Sri Lanka - Modern Perspectives from an Ancient Melting Pot

Nimmi Harasgama: A Sri Lankan Actors Journey From Colombo to the West End & Netflix

• Dee Gibson • Season 2 • Episode 9

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Nimmi Harasgama: From Shy Child to Award-Winning Actress and Writer

In this episode, we delve into the inspiring journey of Nimmi Harasgama, a celebrated Sri Lankan actress, writer, and producer with a diverse career spanning continents. We delve into Harasgama's early years of overcoming extreme shyness, her break into acting, and her impactful roles in productions like TV drama 'Good Karma Hospital' and the film 'Funny Boy.' The episode covers Harasgama's experiences as an immigrant in the UK, the challenges of navigating cultural identity, and her dramadedy 'Brown Girl Panic.' The episode also discusses significant moments from Harasgama's life, including a deeply personal connection portraying a key moment at the dawn of the Sri Lankan Civil War.  

00:39 Meet Nimmi Harasgama

01:37 Nimmi's Early Life and Career Beginnings

04:53 The Impact of Drama on Nimmi's Life

13:00 Cultural Identity and Immigrant Experiences

22:00 Brown Girl Panic and Creative Works

26:45 Serendipitous Friendships and Life Stories

29:25 Experiencing Racism in School

30:34 Landing the Role in Good Karma Hospital

31:40 Developing the Character in Good Karma Hospital

35:19 The Impact of Funny Boy

42:21 Personal Reflections on Sri Lanka's History

51:32 The Importance of Creativity and Representation

53:22 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

About Nimmi Harasgama

A charming multi award winning actress, writer, and producer. The British National Television Awards nominated her for best "Drama Performance" for her portrayal of a much loved character Nurse Mari in ITV's The Good Karma Hospital.[1] She made her screen-debut through the English movie Mother Teresa in 1997 and Her first appearance in Sri Lankan cinema.[2]was as the lead in the Sinhalese movie Ira Madiyama for which she won Best Performance/Best Actress at  award ceremonies including International Film Festival of Las Palmas in Spain.

In 2020 she played the female lead in Oscar nominated director Deepa Mehta's film Funny Boy based on Shyam Selvadurai's book. 


Dee Gibson is the award winning designer and founder of boutique hotel Kalukanda House in Sri Lanka, www.kalukandahouse.com ~ Conde Nast Best Places to Visit in Asia 2024 & HIP Hotels Best Hotels 2025. You can follow on
instagram @deegibson2017 or @kalukandahouse

This podcast lifts the veil on what, and more importantly WHO this island is with conversations about all the things you never read about in the travel pages. Dee showcases a fascinating modern society reclaiming their identity and taking ownership of their narratives on the global stage. No subject is taboo so expect guests talking about everything from activism through art and yoga, why sari was modified by British colonisers, a performance on love and lust to episodes on forgotten heroines being narrated back into our history books and much more.

Welcome to Sri Lanka. Modern Perspectives from an ancient melting pot, the podcast that lifts the veil on what and more importantly, who makes up this beautiful island. In each episode, I interview Sri Lanka, change makers and creatives using their craft to create a positive impact. These are people you never get to hear about in your travel pages, and I really think you should, after all travel, can be expansive and regenerative and is best served with a healthy dose of people. This is the island I get to see and I want to share it with all of you. This week I'm speaking to Nimmi Harris Garma, who's a charming, multi-award winning actress, writer and producer. The British National Television Awards nominated her for best drama performance for her portrayal of much loved character Nurse Mary in itvs, the Good Karma Hospital. Her first appearance in Sri Lankan cinema was as the lead in the Sese movie. IA Madama for which she won best performance and best actress at award ceremonies in multiple places, including the International Film Festival of Las Palm in Spain. In 2020, she played the female lead in Oscar nominated director Demers Film. Funny boy, based on Sham Salvadore's book, her performance garnered rave reviews and the story touched on deeply personal themes. In this episode, Naish generously shares about her life as a youngster in Sri Lanka, who was so shy. She wouldn't speak to blossoming through drama improv classes and following her heart to be on the stage and finally onto our screens. One key emotive moment in this episode is Emmy's description of her character in funny boy living through the terrifying events of 1983 at the dawn of the Sri Lankan Civil War, and how it mirrored her own personal experience. We talk about being an immigrant in the UK and we share stories of searching for cultural identity as diaspora, as well as being a local and how all of this is commented on through her dramedy. Brown girl panic. It is no surprise that Nimmi has had to develop a sense of humor, focus, and determination, and this has led her to where she's today. Her playful nature comes through in conversation and professionally through some of her work, including comedic collaborations with Sri Lankan, actor Rahan, aka in his short film called This episode is our season finale and is a fantastic end to another series of interviews with incredible Sri Lankan creatives across all disciplines who are opening up island and personal stories, sharing their experiences of culture and heritage, and changing the narrative through their own modern perspectives from an ancient melting pot.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

I would love to welcome you Nimmi Harris Garma from, so Colombo, is it sunny?

