Devnaka Porage

He was born on 17 December 1997 in Colombo, Sri Lanka as the only child of the family. His father Damenda Porage and mother Shermila Milroy are both educationists by profession. He started primary education from Yoshida International School, Elic International School and then attended Lyceum International School for secondary education.{{Cite web |title=Life itself is an art - Devnaka Porage |url=https://www.gossip.lankahotnews.com/2018/08/devnaka-porages.html |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=lankahotnews}} While at Lyceum, he won the school colors in 2014 for his performance in cultural dancing, drama and sports karate.{{Cite web |title= No matter what I do, I will not stop learning: Devnaka Porage |url=https://www.dinamina.lk/2018/08/27/විශේෂාංග/59195/මොනවා-කළත්-ඉගෙන-ගැනීම-නව%C2%ADත්වන්නේ-නෑ |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Dinamina}} He studied in the Advanced Level Science stream even though he turned to law. Currently, he is following his LLB degree at Buckinghamshire New University.{{Cite web |title=Kavi and I are still good friends: Devnaka Porage |url=http://archives.sarasaviya.lk/2018/10/04/?fn=sa1810047 |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Sarasaviya}}

While he was a student at Elic International School in Mabima, he won the gold medal in the Yellow Belt Kata event at the Colombo Shotokan Karate Tournament 2009.{{Cite web |title=Devnaka Porage - wins 'Gold' in Oyama Karate |url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2009/08/23/spo24.asp |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Sunday Observer}} During his secondary school period, he excelled in Itosukai Sports Karate where he started the style in 2010 and won his first gold medal. Then in 2014, he won his second international gold medal in Kata 59 in International Nihon Itosu-kai Tournament held in Soka University, USA. He won the Best Actor award at an international school-level stage drama competition.{{Cite web |title=Uncle Jayantha scolds me while joking and laughing with Kavi: Devnaka |url=http://www.deshaya.lk/article/52/හදසර/7473/කවිත්-එක්ක--විහිළු-කර-කර-හිනාවෙද්දී-ජයන්ත-අංකල්--හොඳටම-බැන්නා |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Deshaya}} During two consecutive years 2011 and 2012, Devnaka won the national colors in cultural dancing by winning the first place in interschool national level cultural dancing competition. In 2011, he again won the first place in "male Kadu Saramba" and in 2012, won the first place in Folk Dancing Raban in All Sri Lanka Dancing and Drama Competition organized by the Ministry of Education. He also learned Kandyan dancing from Prof. Mudiyanse Dissanayake.

His aunt Nimanthi Porage is a popular actress who dominated theater, television and cinema. Nimanthi is married to popular cinematographer Prabath Roshan.

As a child artist at the age of 7, Devnaka appeared in the television commercial of Vanitha Wasana in 2007 along with Umayangana Wickramasinghe and Upeksha Swarnamali. He got this opportunity through his aunt Nimanthi Porage. Then he continued to appear in several commercials including, Alpenliebe (2008), Britannia Biscuits TVC (2009) with Lasith Malinga, Munchee Super Cream Cracker (2014) and Lipton Laoji (2014) and Sampath X-set (2016). In 2009, he appeared in the commercial for Cargills along with international cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya. In 2008, he made his maiden drama appearance with the television serial Sihina Wasanthayak directed by Sunil Costa. In the serial, he played the childhood role of the lead role 'Nirmal'.

In 2008, Devnaka made his maiden cinema appearance in the sci-fi film Pitasakwala Kumarayai Pancho Hathai directed by Sirimal Wijesinghe. In the film he played a lead role 'Podda' along with several veteran artists such as Suminda Sirisena, Sanath Gunathilake, Dilhani Ekanayake and Janaka Kumbukage. In 2009, he acted in the short film May 20th directed by Reshan Fernando. The film received critics acclaim and entered official selection and Live Screening at 2015 Ozak Short Film Festival, officially selected at International Student Film Festival in 2009 and official selection at Wiper Film Festival 2015 in USA.{{Cite web |title=May 20th Short-Film / මැයි 20 |url=http://www.films.lk/may-20th-Short-Film-film-2389.html |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Digital Identity of Sinhala Cinema}}

