She is the elder daughter of the cinematographer director and producer, M. S. Ananda and producer Violet Ananda of Winjaya/M.S.A. films. In 1969 she won the Lanaka Deepa Deepasika award for best child artists in Sri Lankan Sinhala Cinema’s 25 years history for the portrayal of twin sisters in her father’s first home production Pravesam Venna, an Modern Sciences and Arts films release.
She first appeared as a 6-month-old baby in the movie Vena Swargayak Kumatada, a Robin Tampoe production in 1960. Having entered the silver screen at a very young age, she did "child" roles in Suwaneetha Lalini, Suhada Divi Piduma, Sithaka Mahima, Satha Panaha, Athulveema Thahanam, Senehasa, Penawa Neda and was known as Baby Shyama. In 1969 her father launched their first production Pravesam Vanna and cast her in a dual role opposite Tony Ranasinghe, Malini Fonseka and Joe Abeywickrama in her first leading role.
1975 she did the first of the Shayama series in Mage Nangi Shayama with Roy De Siva, H. R. Jothipala and Sumana Amerasinghe.
1978 Chandi Shayama in which she did dual roles with Gamini Fonseka, which was her most commercially successful film to date. In the same year Gahanu Lamai (the girls) directed by Sumitra Peries had Shayama as Padmini.
Karunasena Jayalath, the author of the novel Gehenu Lamai", praised her acting as the same as the character he had imagined while writing the book Ananda was the O.C.I.C. award recipient for this role.
In the third of the Shayama series Hello Shayama (1982) she was cast as a dutiful daughter who competes with her father, Gamini Fonseka to do justice for her mother.