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I'd like to say yes, but it's not it. We just had a bit of a storm. However it is so humid and I dunno why the fan isn't reaching me, it's very humid, but it's not sunny. It's like gray.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

thank you for joining me. what have you been doing today? You are writing, aren't you? Are you allowed to share what you are writing

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

so I'm writing a few things. What I've been working on today is a new screenplay with a Sri Lankan director that I've worked with before here called Pana. I was in his film Ima which is August Sun and our Kasum, which was just rereleased actually here which means flowers of the sky. he's an amazing director. and I feel really privileged that he asked me to, co-write this new screenplay that I can't really talk about,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

I've got a bit, a few questions about your writing but I like to start all of these interviews. They meander and we go all over the place. But I think it's interesting speaking to people like you about how you end up in this career. I mean, who you were, at the age of 18,

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Oh.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Nimmi uncut? The unfiltered version. did you always want to be an actress? from the beginning or did you end up coming through doctor accountant, lawyer Standard Sri Lankan route?

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I think from the day that I joined this little drama workshop here in Sri Lanka on holiday with my two cousins who lived here is when I decided this is what I want to do. And I must have been about seven. I'm a very shy person, believe it or not. And at that age I was so shy that people used to think there might be something wrong with me. Yes, but I was, but there was nothing, lemme hasten that. Even my, even one of my boyfriend's moms actually spoke to my parents and asked them whether there was something wrong with me. And that was when I was much older. Because I'm so

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Well, because you didn't talk very

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

if I, if nobody spoke, if nobody actually asked me a question, I wouldn't speak. I was very shy, and I'm still shy, but at that point, but doing this workshop with, this lady called Auntie Narlene, on Kinsey Road. Kinsey Terrace changed everything for me because she allowed us to improvise the whole drama class on a Saturday or whatever was about us getting into groups. And then she gave us a little title and we had to make up stories and be characters. And I didn't realize, but I loved it. And so that's kind of what, got me into it. and then I I did speech and drama at school in England. And did all these little competitions and did well. And then joined the National Youth Theater of Great Britain. And that was an experience that really made me grow up. I'd just finished my GCSEs and I, we were in halls of residence in Tne Park and Kentish Town and it was London and I grew up in Peterborough and it was London and, I was the youngest in that group. But when I finished and I. I went back to school and I said to my mom, I said, I was like, I don't wanna do my A Levels, I want to move to London. And she was like, and do what? I was like, I want to be an actress. And she's like, ah, really? And how are you going to pay the rent? And I was like, I'll get a job as a waitress, because I knew there were, I was what, 15, 16. But the, there were some people on my course that were 1920 and that's what they were going to do. And I really wanted to do that. So, but I didn't, I stayed and did my A Levels and then went to Goldsmith's College, London University to do a degree in Drama and Theater Arts.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh, fantastic. So she supported you to kind of go and study it further. She didn't try and divert you into something else.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

they, well, I really wanted to go to drama school, but they compromised. I compromised and they said, do a degree. So that's what I

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

So I find lots of what you've just said really interesting because you were describing yourself as a shy person. I suppose with age, we've become a bit bolder because the first time we've actually met face to face. we had a brilliant conversation before coming on live, and that was just, I felt like I'd known you forever

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

yes. I know I'm interrupting you, but I really felt like, oh my God, I know this woman from

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah I really, truly felt like that as well. So I guess my question was, at that age, did you find it. Easier to just step into a character because in your brain you were telling yourself that you were somebody else and it was just play. Because what you've said is you were obviously doing really well in these drama classes and flying if you were winning awards and going off to Kentish Town of all places, which is quite a contrast to Peterborough probably back then, but, how is it for you playing a character? Is that, how do you get into that headspace?

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Oh my gosh.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

That's quite a big question early on, isn't it? But it's interesting that you were describing this really shy child who people thought there was something wrong, and yet, when you are in character and studying as a student, you were flying.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I made them laugh. I'm, I made them laugh and it made me think, oh, that felt good that I was making people that, that could be my friends. It showed that I, oh, I had a personality or whatever at that stage. In improv especially, it's not about developing character, it's just about spontaneity and pulling from whatever. As I think somebody said this, I can't remember who, it's some famous writer, producer said this, but, and I, this is how I feel. When I moved to England from Sri Lanka, we didn't have TV here. And when we moved to England, we ended up with a tv. And for, my mom and dad and myself, it was magic because, we'd never experienced this before, and this was in the seventies. And so I watched a lot of tv and there was no person telling me, don't watch the television or watching too much, or whatever, because they didn't think that, because they, it was new to them as well. So I, part of my knowledge and research was happening from a very young age.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

to watch a lot of TV and I even got to watch, TV that my parents were watching, because for them they didn't. See, oh, this is bad for her to watch, Dallas and Dynasty and all that sort of stuff. East Enders,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

those Dallas and

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

oh my God. Sue Ellen and jr.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah absolutely. And EastEnders. Yeah. Those soaps were just sucking us

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

yeah, exactly. And so I was learning everything that I could possibly learn from watching TV and I watched a lot of movies from, the 1940s, fifties, sixties. I used to watch a lot of Ren, Carrie Grant, Gregory Peck, Doris Day, Dean, Martin Danny Kay. Oh my God. When I think that's what I grew up on, really. All the old movies, the silent movies with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin the Marx Brothers and all that sort of stuff. I was, I got to watch all this, and so I was already ready. I was ready by the time I hit seven. I was like, I got it, I've got this, I've got this sorted.'cause I'd already seen all this and it was already in there. So for stuff like that, for improv, which I love improv, it is, it's about being spontaneous and truthful in the moment. As far as, theater and TV and film, it's a different process. When you get a role it's different for theater, there's a long rehearsal process. So you are, you're kind of developing that character with your director. Sometimes you have that luxury in film as well. But in TV it's very much, I mean, I just did a show in England and I did a self tape and got the role and I went and I was on set. Next thing you know, you're on set and you're doing it. But that was, it was a fun show'cause it was a comedy for BB C3. And so,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