In 2009, he acted in the television serial Ganga Addara which was the television adaptation of Sumitra Peries’ film Ganga Addara based on Laticia Boteju’s novel.{{Cite web |title='Ganga Addara' released |url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/101205/Magazine/sundaytimestvtimes_9.html |website=Sunday Times |accessdate=29 December 2019}} During the same period, he appeared in the serial Gehenu Lamai made as an adaptation of the 1978 blockbuster film Gehenu Lamai directed by Sumitra Peries. In 2010, he played the role as 'young Joseph Vaz' in the docudrama Juse Vaz directed by Sanjaya Nirmal. In 2012, he acted in the serial Bharyawo directed by Saranga Mendis and produced by Sudharma Nettikumara.{{Cite web |title=Bharyawo, the story of wives unfurls from today |url=https://www.pressreader.com/sri-lanka/daily-mirror-sri-lanka/20120102/291757130010678 |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Daily Mirror}}

In 2018, he appeared in the serial Siddhartha Gauthama produced by his uncle Prabath Roshan.{{Cite web |title=What belongs to me comes to me: Devnaka Porage |url=http://www.aruna.lk/ap-90707-දෙව්නක-පෝරගේ/ |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Aruna}} In the same year, he made a lead role in the blockbuster film Gharasarapa directed by Jayantha Chandrasiri.{{Cite web |title=Didn't love anyone for a while. -Devnaka Porage |url=http://news.starfriends.lk/කාලෙකින්-කාටවත්-ආදරය-කළේ/ |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=starfriends}} In the film, he played as the young 'Sandares Edirisinghe' with Kavindya Adhikari as 'Vidya'. The film received critics acclaim and awarded in several local film festivals.{{Cite web |title=Director Jayantha Chandrasiri’s demonic cinema jamboree - Gharasarapa review |url=http://archives1.sundayobserver.lk/2018/07/08/art/gharasarapa-lurking-serpent-series-acting-gems |newspaper=Sunday Observer |access-date=8 July 2018}}{{Cite web |title=‘Garasarapa’: An astonishing summersault |url=https://www.dailynews.lk/2018/08/24/tc/160559/‘garasarapa’-astonishing-summersault?page=2 |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Daily News}} For his role, Devnaka won the Award for The Best Upcoming Actor at both Lux Derana Film Awards and the Presidential Film Festival. In the same year, he was also nominated as the Best Actor at the SIGNIS International Film Awards for the same role.

In 2019, he joined the cast of the mega teledrama Ahas Maliga. In the same year, he won the Honorary Prize for the year 2019 presented by International Interchange Development Association by appreciating his acting efforts towards well being and making hopes in people's lives through drama.{{Cite web |title=International Peace Prize for Devnaka Porage |url=https://mawbima.lk/entertainment-more/378 |access-date=2021-02-12 |website=Mawbima}}

In 2020 on his birthday, he released the song "Paadaparicharika".{{Cite web |title=Devnaka Porage released a song for his birthday |url=http://www.saaravita.lk/latest_news/683565/උපන්දිනය-වෙනුවෙන්-දෙව්නක |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=saaravita}} In 2020, he appeared in the television mini serial Podu. Since 2019, he has made three more originals: Wishwaye (2019), Pansal (2020) and Ashawiye (2021).{{Cite web |title=Ashawiye - Wefour Ft. Devnaka Porage |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZbLA5x_jbE |access-date=2021-08-08 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Dalai Lama Sinhala Song l The Official Music Video l Kalpana Kavindi & Devnaka Porage |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9DriclZm7o |access-date=2021-08-08 |language=en}}

{{Awards table}}

|-

|| 2018 ||| Gharasarapa || Best Upcoming Actor {{Cite web |title= Derana Seventh Film Awards Night |url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/features/2019/07/04/6508/දෙරණ-හත්වැනි-සිනමා-සම්මාන-රාත්%E2%80%8Dරිය |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Sarasaviya}}|| {{won}}

{{End}}

{{Awards table}}

|-

|| 2018 ||| Gharasarapa || Best Upcoming Actor {{Cite web |title=The three-year Presidential Awards are as follows |url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/features/2019/08/01/7631/තුන්-අවුරුද්දක-ජනාධිපති-සම්මාන-මෙහෙමයි |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=Sarasaviya}}|| {{won}}

{{End}}

{{Awards table}}

|-

|| 2018 ||| Gharasarapa || Best Actor || {{nominated}}

{{End}}

{{Awards table}}

|-

|| 2019 ||| Contribution in Acting || Honorary Award || {{won}}

{{End}}

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|nm7272251}}
• [https://www.facebook.com/DevnakaPorageOfficial Devnaka Porage] on Facebook
• [https://www.instagram.com/dev_nakaporage/?hl=en Devnaka Porage] on Instagram

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porage, Devnaka}}

Category:Living people

Category:1997 births

Category:Sri Lankan male film actors

Category:Sri Lankan male television actors

Category:Sri Lankan male models