Kushani Sandarekha

Kushani Sandhareka also known as Kushani Sandareka (Sinhala: කුෂානි සඳරේකා), popularly referred to by the mononym Kushani, is a Sri Lankan pop, and R&B singer. She began her career as a playback singer at the age of 7 ^[2] and has since worked on over 30 ^[2] films. Sandarekha won the Best Singer award at the 34th Sarasavi Awards ceremony in 2017 ^[6][2] for her performance of the song "Sithuwuli Pura" from the movie Adaraneeya Kathawak (2016).^[6][2]

Kushani Sandhareka
කුෂානි සඳරේකා
Born	Kushani Sandhareka Colombo, Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Occupations	Singer musician Performer Choreographer Vocal coach Actor
Spouse	Kasun Kalhara[1]
Children	Deveendri Kalhaaraa Jayawardhana
Relatives	Maya Damayanthi (Mother),[2][3] Victor Vijayantha(Father),[4][3] Anoja Weerasinghe[5]
Honours	Visharadh[2]
Musical career
Genres	Pop R&B Classical Music Jazz
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1987–present

Personal life

Kushani is the daughter of Maya Damayanthi,^[7] and Victor Vijayantha.^[8][9] who comes from a media family,and her aunt is Anoja Weerasinghe.^[10] She attended Presbyterian National Girls' College in Dehiwala. Kushani earned her Visharadh in both dancing and singing.Kushani and Kasun have a daughter named Deveendri Kalhaaraa Jayawardhana.^[11][9][12] She acted in her first movie and worked as a background singer at the age of 7 in the 1987 film Chandi Raja^[13]

Career

Movie soundtracks

• Chandi Raja (1987): Kushani's debut in the film industry began with a background song for the movie "Chandi Raja," directed by Sunil Soma Pieris and produced by Sunil T Fernando. The song, with music by Sarath de Alwis and lyrics by Hemasiri Helpita, featured Kushani alongside Greation Ananda and Latha Walpola^[13]
• Adaraneeya Kathawak (2016): Kushani's performance in this film earned her the Best Singer - Female award at the Sarasaviya Awards in 2016.^[2][14]
• Midunu Vishwaya (2023): She performed the songs “Mulu Sagarayama” and “Diya Binduwa,” with music composed by Navarathna Gamage and lyrics by Jayantha Chandrasiri and Madhumani Hapuarachchi.^[15]

Television shows

• Sirasa Dancing Stars (2008): Kushani Sandareka participated as a contestant on the Sri Lankan reality dance show, Sirasa Dancing Stars, broadcast by Sirasa TV. She emerged as the runner-up in the competition. Sirasa Dancing Stars premiered on February 9, 2008^[16]

Awards and nominations

• Best Dancer at the Youth Awards in 1998
• Best Singer at the Youth Awards in 1999
• Best Singer at the Sarasavi Awards in 2016 for "Adaraniya Kathawak"
• Nominated for Best Singer at the Hiru Film Awards in 2016
• Best Song of the Year at the Derana Film Awards in 2017 for "Dedunu Akase: Malkalaba Langa"
• Honoured with the Kalakeerthi Award
• Nominated for the Janadhipathi Awards in 2023 for her work in the film "Thaal"^[17]

Albums

• Rekha^[18]