2008.
  20. 1 2 "Sudu Andagena Kalu Awdin created with a great difficulty" (in Sinhala). Mawbima. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  21. ↑ "I shoot Sudu andagena kalu awidin according to my concept director Sunil costa Speaks". Divaina. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  22. ↑ "Sudu Andagena Kalu Avidin in Rupavahini". Sarasaviya (in Sinhala). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  23. 1 2 "Michelle talks about the character Ayoma in Sudu andagena kalu awidin". Divaina. 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  24. ↑ "I'm not doing anything to maintain my popularity". Resa. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  25. ↑ "Michelle has been changed" (in Sinhala). Mawbima. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  26. ↑ "Ayoma is a terning point in my life". Lakbima. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  27. ↑ "Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin from Today". PressReader. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  28. ↑ "It's not a about Sudu andagena kalu awidin drama , it's about the payment". Sarasaviya (in Sinhala). 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  29. ↑ "Michelle got a main character with no dialogues". Sarasaviya (in Sinhala). 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  30. ↑ "I got a different character in Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin". Saaravita. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  31. ↑ "'Vijayaba Kollaya' to unspool on silver screen". 26 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  32. ↑ "Sinhala screened films". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  33. ↑ "Vijayaba Kollaya to Celebrate 71th year of sinhala cinema". Sunday Times. 21 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  34. ↑ "Award winning tele-director Costa seeks a listening ear". sundaytimes. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  35. ↑ "සුනිල් කොස්තාගෙන් අහන්න කෙනෙක් නෑ". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  36. ↑ "Seeking a listening ear". Daily News. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  37. ↑ "First-ever attempt to take Lankan teledrama international". Sunday Times. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  38. ↑ "Donald Trump was a tall actor who came to Galle at that time". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  39. ↑ "16th Raigam Tele'es on Sept. 19 Sms voting for popular categories starts today". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  40. ↑ "Shalani becomes the brightest star and wins both Raigam Awards - Here are the complete winners". True News. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
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