He is the heart throb of the silver screen. Making his debut into the industry through Udayakantha Warnasuriya’s Hiripoda Wessa, his talent and good looks were noted instantly. Every director vied to have him for their male lead as his profile attracted masses to the theaters. Rumours were circulating about who would link up with this real life Romeo. Finally, in 2014 he revealed his lady love to the world. Kushlani Ranawana nee Fernando unfolds some chapters of her life with Roshan Ranawana.
Roshan in a few words
To put it in a nutshell: Roshan is a person with a strong mind and a soft heart. He is an honest person. He does not tell lies or cheat on people. He has strong moral values. He is also a helpful and kindhearted person. The common perception about him is that he is a very reserved person but what most people don’t know about him is that he is a person who is really fun to be with.
First impression
Roshan’s grandparents have lived next door to us ever since I was born. So I have been knowing him from my babyhood. Roshan’s cousin, Arunika, and his brother, Chanaka, were my childhood friends. We spent most of our time after school together and I used to bump into Roshan then. He would hardly speak to me and since he was well-built at an early age, I used to run when I see him. He was very quiet, would keep company with his grandparents, go to the gym, and smile as we passed by. So my first impression of him would be “a Hulk who doesn’t speak much”!
The attraction
As we grew up together, we started playing badminton. Roshan joined the ‘clique’. Later he and I became very close friends because we both perceived life the same way. We enjoyed being with each other and, most importantly, we understood each other. With time we realized that we found the perfect match in each other. His honesty and commitment to our relationship stole my heart completely and led to our marriage.
Route to matrimony
Well, he never proposed to me. He would always tell me, even at the time that we were friends, that he would marry and spend the rest of his life with only one person and that would be his first love. Therefore in his terms, a proposal was never needed since his intention was to see the relationship end up in marriage from the day we fell in love. After seeing each other for 11 years, we got married on August 1, 2014. Our wedding day was the most unforgettable day in our lives as we embarked on our journey of life together, with blessings from our families and friends. It was the first day that our love got public attention!
Mr Popularity
I love all the attention Roshan gets from his fans. I haven’t felt is as a nuisance at any stage. It makes me feel proud because not everyone is loved by so many people: female, male, young and old. Before we got married, I used to be the one who got caught to take the photographs as fans didn’t know that I was his girlfriend. We always went out with our ‘clique’. Now, things have changed and often I too get called to be in the photo.
Going green
Roshan is a vegetarian. I too have been a vegetarian even before we got married. It was not his influence but a personal experience which made me convert.
Work vs household chores
I am a Management Accountant and I work for a US company. It is a challenging task to balance both office and the house work, especially because at times when I have to work after hours for conference calls with the foreign counterparts. Roshan is very understanding and supportive. When I get stressed out he makes sure to take me on a holiday. Also he hates to go for functions alone so I have to accompany him after work. Since this is the case I have acquired a new skill - I can dress up in a matter of minutes now! We both love doing household chores. So whenever we are together we attend to it and make it a fun thing to do together. He is very good with keeping the house neat and tidy.
The foodie
Roshan loves food. He has a special liking for the local dishes that his grandmother, his mother and my mother makes. My mother does the cooking at home most of the time and since we are all vegetarians we mostly enjoy home cooked food. So I make sure that when I get a chance to cook (mostly during weekends) I do some fusion cooking. I try out new things bringing together ingredients that you can never imagine could be put together. He really enjoys this. He likes the pastas I make and my Passion and Ginger Mocktail in particular. If we dine out it will be mostly Thai and Indian.
Most cherished quality
Roshan’s honesty and sincerity is what I value most about him. There is nothing about him I would want to change. I love him for who he is.
Travel companions
We both love traveling so whenever we get time off, we plan a vacation either overseas or in some place local. If we have any unplanned time off, we love spending time at home, just doing the housework, cooking and watching TV together. Our favourite vacation spots in Sri Lanka are Kandalama and Yala. If it’s overseas – Switzerland, Belgium and Australia.
Careerwise
We discuss each other’s work together. This helps both of us in making the right decisions in our careers. We have always respected each other’s opinions and we have taken decisions about our work together. Since our areas of expertise are different, we tend to look at things from different angles and often come to better conclusions together.
Scripting a role for Roshan
I wish Roshan to get a role that he has dreamed of portraying. That is a role of a person who would fight for other’s rights and is regarded as a superhero. Locally, it could be a military character. Since, he is a huge fan of Superman, I want to see him as Clark Kent but that is definitely at on an international scale.
Favourite role he has portrayed
My personal favourite is the movie Feel My Love. Roshan’s character’s name is ‘Roshan’ as well. I loved seeing Roshan being Roshan amid kids and doing what he does best - being sympathetic and helping others.
10 years from today
The situation would be just as it is today. We would grow old together, living a simple and happy life, enjoying each other’s company, travelling around the world and hopefully - being kids again with our kids!
Upcoming plans
Both of us had our life planned: the time to get married, travel destinations, building our nest, charity… and everything happened just the way we planned – at the right time and in the right way. Next would be to have kids. Fingers crossed! Careerwise I am preparing for a new global ERP role out for my company.
This is very challenging. It has opened a new chapter in my career. Roshan is involved with two dramas these days.
They are both very different roles and people would love seeing him in playing those characters. He is also preparing for a drama which involves the Sri Lankan martial art form Angampora. Shooting will begin shortly. He has completed a movie, Harsha Udakanda’s Face to Face which is yet to be screened.
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