Prasanna Puwanarajah

British actor

Prasanna Puwanarajah

Born| 1981 (age 42-43)

Ipswich, Suffolk, England

Alma mater| New College, Oxford
Occupation| Actor
Years active| 2006–present

Prasanna Puwanarajah (Tamil: பிரசன்னா புவனராஜா; born 1981) is a British actor, director, writer, and former junior medical doctor.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Puwanarajah was born at Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk to Tamil Sri Lankan parents from Sri Lanka, his mother a psychiatrist and his father a dentist. He spent his early childhood on Churchill Avenue in Ipswich before the family moved to Hampshire when he was four. He participated in school plays and spent a season with the National Youth Theatre, but thought of acting as more of a hobby than a career choice at the time.[1]

He trained in Medicine at New College, Oxford.[2] After working as a junior doctor in reconstructive surgery for over three years, Puwanarajah decided to take a year out. It was during this time he decided to become a full-time actor, describing it as "more of a strong pull towards something else" than a "push away from" his medical career.[3]

## Personal life

[edit]

As of 2019[update], Puwanarajah was living in north-west London.[4]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2008  | The Stoning of Soraya M. | Guard  |
2009  | Clamp and Grind | —  | Director, writer, producer; short film
2010  | London Assurance | Servant  | National Theatre Live
Hamlet | Guildenstern
2011  | The Half-Light | —  | Director, writer; short film
2012  | Boy | —  | Director; short film
Southbank Centre Goes Bollywood | Graham  | Short film
2013  | Möbius | Saïd  |
Diana | Martin Bashir |
2015  | The Gunman | Doctor  |
2016  | The Complete Walk: Richard III | First Murderer  | Short film
The Baby Shower | Eric  | Short film
2020  | Dara | Talib  | National Theatre Live
2023  | Malcolm | Joe  |
TBA  | Ballywalter | —  | Director[5]

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2008  | The Sarah Jane Adventures | Car Salesman  | Episode: "The Mark of the Berserker: Part 2"
2012  | Coming Up | —  | Writer, episode: "Spoof or Die"
2012–2014  | Silk | Dr Malik  | 3 episodes
2015  | Critical | Ramakrishna Chandramohan  | Main role
The Vote | Tom Baird  | Television film
New Tricks | Sanjeev Da Silva  | Episode: "Prodigal Sons"
You, Me and the Apocalypse | Rajesh McNeil  | Miniseries; main role
2016  | Cold Feet | Sam Harvey  | 1 episode
2017  | Doctor Foster | James Mohan  | Series 2 (4 episodes)[6][7]
2018  | Patrick Melrose | Johnny Hall  | Miniseries[8]
2018–2019  | Defending the Guilty | Ashley Jeevaratnam  | Main role
2019  | Mum | Kumar  | Episode: "Monday"
World on Fire | Major Taylor  | 2 episodes
2020  | Unprecedented: Real Time Theatre from a State of Isolation | —  | Writer; 1 episode
2021  | Line of Duty | Haran Nadaraja  | Series 6
Three Families | David Fortress  | Part 2
2022  | Ten Percent | Dan  | 8 episodes
2022  | The Crown | Martin Bashir | Supporting role (Season 5)
2023  | Payback | DC Jibran Khan

## Stage

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2007  | Romeo & Juliet | Escalus  | Battersea Arts Centre, London
2008  | Something I Wrote in a Hurry | —  | Director; Tabard Theatre, London
2009  | On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco | —  | Director; New End Theatre, London
Thyestes | Messenger  | Arcola Theatre, London
Twelfth Night | Priest  | Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon / Duke of York's Theatre, London
Amadeus |  | North Wall Theatre, Oxford
2010  | London Assurance | Servant  | Royal National Theatre, London
Hamlet | Guildenstern  | Royal National Theatre, London
The Wages of Thin | —  | Director; Old Red Lion Theatre, London
2011  | Emperor and Galilean | Medon / Oribasius  | Royal National Theatre, London[9]
2011  | Nightwatchman |  | Writer
Part of Double Feature at the Royal National Theatre, London
2013  | Moth | —  | Directed; HighTide Festival, Aldeburgh / Bush Theatre, London[10]
2013–2014  | Henry V | Montjoy  | Noël Coward Theatre, London[11]
2014  | Peddling | —  | Director; HighTide Festival, Aldeburgh / Arcola Theatre, London / 59E59 Theaters, New York
Dara | Talib  | Royal National Theatre, London
2015  | The Iliad and The Odyssey |  | Almeida Theatre, London
Macbeth | Banquo  | Young Vic, London
2017–2018  | The Reluctant Fundamentalist | —  | Director; Yard Theatre, London[12]
2018  | Absolute Hell | Nigel Childs  | Royal National Theatre, London[13][14]
2019  | Venice Preserv'd | —  | Director; Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon[15][16]

## Awards and nominations

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Year  | Award  | Category  | Work  | Result  | Ref

|
|
|
|
|

2009  | Ian Charleson Awards |  | Thyestes | Nominated

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Barnett, Laura (11 January 2015). "Second comings: the artists who found success the long way round". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
2. ^ "Prasanna Puwanarajah". Nick Hern Books. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
3. ^ Clarke, Andrew (23 April 2013). "Suffolk-born doctor now operates in a different theatre". East Anglia Daily Times. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
4. ^ Watson, Faye (1 April 2019). "Prasanna Puwanarajah: The Edgware Road actor's journey from NHS to TV". The Resident. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
5. ^ Dalton, Ben (28 January 2021). "First look at comedy 'Ballywalter' as filming wraps in Northern Ireland (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
6. ^ Gordon, Naomi (14 September 2017). "Doctor Foster's Prasanna Puwanarajah: 'James and Gemma have a genuine connection'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
7. ^ "Doctor Foster: James Mohan". BBC One. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
8. ^ Kealey, Helena (11 May 2018). "Patrick Melrose star Prasanna Puwanarajah talks to Culture Whisper". Culture Whisperer. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
9. ^ "Prasanna Puwanarajah". National Theatre. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
10. ^ "Prasanna Puwanarajah". United Agents. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
11. ^ "Henry V". Michael Grandage Company. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
12. ^ Stewart, Greg (28 July 2017). "NYT Interview: Prasanna Puwanarajah Director of The Reluctant Fundamentalist". Theatre Weekly. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
13. ^ Bowie-Sell, Daisy (24 April 2018). "Prasanna Puwanarajah: 'Britain wasn't ready for Absolute Hell when it first came out'". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
14. ^ Saner, Emine (16 May 2018). "Prasanna Puwanarajah: 'I thought Planet Acting didn't need someone like me'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
15. ^ "Prasanna Puwanarajah Q&A". Royal Shakespeare Company. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
16. ^ Hemming, Sarah (17 May 2019). "Why Prasanna Puwanarajah quit medicine for theatre". Financial Times. Retrieved 29 November 2021.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Mercurio, Jed; Puwanarajah, Prasanna (2021). Sleeper. Scribner UK. ISBN 9781471194986.

## External links

[edit]

* Prasanna Puwanarajah at IMDb