SHEHANI KAHANDAWALA
Focusing on acting and singing
“Sujatha was the biggest turning point in my life. I became a household name with that tele drama. In fact I had to replace Nehara Peiris who did the main role. Nehara had to leave the country so the producers were looking for a new face when I was approached”
Young generation actress Shehani Kahandawala who shot to fame with her title role in the ‘Sujatha’ tele drama, says she is now taking a small break from acting after strenuous schedules during the past 8 months. “I don’t accept any other roles when I am working in one tele drama. That has been my policy in my brief career as an actress. I got some tele drama offers which I declined because I did not wish to work out of Colombo for several months,” said Shehani who first acted in Chamara Janaraj Peiris’ ‘Acid’. “Sujatha was the biggest turning point in my life. I became a household name with that tele drama. In fact I had to replace Nehara Peiris who did the main role. Nehara had to leave the country, so the producers were looking for a new face when I was approached. That was in 2015 when I was also working as a freelance television presenter. I always believe in having free space to enjoy life. That helps us to de-stress ourselves and also helps us perform better in upcoming projects,” said Shehani who studied at Bomiriya Munidasa Kumaratunga Vidyalaya. “But I never took part in any drama or music activities in school. I was however good at singing because my father and grandmother were good singers. I later sang at functions and also in several television programmes. Visharada Manoj Peiris always encourages me saying I have a good voice and singing capabilities. Such a praise coming from a senior musician is indeed a motivating factor,” she said. “My biggest dream now is to do a new song and also a music video. I want to do something that will be remembered. I don’t need to regret later. I was also the Lux Brand Ambassador who took part in a workshop in the UK, representing Sri Lanka. I am grateful to all those who helped me in this field, especially my parents,” Shehani said. “I have so many things planned for the future, but I can’t elaborate on them right now,” she said when asked about her future plans.