Nilendra Deshapriya studied drama and theatre at school and at the age of fourteen he wrote his first stage play "The Horse Carriage" inspired by the film "Rashoman" by the legendary Akira Kurosawa which became a huge success. He was an active member of the "group 78" at the Lionel Wendt Theater, a community where the creative elite gathered and produced many theatre productions.

Nilendra Deshapriya embarked on his journey of film-making as an assistant director with highly reputed film directors' in both local and international productions.

Later he rose to become one of Sri Lanka's most sought after television personalities who introduced the genre Reality TV to Sri Lankan audiences, producing many successful television formats such as Super Star based on singing talent all over the nation which garnered the highest ever television ratings in the history of Sri Lankan television and also the franchised version of "Who Wants To be A Millionaire."

Thanha Rathi Ranga[Between Yesterday and Tomorrow]is his directorial debut as a filmmaker.