Kishani takes to acting

by Nilma Dole

The bubbly and charming Alanki Kishani has charisma that would light up any room she walks into or any place for that matter. You can see her smiling pretty face on several advertisements, music videos apart from teledramas and a box office movie and you wouldn’t imagine how humble and down-to-earth she is.

Displaying a radiant smile, she said, “More than just acting, I’ve been busy studying for my law degree.” She said that in between photocopying notes and working from dawn to dusk on the film sets, she still kept her cool and studied hard. “I got plenty of help from my friends, so it was a good experience, studying and working,” she said talking to us after her examinations.

Despite having several options to work on her modelling and film career, Kishani said the reason why she wanted to take up studying law was because, it was a subject that fascinated her and she wanted to do more than just pose for the cameras.

Being an only child, Kishani went to an international school and after her OL and AL examinations; she said she modelled quite by chance. “I used to go to the hairdressers’ with my mother and it was on one occasion that I happened to meet the renowned photographer Mettasena, and he asked me to do a photoshoot for him,” she said.

Eventually, after her first photographs were featured on various magazine covers, modelling assignments began to pour in. “It was later that I got an offer to star in a teledrama and it was quite an opportunity for me from the traditional modelling assignments.

Here I actually had the chance to work with directors and performers in the film industry which was a worthwhile experience,” she said.

Kishani said that it was not much of a problem learning how to act even though she doesn’t come from an acting background. Smoothing down her silky hair, Kishani said, “I learned the tricks of the trade through experience and workshops conducted by veterans in the industry. I think I had a natural flair for the television screen so it wasn’t much of a problem picking up acting skills.” She then acted in the teledramas where she received a favourable response and gained many fans over time for her roles.

She said, “I acted in Hithata Wahal Wimiy which is an adaptation of a comic book that is a story about two school girls and how my character, Dammi, sacrificed her life for the love of her sister.” She also acted in Dehedak Adarayen and Rathriya Vee which were also good teledramas under her belt.

Thereafter, Kishani got her first major film break acting in Feel my Love which was a romantic film with a good storyline and her fans saw her gracing the big screen.

Kishani is naturally photogenic and has a curvaceous figure which is unlike the skinny mages of models today. “I don’t believe in starving to get a stick-thin figure but I believe a woman should be comfortable and happy in her own skin while still being healthy,” she said. Moreover, Kishani sets a good example by not being the picture-perfect poster girl but also a grounded individual who feels comfortable with what she does.

“I think you should believe in yourself and do as much as you can do to make this world a better place. I also feel that people should care about the less fortunate and do humanitarian work,” she said.

Kishani thanks her parents for being so supportive, especially her mother who has always stood by her. She thanked all the photographers, directors and people she worked with as well as her friends for helping her when she needed to catch up on her studies. “Most of all, I’m so happy to have several fans because they have been the great pillar of strength to me in achieving my dreams,” she said. Indeed, Alaki Kishani is an amazing person.

Pix: Chamil Thantrimudalige