And what was

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Things I should have done.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Okay.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

It's the second series. And yes, and that was lovely'cause that was a lot of improv. Amazing director called Jack Clough. I think his name is Jack Clough. Oh my god. He was so fantastic'cause he really wanted you to improvise and just go for it. So that was nice.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah. Oh, we'll have to check that out. So, and then when you are improvising on TV for a show like that, how many takes do you get? Because if you are it's always the rawest, the first time round, I suppose, isn't it? If you do it too many times, it takes the essence of that kind of moment away. So do you

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I mean we had a lot of takes and you just have to try and stay present in the moment. And do it. But yeah, each take had a lot of takes. So. Yeah.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

I imagine that only a very seasoned actor. Can do something like that. I mean, it must be quite daunting for a lot of people, I would imagine. And just being able to just improvise and retake. But if you are starting at the age of seven, then you've got good stock. So, you said you arrived in, in the UK from Sri Lanka. What age were you when you came here? Can you remember landing?

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

was about four or five years old and I couldn't speak any English. And I remember watching Sound of Music and not understanding any of it. And our landlady came'cause we lived in a little annex of somebody's house. And our landlady came over. And I, she honestly, when I think I can still see her in my head, and she just looked like the queen to me. was very, she was ever so posh and she spoke like this. And I just remember all I heard was because I didn't know what she was saying, and I just, I just remember not understanding going to play school and not understanding what anybody was saying, and then just suddenly remembering like, no understanding, and then forgetting my language as well. Forgetting, I'm half Tamil, half Sese. I can speak Sese according to my friends here. I speak like a thug on the road, like a street person, like a, like I'm street. I think that's pretty cool. My Tamil is you know, it's there, but it has to always be helped by my mother.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Amazing to be multilingual. I mean, I lived in Sri Lanka when I was little and I had the same experience as you. I came back when I was four and I couldn't speak a word of English. And my early memory is arriving with my granddad to see my parents because they were over here and I was over there with my grandparents getting into this car and my mom. I mean, I think I've sort of got her memory embedded on top of mine. But I remember getting into the scar thinking, who is this woman and why is she, who is that baby she's holding who is my younger sister? And she said, I took one look at you and I just couldn't, didn't know what to do with you because you were really quite fat. And my, my grandparent, as,'cause grandparents had just fed me. They loved me so they gave me everything I wanted, which was chocolate and ice cream. And they must have saved on hair cutting costs.'cause they put a bowl on my head and literally cut around it. So yeah, I think it was quite, and I remember it was kind of tough, sort of finding it quite tough to sort of fit in until that moment where you pick up the language. And I wonder if that might have also kind of, I don't know, led to some of your shyness as well in your early

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I mean, can I just say that your story feels so similar to mine? Because When I was here, I had a eye who looked after me. And obviously I saw my mom and dad, and my mom was very present, but she was like a mother to me, maiah. So when they took me away, when my mom and dad put me on the plane, apparently I had said to the guy who was sitting on the other side of me in Singhalese, please help me. These people are trying to kidnap me. Because I was like, who are these people? Like, I knew them, but I was like, why are they taking me away from my mom? But Yeah. so this sort of being an immigrant and what parents and family have to do to try and give us a better life is such a sacrifice. And it's something that I think it takes, like me anyway, takes time for me to understand. At that time, I, there was so much resentment for me to be taken away from this country. I didn't understand they were trying to do something better for me. Especially being part Sese, part Tamil et cetera. So there's all that stuff that goes on, isn't there? The com

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah, very much

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

That people that your peers don't understand. You go to a school, I was the only brown person in this school eventually after I spoke English. And you can't there's a lot that they can't relate to you about. You are right that there's silence. The silence is the lack of my, I guess my ability to share who I am because I maybe I'm afraid that I won't be understood.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yes. Gosh, that's so funny. I also went to a school where I was pretty much the only brown girl in the village until my sister turned up. There were a couple of us. It's interesting how as children you kind of want to really fit in. So I, my, my name is Danisha, but I quickly became Dee and school was my social life, so I'd get to school and I would try and sound like all my friends. So even though my parents bless them, it was just killing themselves trying to put us through this private school. I was sort of talking like that, trying to fit in with all the cool girls. It was just ridiculous trying, and then wearing the pearls and the eighties kind of clo and it just looked stupid. I do remember. I dunno if you're old enough to remember pedal pushes

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

had two pairs,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh, did you? Well, I bet you had the cool pairs.'cause I didn't, because my mom decided one day outta the goodness of her heart to go and buy me some of this new fashion pedal pushes that she saw everyone wearing and I wasn't. And she brought'em home and oh my God, they look like King Henry the eights pantaloons. So everyone else had these. So it's really tough. You're com you were really right. And I think that some people forget that whilst it might have been I'm getting a bit deep now, what it might have been in inverted commas, easy escaping. but when you end up being displaced and you are sort of trying to fit in, that's not easy either. And then you end up in this position, or I find myself in this position now decades later, or I'm British and I'm Sri Lanka, but I'm neither.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Yeah.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

