Mohan Niyaz
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Mohan Niyaz is a Sri Lankan film director, producer, screenwriter, songwriter, and attorney-at-law whose career spans more than three decades across cinema and television. Recognized for directing films and teledramas based on socially relevant themes, historical subjects, suspense, romance, and drama, he is among the few Sri Lankan filmmakers to have worked extensively in both Sinhala and English-language productions.
Born in Kandy, Sri Lanka, as Seiyad Lebbe Mohammed Niyaz, he was raised in Peradeniya near the Mahaweli River. He is the youngest of nine children born to businessman and Ayurvedic physician Seiyad Mohammed and Ayurvedic physician Saliha Umma. He attended St. Sylvester's College, Kandy, where he excelled academically and represented the school in football and hockey. From an early age he developed a passion for painting, drawing, literature, and cinema, drawing inspiration from filmmakers such as Ritwik Ghatak and Alfred Hitchcock. After completing his Advanced Level examinations, he entered the University of Peradeniya to study law and later qualified as an attorney-at-law.
Niyaz's fascination with filmmaking began during his teenage years. At the age of eighteen he produced his first short film on 35mm black-and-white film using an Arriflex 2C camera. In 1986 he wrote the screenplay for the feature film *Mala Daruwo*, although the production was ultimately abandoned due to financial difficulties.
His breakthrough came at the age of twenty-one when he directed the Sinhala teledrama *Man Nathi Da*, written by K. B. Herath and broadcast on the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. Starring Jayalath Manorathne, the series established Niyaz as one of Sri Lanka's emerging television directors. He followed it with the fantasy romance *Sihina Issawa* and the suspense drama *Unmadha Rathriya*, before directing *Silk and Sapphire*, Sri Lanka's first English-language teledrama.
In the mid-1990s Niyaz developed the screenplay for *Yasoma*, inspired by true events. After insisting on directing the project himself, despite interest from other filmmakers, he made his feature film directorial debut. Released in 1997, the film starred Nadeeka Gunasekara, Lucky Dias, Ravindra Randeniya, Cletus Mendis, and Sanoja Bibile, and established him as a filmmaker in Sri Lankan cinema.
His international profile expanded with *Blendings* (1997), an English-language historical romance produced as a Sri Lankan-British collaboration. Set during the plantation era, the film starred John Adams, Sabeetha Perera, Cyrill Wickramage, Roger Seneviratne, and Jane Adams. It received international recognition through festival screenings and earned a Special Jury Certificate at the Asian Film Centre Critics Film Festival.
Niyaz subsequently directed *Anuragaye Ananthaya*, produced by Geetha Kumarasinghe, followed by the suspense thriller *Sanda Yahanata*, notable for introducing Paboda Sandeepani to Sri Lankan cinema. He later wrote, directed, and co-produced the romantic drama *Kalu Sudu Mal*, which was screened internationally in Australia and France.
In 2005 he directed the musical feature *Eka Malaka Pethi*, introducing popular singers Nalin Perera and Reema Ginger in leading acting roles. During the same period he created several successful television dramas, including *Sihinayak Pata Patin*, adapted from Janaka Rathnayaka's popular illustrated story published in *Sathuta* magazine, and *Hithata Wahal Weemi*, adapted from Sarath Kavirathne's picture story. Both productions became popular with Sri Lankan television audiences.
Niyaz returned to cinema with *Api Marenne Na*, a black comedy adapted from *Man Nathi Da* and co-written with K. B. Herath. Released in 2014, the film is regarded as Sri Lanka's first black comedy feature.
A long-held ambition to make a historical epic culminated in *Sri Wickrama* (2023), based on the life of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, the last King of the Kandyan Kingdom. Produced by Dr. Gihan Godakanda, the large-scale historical production involved approximately one thousand cast members, supporting artists, and crew. Following its theatrical release, the film was screened internationally in Singapore and in the Italian cities of Milan and Verona. It was also approved by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education for educational screenings as a supplementary resource for the national history curriculum.
In 2024 Niyaz directed *Bambara Wasanthe*, an action-romantic comedy starring Channa Perera and Tanasha Hatharasinghe. He later directed *Warsha*, a psychological drama inspired by a series of true events in Sri Lanka, continuing his interest in stories that explore complex human relationships and contemporary social issues.
