Exploring the lighter side of Hirunika Premachandra

Whenever anyone hears the name Hirunika, they picture this image of a very young and beautiful girl surrounded by lawyers and supporters fighting for what she believes in. Almost all the newspapers, TV stations and radio stations have made Hirunika a part of their headline news for a while. 

 

Team Life Online thought we’d explore the lighter side of Hirunika. 

 

Here are some extracts from the brief chat. 

 

In the 2011 Miss Sri Lanka contest what went wrong for you? (You were not crowned the winner) 

Where I went wrong was at the last question by the judges. We were taught to answer 10 various questions. In my opinion the girls had practised too much. When the question was asked from me, I answered well in the beginning but got stuck in the middle and I asked them again what the question was, so yeah. I suspect that was the issue.

Hirunika, can you share your secret for great skin?

I really don’t have anything special to share. But I do meditate a lot and I believe there should be a connection. Also if I apply makeup, I make sure I wash off all my makeup before the end of the day. Another good practice is that I wash my face with fresh water whenever I get the chance.

 

You’ve got the looks, the attitude, and the personality to be an actress. Why don’t you consider that?

Thank you, I believe I proved to be a good actress as I won best actor all island back in 2004 and 2005 while schooling. If I am doing something, I do it right and with lots of dedication. I do get lots of offers for acting but I have already chosen my path in life and acting is not falling in any of them.

What are your views on love and when can we see Hirunika Premachandra holding a bouquet and wearing a wedding dress?

I always wanted a mature, serious relationship and I believe I feel it now. With regard to your second question, I know every girl’s dream is to get married someday, but I haven’t thought that far as yet.

 

In your view, how do you see the evolving of the Sri Lankan woman in the past 10-15 years?

Compared to other countries I guess our women are in the lead. We had the world’s first woman Prime Minister, a female President, a female Chief Justice and so many women lead big institutions in Sri Lanka. However there is still discrimination. And there are people who still stereotype. 

A good story is how my father advised me a lot when I got listed for Miss Sri Lanka. He said, one day in politics, the opposition might use material in a wrong manner. But I remember with lots of respect, disagreeing with him saying “No thaththi this is the 21st century and things like that won’t happen nowadays”. But not even a week after he passed away all my images, in which I was wearing glamorous outfits for the competition, came back up on internet and emails. So things like these need to stop. People need to respect women and empower them more.

 

 

Interview and pics by Jayantha Fernando