If that makes sense. So, feeds

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

it, well, no, well, it's true. And it's also being here and I've been here for quite a long time. The feeling that you are still not really accepted as truly Sri Lankan. And then coming to, and being in England and. I felt a difference this time. Time when I came back, it's like, when I went to school, there was a lot of racism. There was a lot. And then I came after university, I came back here, and then when I came back to England for whatever reasons I was like, whoa, things have changed. This is a nice place. Actually, I feel kind of comfortable here. I don't feel like I'm on edge. And that's lasted for a really long time and got better and better. But this time when I went back, I felt like, when you feel I felt a difference. I felt like, oh, I feel like it's going back.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

It's gone backwards again. I think that's absolutely right. I mean, we can see that politically everywhere, can't we? And there's some really scary stuff. And I think we also absorb, there's so much stuff that's put out on media and social media. There are lots of. People countering that, but the fact that some people feel they have the freedom and the ability to say and do these really vile things and we're letting them get away with it. So it's definitely going backwards. It's interesting that you notice that, did you actually, do you mind me asking, did you actually experience her in anything or was it just a feeling that

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

It was just a feeling, it was just a feeling that, I had a meeting with for another writing project, and we were talking, he was a, he's a Pakistani director, British Pakistani director, and we were chatting and he was saying we're about the same age. And he was saying how different it was when we grew up, how we felt we had to assimilate Fit in and to be, so we assimilate into sort of this sort of. White world that we are in. So that we can, so we can be okay. And then it's changed a lot, hasn't it? Because it's not about assimilating young people. Now I admire, young people of color, and south Asian young women and men who, they're doing their thing and their creativity comes from really deep within and from their roots, and they're not ashamed of it. Whereas I think when I grew up, there was a little bit of shame that you didn't want to sort of identify with who you are. And and I felt that a little bit this time.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh yeah. That is interesting. Well, let's hope that, I think there's enough, there are enough voices out there and I also do really believe in this younger generation coming through, my daughters are 18 and 21 and they're quite fierce young women as are all their friends, boys and girls. And I think, that generation coming through will just not allow things to continue, and we might have to go through a bit of turbulence for that to actually come round again. But I do genuinely believe in that. I'm just wondering, so you wrote a piece called Brown Girl Panic, and is that kind of fed by these kind of ideas that we are talking about now? What was that

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

So, brown Girl Panic. It started off as a set, a sort of storytelling standup set that I did in Hollywood for a curated sort of evening of immigrant comedians. That my very good friend dilo, who is who is, american Tamil Sri Lankan. And he curated this an amazing man. And I, I normally do set I normally used to do comedy with my character a character I do called Auntie Netta. And this was the first time I was gonna actually do something as myself. And actually, it's on YouTube so you can have a look at it. And it was about. Everything that I was writing about had I felt like it had to have a title to it and it came up, I came up with Dilo which was Brown Girl Panic, and that was a comedy set I did. And then I'd written a play that had a rehearse reading for Carly Theater. It was about women in war. And it was done in Covent Garden. And it was I had done a series of interviews of Tamela asylum seekers who had gone to England from Sri Lanka. And they were victims of torture. And I focused by play on one, one character, one of the characters, one of the people that I interviewed. And long story short the creator of Good Karma Hospital. Asked me whether I had written anything else.'cause he came to see it. Dan? Yeah. Dan. So he came to see it and then he said, let's meet tomorrow in soho. I've got my I'm starting a production company and I've got my team with me. You can pitch. I said, yes, I have. And I hadn't because I was slightly tipsy after the, after party of the plate. And so I meet him in soho and I pitched him this idea off the top of my head. And then it became Brown girl panic, The premise is that what if I married my white boyfriend from Peterborough? Well, he, he was from a place called Del. What if I married him? What would my life be like now? And so that was the premise. And so it starts off at our wedding anniversary, and it's the idea that. As a woman, as a brown woman, I'd lost who I was because I'd married into this family and I lived in this village, and I was a GI was still the o the only brown person in the village, and I was like, who am I now?'cause I've just assimilator, I've basically become, what I expect these people want me to be. And it's a dramedy, so there's a lot of comedy in it. But, and I spoke to a friend of mine who, just an aside, is that eventually the four other Tamil girls came to my school from Sri Lanka. So, the two sisters, two sets of sisters

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

that's unusual, isn't

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

think in, essentially it was because, it's so incestuous and small this country. And my

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Word of mouth,

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

working in Saudi, and one their dad was working in Saudi. And so as a result. They came to this school. I think they knew each other. like one of those se I can never say this word, serendipitous stories, which is i'll if we get to it, I'll tell you that. And I asked this friend of mine, I said, do you have these slight panics where you are in a situation and something happens and it's embarrassing and you have not just a panic, but a brown girl panic because you feel, oh my God, I'm brown and now this has happened and shit. They're just gonna judge me. Right. Because I'm brown as well. Okay. I dunno whether you have those.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yes, absolutely. Plenty of.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

you go. Hence brown girl panic. It's

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

that's what I really drew me in. That particular title really drew me in. I was very curious about it. That's brilliant that you created this concept outta it and Dan's optioned

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

he did option it, and then we had a Rehearse, a Sky TV commissioned a rehearse reading of it, and I had a standing ovation and it was amazing. But it's not been made yet, and it's been re optioned by somebody else now. So I don't know whether it'll be made,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

oh, I hope so. It feels also very topical and of the moment. There's a lot of kind of comments through the arts on this kind of idea, isn't there? So I'd LI really hope it, it's ma gets made. And will you actually take the lead role or what

