CHILDHOOD

Q: Tell us about your childhood and upbringing…

A: I was born in Jaffna and lived there till the age of five.

At that time, Jaffna was peaceful and I had a happy childhood in a close but fairly strict family unit. Academics were important and we were always encouraged to be serious and focussed.

Q: What were your school years like?

A: When we moved to Colombo, I attended Bishop’s

College where I received an excellent foundation.

School life was great; we were a good batch of students, all of us had goals and we focussed on achieving them.

Q: Who were your role models when you were growing up?

A: My father was a famous cinematographer – he studied cinematography at the University of Mysore in Karnataka and was awarded a scholarship by the French government to study film direction in Paris.

My grandfather was an irrigation engineer of Scottish descent. I was influenced by these two very ambitious and driven men who had achieved so much. I always felt

I had a purpose in life; not simply the standard trajectory. And I wanted to discover that purpose.

Q: Did you always dream of pursuing a career in modelling?

A: My father wanted me to get into mass communication but since we didn’t have a degree of that nature in

Sri Lanka at that time, I was supposed to go to Canada to study. But I always loved fashion and was exposed to that world a lot due to my father’s influence and the time he spent in Paris.