Across television and cinema, Mohan Niyaz has directed productions spanning historical drama, romance, suspense, psychological drama, musical films, comedy, and English-language productions, making him one of the few Sri Lankan filmmakers to have worked successfully across such a wide range of genres and formats.
Born in Kandy, Sri Lanka, as Seiyad Lebbe Mohammed Niyaz, he was raised in Peradeniya near the Mahaweli River. He is the youngest of nine children born to businessman and Ayurvedic physician Seiyad Mohammed and Ayurvedic physician Saliha Umma. He attended St. Sylvester's College, Kandy, where he excelled academically and represented the school in football and hockey. From an early age he developed a passion for painting, drawing, literature, and cinema, drawing inspiration from filmmakers such as Ritwik Ghatak and Alfred Hitchcock. After completing his Advanced Level examinations, he entered the University of Peradeniya to study law and later qualified as an attorney-at-law.
Niyaz's fascination with filmmaking began during his teenage years. At the age of eighteen he produced his first short film on 35mm black-and-white film using an Arriflex 2C camera. In 1986 he wrote the screenplay for the feature film *Mala Daruwo*, although the production was ultimately abandoned due to financial difficulties.
His breakthrough came at the age of twenty-one when he directed the Sinhala teledrama *Man Nathi Da*, written by K. B. Herath and broadcast on the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. Starring Jayalath Manorathne, the series established Niyaz as one of Sri Lanka's emerging television directors. He followed it with the fantasy romance *Sihina Issawa* and the suspense drama *Unmadha Rathriya*, before directing *Silk and Sapphire*, Sri Lanka's first English-language teledrama.
In the mid-1990s Niyaz developed the screenplay for *Yasoma*, inspired by true events. After insisting on directing the project himself, despite interest from other filmmakers, he made his feature film directorial debut. Released in 1997, the film starred Nadeeka Gunasekara, Lucky Dias, Ravindra Randeniya, Cletus Mendis, and Sanoja Bibile, and established him as a filmmaker in Sri Lankan cinema.
His international profile expanded with *Blendings* (1997), an English-language historical romance produced as a Sri Lankan-British collaboration. Set during the plantation era, the film starred John Adams, Sabeetha Perera, Cyrill Wickramage, Roger Seneviratne, and Jane Adams. It received international recognition through festival screenings and earned a Special Jury Certificate at the Asian Film Centre Critics Film Festival.
Niyaz subsequently directed *Anuragaye Ananthaya*, produced by Geetha Kumarasinghe, followed by the suspense thriller *Sanda Yahanata*, notable for introducing Paboda Sandeepani to Sri Lankan cinema. He later wrote, directed, and co-produced the romantic drama *Kalu Sudu Mal*, which was screened internationally in Australia and France.
In 2005 he directed the musical feature *Eka Malaka Pethi*, introducing popular singers Nalin Perera and Reema Ginger in leading acting roles. During the same period he created several successful television dramas, including *Sihinayak Pata Patin*, adapted from Janaka Rathnayaka's popular illustrated story published in *Sathuta* magazine, and *Hithata Wahal Weemi*, adapted from Sarath Kavirathne's picture story. Both productions became popular with Sri Lankan television audiences.
Niyaz returned to cinema with *Api Marenne Na*, a black comedy adapted from *Man Nathi Da* and co-written with K. B. Herath. Released in 2014, the film is regarded as Sri Lanka's first black comedy feature.
A long-held ambition to make a historical epic culminated in *Sri Wickrama* (2023), based on the life of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, the last King of the Kandyan Kingdom. Produced by Dr. Gihan Godakanda, the large-scale historical production involved approximately one thousand cast members, supporting artists, and crew. Following its theatrical release, the film was screened internationally in Singapore and in the Italian cities of Milan and Verona. It was also approved by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education for educational screenings as a supplementary resource for the national history curriculum.
In 2024 Niyaz directed *Bambara Wasanthe*, an action-romantic comedy starring Channa Perera and Tanasha Hatharasinghe. He later directed *Warsha*, a psychological drama inspired by a series of true events in Sri Lanka, continuing his interest in stories that explore complex human relationships and contemporary social issues.
Across television and cinema, Mohan Niyaz has directed productions spanning historical drama, romance, suspense, psychological drama, musical films, comedy, and English-language productions, making him one of the few Sri Lankan filmmakers to have worked successfully across such a wide range of genres and formats.