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I mean, I'd love to, I would, but who knows? If it gets made, I'll be really happy. If it

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah. Oh God. So would I, so I'm really keen to hear you were talking about a serendipitous

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Oh my goodness. Yeah. So, So, so we had two si, two sets of sisters In the, in that joined the school. And it was so random that before they joined the school and a few years before, I was on a flight from Sri Lanka to London and we, we had to land in Chipo airport. And the engine caught fire as we took off,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh my God.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

didn't notice but we all the passengers noticed. yeah. You could see it. so he land, he rela, he'd just taken off and then he came back down and then he got off the plane and he left. But that journey I. One of those, the two of the sisters were on that journey. We didn't know each other, but we became really close. We we ended up sitting together on the flight. One of the sisters and I and we ended up becoming best friends. She joined the school outta nowhere. I remember seeing her at school and thinking, oh my God, this is the girl that I missed. I like, I missed her

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

completely randomly, not because they stayed in touch.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

no, we didn't stay in touch. We didn't. And she joined the school and she became a boarder at the school, and I was a boarder at the school. We ended up sharing a dorm together and we were just, we were best friends after that. And then she, we didn't see each other for quite a while. You know how university happens. You go your separate ways, et cetera. And then she ended up marrying my husband's. Really good friend from Cricket'cause he, when we were in England, he was captain of the second division for the Southampton Cricket League. And so one of his players, and Barney, my friend, ended up getting married. Like they met on, I'm not sure how they met, but they met and then they got, they're married, they have a little girl now. So he basically, she married my husband's best friend and they married on my birthday, which is even more.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

So she came back into your life again, completely randomly having lost touch. You two have just meant to know each other. Is she still in your

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I mean, she is, but we haven't seen each other in a long time. We

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah. Life gets in

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

yeah, it? really does. But it's not that we've fallen out or anything like that

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

no, I understand that it does get busy when you are juggling. Motherhood and family life and work and your split between two continents as well, so it must be really tricky. So I just one question on that time at school then, because you were saying that you were, kind of on your own as a brown girl in the school. So when those girls turned up, what was that like then? How were the sort of Sri Lankans in the school received by everyone else? Because you also mentioned there was some racism at the school. Did it kind of help to break down those misconceptions of other cultures, or how did

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

No, I think it was worse. I think it was worse when they came. And in school I didn't necessarily feel too much for nothing from my class. the girls in my class, as far as I know, were lovely. And I had some I'm still close. Well, to one of them, especially, she's still, she's part of my friend group at this age, but it was the older girls, mostly of the older girls that were horrible. And the area that we lived in wasn't very nice. So there was, it was, people just saying on the road or where, stuff like that.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

You've been through quite a lot of layers in your life really haven't you, living between continents and doing all of that, especially as a, going back to that shy little girl who's kind of come through all of this and I suppose all of these kind of different experiences shape us and form us and who make us Who we are today. So thank you so much for sharing that. I'm sorry if that was, I hope that wasn't too personal a question. But I also then just want to take you back to where you kind of, I know you were around as an actress for some time, but you really made it with good Karma Hospital and playing that incredible character for a number of years, which was amazing. And funnily enough, I have a place in Sri Lanka in, in well, and, I know Dan through my sister, and so we happened to be there one year when Good Karma was being shot at the building down the road just outside of Goul. So we were extras for the day. Well, my daughters were, and yeah, so we turned up at five o'clock in the morning and we were gonna be part of a crowd. That was, it was sort of the opening episode. It was such a big deal and was a very much loved series. What was that like for you, sort of having that character? Could you shape her and make her, what she was, what was your whole experience of that?

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

oh. It was just a lovely experience. And just accidentally ending up in that role was,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

oh, really?

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

mean in, it wasn't an accident. Obviously. I submitted an audition, but I was in LA at the time, we were living in LA and my husband's part American. And my mom had gone to Kiehl's, which is a supermarket here, and the local casting director here, who's a very good friend of mine, said to, had said to her while they were, at the checkout, auntie, there's a tele drama. I don't know whether NI will be interested. And she was like, ah, no, I don't think so, because she thought it was a single sese one, and my sese is not good enough for, getting a script every day I can't read it. And so that was it. She rang me and she said, this is what's happened. I've said, no. And I actually spoke to Prasad the other day and I said, thank God you emailed me after that, after she said no, because otherwise, and it's thanks to him that I knew about it, even because my agent in London, I guess because I was in the States, he wasn't really looking for anything for me. And I eventually ended up self submitting for the role with the permission of this wonderful casting director, Kate Rhodes James and got the part, it had already gone to callback. So as it

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

had gone to the, like, basically the final stage of whether they were gonna, and It's, it was a very small role in series one. She didn't really have much, but I just went through the whole script and just decided I'm gonna be reacting every time anybody else speaks, I'm gonna just be on it. And the director noticed it, and so he would be like, let's get a closeup of Nimmi. Because she's doing a lot here. And so he actually recommended that they make this character bigger. And so each year she just got bigger and bigger. Yeah.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

her. She really developed into one of the

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Yeah. And

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

characters

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I think also, I think thanks to the British audience, because they really like her. They made her popular.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

And I love what you say about your facial expressions because you do have such an expressive face and there was a lot of that, and so we all noticed that. But also it was the steadiness of your character. There's something about your face and the way you played that role, which really made us. See the expressions that you were pulling and wondering what was going on in your mind it was a really, a character that was kind of coming into our consciousness. And I also loved it because having a sort of a central character who is Asian, because obviously the doctor is English and, it's her hospital. So I really like that, that you were brought into the foreground that way as well. It's a shame though I'm, I've never really understood why it was filmed in Sri Lanka, but then set in Kerala. Was there a reason

