Currently living in Los Angeles Anarkalli is a proud Sri Lankan tv host, actress and former politician. She made her first commercial aged 2 and for the past 30 years she has been immersed in tv and film. She grew up on film sets. Her parents Indrani Jayatilaka, fashion designer and father Jayantha Jayatilaka, location manager and film producer, worked in over 50 Hollywood movies including Indiana Jones, Bridge on the River Kwai, Tarzan.

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The lead in 22 films Anarkalli won the prestigious Sarasaviya Film Award making her the youngest actress in history to win the most popular actress award. She also won the National Presidential Award for her performance in the movie Anjalika.

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Anarkalli shares her journey with Ed Andrew including her kidnapping at 19, entering politics at 22 and being a former Miss Sri Lanka. Anarkalli talks about separating celebrity from you from identity and developing resilience, faith and community to manage life's challenges. Today in LA she interviews social media influencers and virtual reality starts to showcase the journey they made rather than the rewards they flaunt, she helps aspiring actors to develop good mental health, resilience and to take responsibility for their lives and choices.

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Talking Points

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• being raised in a well known acting family, both parents actors, started acting at 8 years old, at 15 she had her first lead role in a movie, entering politics at 18, discussing how she entered civil service to protect women and children and took social stand into politics in office 5 years

 

• discussing how she was kidnapped at 19 how she trusted the wrong people and taking responsibility - the social impact that it could happen to me as a celebrity in my country, what about the people who are not protected - how it helped her to grow and me understand her responsibility as a public figure (16)

 

• making a conscious decision not to drink or take drugs from a child, discussing how women support their families and they are put on a pedestal in Sri Lanka and dynasties built by women (21)

 

• discussing mental health in Sri Lanka and Los Angeles, how Sri Lanka is 77% Buddhism, and discussing faith "rich or poor white or black everyone has something in common - and not being a victim (25)

 

"no-one has told me that I cannot not do something in life and often I get paid more than the male hero of the movie" 

 

• the most important thing is to know who you are - acting is something you do not who you are, try not to be not be emotionally attached to the denial or rejection 28

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• discussing auditioning and body shaming, "the key is not to be a coward and not to confront what is happening when you take dramatic actions which are unnecessary, it is a process" (33) 

 

• if you have powerful connections in life, never exhaust those terminals for personal gain, you will terminate your relationships, (36)

 

• discussing her tv show Anarkalli Live in Sri Lanka an taking that to Los Angeles - doing her research on youtube on social influencers, deciding to interview the people and the journey behind social influencers, make the journey inspirational not what about they have 

 

• crafting her journey and message over 30 years, shooting her first commercial at 2, Miss Sri Lanka at 17, provincial council member at 22 -

 

• the integrity and authenticity of her social media accounts, 

 

• discussing working out her future, taking responsibility for life, proud and patriotic, happy citizen

 

• you erect your on barriers for yourself, people are so quick to blame other things, be responsible for your own actions

 

• do something revolutionary in that category, it may not work today but it may work tomorrow - discussing goal setting - sustainability of what I have to deliver to keep it going, reaching the peak is not the goal, long term success should be everyones goal, become popular in a second with virality and you will become become unpopular in a second - is what you have done aligned to your goals, have you done them every day (54)

 

• being in demand and the normalcy of ageing

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To contact Anarkalli click on the following social links

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https://www.anarkalli.com/

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarkali_Akarsha