Shesha Palihakkara

Palihakkara was born in the village of Ruppagoda, in Kadawatha of the Gampaha district. He attended the St. Benedict's College, Colombo in Kotahena and St. Joseph's College in Colombo. At the age of 14, Palihakkara witnessed the Sinhala dancer Chitrasena perform in the Vidura ballet and was inspired to be a dancer. Palihakkara left school without getting his Senior School Certificate in his late teens, and went to India to train at Shanthi Nikethan. He stayed at the school for two years focusing on dance along with painting and sculpting. Palihakkara then enrolled at the Institute of Kala Kshethra in South India majoring in dance. ==Cinema career==

On his return to Sri Lanka, Palihakkara was asked to choreograph movies like Ahankara Isthri and Puduma Leli. He got his first starring role in Matalang and travelled to Madras, India to film the movie in 1953. Palihakkara played a cruel king and his rogue bandit son; the film was a huge success and made Palihakkara a heart throb in Sri Lanka. ==Filmography ==