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

were supposed to be caroler, and I think it just. Worked out that it was better to film it here in all angles. So they just kept it as Caroler. So,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

So what happened after the series came to a close because I heard that they were gonna be making

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I know it didn't work out, which was so sad. They were greenlit for a, well, I recently worked on a show and the, was the same producer, one of the same producers that had worked on a previous Good Karma, and she said it had been greenlit because as an actor you're told nothing.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

right. Yeah

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

she said that it had been greenlit for two more series, which is such a shame

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

But that's only really part of your story because you've covered so many things. I do want to bring us onto funny boy as well. I had a, I had the amazing Han Madia as

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Oh, yes. Yeah.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

and yeah, had a great chat. But you obviously played the lead role in

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

No, the female lead, it was the mom. Yeah. Deeper likes to say the female lead, but I think it more than female lead. I think it was an ensemble piece. Very much.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

so how was that? Because, I mean, it's an amazing story and Rahan was kind of sketching out for us how he approached his character and sort of the intricacies and the challenges and what was it like working with him with deeper, how did you shape that character? And also dealing with a book, which is it's a hard story, I think. It's a hard story.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Yeah. I had read that book in 1997, I think, when it first came out, and I just loved it and I related to it on so many levels. And I remember saying, I wanna play rather auntie at that time, just wanna play rather auntie. And it was going to be made at the time, there were producers involved. And I remember meeting Sham at a friend's house. A friend of mine organized a dinner so I could meet Sham and never worked out. And I regularly, I don't know why, kept meeting Sham and his mom at various airports at least four times as in, so I guess, I mean, they're coming from Canada, I'm coming from England. And we'd meet, I guess on our way to Sri Lanka. But it just happened that it was. And I'd be like, hi, et cetera, et cetera. And then it turned out my mom had grown up with his dad in the lava because my grandfather was a surveyor. And then she went on to go to school at Holy Family Convent where his mom went as well. And that's where some of it was filmed as well. and so when Deeper asked me to audition, it's because Sham had wanted me to audition. Which, but I don't think he remembered me or, I brought all this up afterwards. We just happened to know each other by now. And I'd given up on, obviously I'd given up on RA auntie but I auditioned for the mom a couple of times and, I was also very much. When you have these boxes that you have your bucket list. And I wanted to work with deeper since she, since I watched fire. And so it felt like, oh my God, these two things are coming together.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

yeah. Very

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

what an amazing thing. And once I got into the script and once I really thought about Amma Ani I was like, oh my God. This is my mother. My mother. This is my Colombo Tamil mom. And everything about her was my mom. My mom lives downstairs. So I, I worked with her on the Tamil together because it's, it was Colombo Tamil, which is different to Jeff Na, Tamil to Trinko Tamil to particular Tamil, and also on who she was as a person. And what she went through in her life. And I tried to bring a lot of that into the role. And we went through the eight three riots we were here. And I remember it, I was 10, I think, but I remember pockets of it, of being here at that time, like a movie. so I think I had a lot to pull from already.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yes.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

and it felt like shams story was very similar to my story. There was so much that was overlapping. and the way deeper works and, we had this workshop before we. Before we even started filming, and none of us realized that it was to decide whether we were actually gonna be those characters or not. It was a very, it was one of the most amazing theater works. It was a theater practitioner called Ji from India who, Nila Maning who came, who works closely with Deeper, and she just, she put us through the rung and I love drama workshops and so I just thrived for my, like personally thrived through this workshop. It was amazing and it really brought us as actors very together and close and became a family. And I think that was great. And then we started filming and it was, the first week was very tough for me because I think deeper and I were trying to get to know each other properly and whether what I was, what I was doing, she wasn't. She was just like, no, you have to do it this way, that way. And it was, we were getting to know each other and then just magic happened. And then it just, she's like one of my dearest friends now, but she's a phenomenal director. And I really enjoyed doing this movie for on so many levels.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

she does sound absolutely incredible. And the story is I mean, it's it really is mind blowing and it covers so many difficult topics, doesn't it? And for you to sort of also be taken back there emotionally and to pull these pieces out of yourself, to bring into your character. I remember Han was saying the workshop that he was in, it just went on and on until he was literally sweating on the floor. He was just sort of broken

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Yeah, I, they broke him. They absolutely broke him. I remember I was there.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

he Oh, really? Yeah. He

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

same workshop. Yeah.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

okay.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

It was one line. Yeah. It was that one line. And she kept making say over and over and over again till she broke him. And that's what theater does.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

It's really interesting though. it reminds me a little bit of the design process, although I hope I don't break my clients. I've been broken by a few. But anyway, it does take a while to get into someone's head. So even though, I could objectively walk into a space and think this is what I'm gonna do, and I kind of understand these people, once I then start on a job, it could take me a month to really kind of flesh out how something is, because it does take a while to get under someone's skin and really pull out sort of lessons of them. So I can imagine in a theater situation, it must be really difficult because you are moving into all these different characters. But I suppose all of those years of improv. Just would've made you really stood you in

