# Prasanna Puwanarajah

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

## Early life and education

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.
He trained in Medicine at New College, Oxford. 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.

## Personal life

As of 2019, Puwanarajah was living in north-west London.

## Filmography
### Film

| 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 |
| 2010 | Hamlet | Guildenstern | National Theatre Live |
| 2011 | The Half-Light | — | Director, writer; short film |
| 2012 | Boy | — | Director; short film |
| 2012 | Southbank Centre Goes Bollywood | Graham | Short film |
| 2013 | Möbius | Saïd | |
| 2013 | Diana | Martin Bashir | |
| 2015 | The Gunman | Doctor | |
| 2016 | The Complete Walk: Richard III | First Murderer | Short film |
| 2016 | The Baby Shower | Eric | Short film |
| 2020 | Dara | Talib | National Theatre Live |
| 2023 | Malcolm | Joe | |
| TBA | Ballywalter | — | Director |

### Television

| 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 |
| 2015 | The Vote | Tom Baird | Television film |
| 2015 | New Tricks | Sanjeev Da Silva | Episode: "Prodigal Sons" |
| 2015 | 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) |
| 2018 | Patrick Melrose | Johnny Hall | Miniseries |
| 2018–2019 | Defending the Guilty | Ashley Jeevaratnam | Main role |
| 2019 | Mum | Kumar | Episode: "Monday" |
| 2019 | 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 |
| 2021 | 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

| 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 |
| 2009 | Thyestes | Messenger | Arcola Theatre, London |
| 2009 | Twelfth Night | Priest | Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon / Duke of York's Theatre, London |
| 2009 | Amadeus | | North Wall Theatre, Oxford |
| 2010 | London Assurance | Servant | Royal National Theatre, London |
| 2010 | Hamlet | Guildenstern | Royal National Theatre, London |
| 2010 | The Wages of Thin | — | Director; Old Red Lion Theatre, London |
| 2011 | Emperor and Galilean | Medon / Oribasius | Royal National Theatre, London |
| 2011 | Nightwatchman | | Writer Part of Double Feature at the Royal National Theatre, London |
| 2013 | Moth | — | Directed; HighTide Festival, Aldeburgh / Bush Theatre, London |
| 2013–2014 | Henry V | Montjoy | Noël Coward Theatre, London |
| 2014 | Peddling | — | Director; HighTide Festival, Aldeburgh / Arcola Theatre, London / 59E59 Theaters, New York |
| 2014 | Dara | Talib | Royal National Theatre, London |
| 2015 | The Iliad and The Odyssey | | Almeida Theatre, London |
| 2015 | Macbeth | Banquo | Young Vic, London |
| 2017–2018 | The Reluctant Fundamentalist | — | Director; Yard Theatre, London |
| 2018 | Absolute Hell | Nigel Childs | Royal National Theatre, London |
| 2019 | Venice Preserv'd | — | Director; Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
| 2009 | Ian Charleson Awards | Ian Charleson Awards | | Thyestes | Nominated |