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I mean the going to Auntie Ali's was just like, I think two or three holidays. But I think I got a really good grounding. I mean, Goldsmiths was great, but it was very theoretical. I think they wanted us to go off and Theory of theater, whatever. I think working on the job, getting, grounding, doing plays with amazing, phenomenal directors both here and in England I think and in film everywhere. I think it gives you just a really good grounding, it prepares you. But I was going to say that going back to funny boy there was a scene that happened at the Dutch Burger Union and the Dutch Burg Union overlooked, or overlooked'cause it's no longer there. My great aunt's house.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Okay.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

so we live where we live and she's just down the road basically. And I remember when the 83 riots happened they missed my grandmother's house. she went and hid, but they didn't come here, but they went to my great aunt's house and they just destroyed it. And I remember going to visit it, visit her and the house and to see what had happened. And we had a scene where I'm looking out the window and the cameras, in a closeup on me and I'm looking and it's my great aunt's house.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh my.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

And it was such a weird kind of full cycle, full circle kind of, feeling that, and it's no longer there. Now. My, my cousin it's a lawn. She, he has a dry cleaners there, so it's not, the house is not there anymore, but I can, I just saw the house and I remembered it as a 10-year-old little girl going there with my mom and seeing, they had, she managed to climb the wall behind and get into her neighbor's house but they had, they destroyed it. And I was like, this is so weird. Now I'm not acting, but I'm acting and I'm looking and it's that house and I'm supposed to have the same feeling. So it was a, it was

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

That's kind of what I was imagining when you were describing, having been there in 1983. I kind of wanted to say I didn't, and I'm glad that you've kind of gone there really, because it's such a personal thing. But I mean, age 10 to wit that, and then all those years later to be pretty much in a similar spot, kind of, I mean, we, our bodies hold memory. There's a sense memory isn't there, and our emotional bodies carry these things. So that must have been, you'd have drawn on a lot and I wonder how you, protect yourself because there's stuff that we just have to protect ourselves from internally. How do you do that as an actress when you are, did you, were you conscious of doing anything or did you just manage to ride it out?

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I think the fallout was great after that Yeah. There's some films that you just, you know, yeah, the fallout was pretty full on after that film. Yeah,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah, because I suppose you get to understand that moment as an adult, having seen it as a child, you are then kind of taken back there and

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

but I think it's, I think it's more than that. I think it's the, it's like everything it's like that moment in history and what happened after that moment in history and how it has impacted so many lives, And how up to 2009 and what happened in 2009 and, the wall without any witness. And although there was footage coming out, so I did get to see what was happening like 24 hours after it happened. I was, and I had to stop watching it. And, news agencies wouldn't take any of this stuff at the time because, after that Arab Spring happened and then, it was social media and everything's on social media now, but this particular time, this war, this, the last stages of this war people, news agencies didn't want to take this footage because they weren't journalists, they were just civilians who were filming. And so it's like just the impact of what happened in 1983, but you obviously, the history before that and the reason, for the Tamil people to feel marginalized and discriminated against. I think for me it was every, all of that. And I felt such a great responsibility, being part Tamil. And part sese in really portraying this woman as truthfully as I possibly could. Because I think that's a big responsibility to do this film and do that. So,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

To tell the story. Well, thank you for bringing everything that you did to it, because that would've been really digging deep. And yeah. It's amazing to have people like you and all the other cast of characters in that film who really do honor the story, like you say and have some truth to it. Sorry that we got into some heavy stuff there, but I actually really appreciate the fact that we could chat about that because that's what this whole podcast is about. I've had these amazing conversations with people and we do end up going off and we cover all the stuff, but it's always such a privilege to speak to people who've been through things that I. Didn't go through because I was living in the uk but you know, I watched my parents go through it from

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Were they here during the 83, right?

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

no, we were in the uk but lots of family in Sri Lanka and my parents just feeling really helpless and, trying to sort of create this network and community of people who could try and help those who were stuck behind. And my, my, my grandmother lost her house in Jaffna and I dunno how my grand'cause I'm, we are Tamil as well, how my grandmother managed to live through it all in Deanston place. They've still got,

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

yes.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

The building then Deanston place. So it's interesting when you were saying, talking about living in, in the building with. With your mother on a different level. But anyway, what I wanted to say was we were aware of what was going on, obviously, but we didn't live through it. And yeah, I find that having gone back to Sri Lanka now with my business and I'm there a lot, but I don't live there. what I'm really passionate about with K Cando in terms of how do I make this business mean something, it's kind of bringing these stories to life and creating this spotlight on Sri Lanka in a different way because this stuff is so important and it's shaped people and it's shaped the society. But I think. It's never portrayed as a full story. So everything that I read here about Sri Lanka, I think is very reductive and there's not that depth that you get when you actually speak to I was there earlier on this year and someone came to the house to stay with me and she was just talking to me and completely innocently and with no agenda or anything else, just, and I appreciated the question'cause I like having open conversations. She said, do you feel guilty? And I said, guilty for what? She said, do you feel guilty? And I said, what for? Coming back to Sri Lanka and opening this place? And she said, yes. And I understood what she was trying to say, which was you weren't here and now you've come back. But I said, no, I don't feel guilty. I feel really sad that all of that stuff happened, that guilt is not a word that is in my vocabulary

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

And was she Sese or Tamil? ask her whether she felt guilty?

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

No, we didn't really kind of really get a chance to go deeper, and I think she would be very open to that conversation. And honestly, there was no hostility attached or anything like that. It was a very open conversation, and I think those conversations need to

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I think that's, I mean, the problem is that they're not happening at any level. And I think, I think that there was, after war, there was a, the reconciliation committee or whatever, but you cannot have reconciliation without having truth

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

No,

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

and

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

an open

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

an open dialogue where, because these conversations need to happen. And I think this is the first time that they've been able to remember the dead in the north,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah. Yeah,

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

and I, I think there's so much that needs to be done. I. There's so much before we can move on.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yeah. I wonder if tar it is a case of time going by so that conversations can be had in a more. Measured and calm way because I'm one of these people, full of hope that having open conversation is what we need. And in a world where Trump over there, Putin over there, Christ knows what's going on in the world, and barriers are going up. Having conversation and amazing art that can tackle these subjects. But I would like to just move us away from that subject, which we could go down forever, but bring us onto something a little bit lighter because your diversity as an actress and as a writer is. Breathtaking. And I'm going to say it here, but I'll probably bleep it out. Your short piece that you did with Han called which I absolutely loved watching. And what was that about? And I, it's such a great word when one is angry to be able to say that and string it

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I mean, that's entirely rehan. He wrote that. Yes, he wrote that. We went on and we wrote some other episodes a bit, but I dunno whether we'll do or not, that's up to Rehan. Because that's his brainchild if you like. But I have no idea. I, we just wanted to do something together at the time. And I was in England doing a show, a TV show, so a series. So, when it finished we met up and he's like, look, I've written this. Do you wanna do it? And I was like, yeah, let's go for it. Let's just do it.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

I loved it. You two have got such Together as well. It was absolutely brilliant. But what I also really liked about it is, showing a different side to people where others have preconceptions about Asians or, even this day and age. Do you know what I mean? It's like, we can swear. We can swear. Like the best,

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I mean, that's what, in a sense, brown Go panic is I know it went to some streamers and at the time when it went to these streamers, they were like, it's really good writing, but it's just too out of the box

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

it, it was looking at it, it wasn't your typical. Asian family, because that's not, I don't think there's a typical Asian family. We're all different. Why does it have to, why do we all have to be put into a box? And so, and in the same way, this is like that as well,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

I will encourage, I'm gonna include a link to that in the show notes so people can go and find it along with everything else. But I guess we've gotta draw to a close. I mean, I could talk to you

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I know. Well, when you come next time we'll just have a proper chat. We'll have a coffee and a chat. Yeah, I,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

I'm really looking forward to that. I will see you in a few weeks time, but to close off, I've got a few questions, but I think I'm going to, oh my God. I want to ask you if you'd ever play Mineta Silver. We need to

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

strange, can I just say that I actually I dunno whether you've read plastic emotions by.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yes. And I interviewed

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Oh, so I was, I narrated the book for, as an audio book.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

No. Yeah. Yeah. So that's so funny that you asked me that. Yeah.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh, so Mannette is my absolute icon. Hiromi is a legend. So listen, I'm gonna put that on my

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

please do.'cause I would love

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Harris

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

her. Yeah.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

InMotion. I mean, what a woman. But coming back to that, so I am really keen to showcase not only Sri Lanka in a different way, but I do have a thing about, showing all the amazing creative women. I mean, you are in this space and I'm in the space, but there are lots of people who aren't and feel like they can't be. Why? Why do you think it's important that we put creativity on the map as a nation, and particularly show off the women innovators in Sri Lanka? Do you have any thoughts on

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

I

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

closing remarks?

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

that's probably the question that I should have prepared, but I didn't so off the cuff, I would say that, I'm sorry, there's a, I dunno whether you can hear the loud speaker. Okay. It's gone. I think as a nation, I think there's so much creativity, men and women and like Minette who, what a talented architect Was and not given the space that she should have been given,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Absolutely.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

And I think that's probably why we need to do that is that as women in Sri Lanka, we do need the space to be recognized and acknowledged because there are so many of us. And. Doing so many wonderful things, musicians, directors, actors, designers, singers, architects, you name it. And not just, in Colombo, but out of Columbo from the grassroots level up, Dee,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Yes.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

The activists that are creating and performing. And so, yeah, I think we deserve a space and we shouldn't be shy about it. Going back to my full circle. We should embrace it. And, I've learned and it's a simple thing, but. I dunno whether it's a British thing, but it's when somebody gives you a compliment. my friend always says when anyone gives you a compliment, you always find something that's negative about you to point out. And so I've learned to not do that. I've learned to say thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Because I've worked hard and I think women, we do work hard to get to where we are and achieve what we want to achieve. And I'm still working hard and still trying to achieve different creative things because your mind doesn't stop, does it? When you reach a certain age,

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

No.

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

wanna keep going, don't you? And I think I've got more confidence more creativity that I want to put out there. And what you are doing I think is fantastic'cause it's giving us this platform to, to be able to speak like this and speak freely.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh, thank you. I mean, what wisdom from you and just to say. should be stepping out of the shadows and not apologizing for everything that we do. But I think people like you are an amazing beacon for those coming up who think that they can't do something to just know that it's in your heart to sort get onto stage and use your platform to spread messages about various things. And you should absolutely do that. So you've been an absolute dream, a delight. Thank you so much for being so honest and open, and I really enjoyed that chat. So I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks. And,

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

please get in touch and let's have that coffee next door.

dee-host302_2_05-20-2025_100305:

Oh,

squadcaster-5a40_2_05-20-2025_143305:

Yeah. Yeah. Alright. Take care.

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