brand logo

‘Makeup cannot make a person beautiful’ – Kushenya Anagi 

24 Jul 2022

By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna   PHOTOS © KASUN S. THILAKARATNE On this week’s The Sunday Morning Little Stars cover, is a talented actress who loves to dance and try on makeup. Nine-year-old Kushenya Anagi is from Moratuwa. Sharing beauty secrets, Anagi said that a person’s appearance won’t improve no matter how much effort they put in; what matters most is that they have a pure heart and a peaceful mind.  Q: Anagi, tell us more about yourself. A: My full name is Kushenya Anagi Sehanthi. Everyone calls me Anagi and I love that. I live in Moratuwa and I attend Moratuwa Methodist High School. I am also a student of Sri Devananda Dhamma School, Moratuwa. I am nine years old. I live with my mother and father. I have an older brother and a sister. I like to play or watch cartoons when I am free. I love to dance too. I am getting ready to face my grade five scholarship examination these days. My family members tell me that I have a really nice singing voice, especially when I recite poems. But, sometimes I feel really shy to sing aloud. I also like to try on makeup when I have free time.  Q: Do you learn dancing as a subject? A: I do it as a subject in school. Earlier I used to train under Supun Abesinghe sir. I study drama privately now. I used to train under teacher Daminda Mendis. Unfortunately, he passed away a couple of months back. That’s a great loss. Some of my dancing clips became really famous on social media. My brother and my parents guide me in handling my social media. But I don’t focus much on dancing these days.  Q: Have you acted in any dramas or films? A: Yes. I was only three years old when I took part in my debut production. I have played many different roles in several teledramas. I have acted in a couple of movies too.  Some of the productions I have taken part in are ‘Hithuwakkari’, ‘Bus Eke Iskole’, ‘Akuru Maki Na’, ‘Teacher Amma’, and ‘Pahe Lamai’.  Q: Out of all the characters you’ve played so far, which one is your favourite?  A: My favourite was the character I played in ’Teacher Amma’ which was recently telecast on Swarnavahini. I played the role of a blind girl.  Q: Can you share your experience of playing that role with us? A: Well, it was quite difficult at first. I was a little anxious. But, with the support of the crew and the director, that character became a very successful one.  Q: Are there any characters that you would like to play in the future? A: I would love to play a character from a rural area; an innocent girl from a village. I have already played a character like that in the teledrama ‘Manikkawatha’, but I think I want to have the experience of playing a village girl again.  Q: Anagi, have you participated in any competitions? A: Yes. I have taken part in dancing and drawing competitions and I have received really nice gifts too. I have been selected for school concerts too. These things make me happy.  Q: You told us you like to draw as well. What do you like to draw?  A: I like to draw scenery and my favourite is to draw the sea and the beach. That’s the place I love the most.  Q: Do you have any pets? A: Yes. I have a dog. It’s black and we have named him Odie. We named him after Garfield’s friend Odie. I love to play with him.  Q: What is your ambition? I think I want to become a doctor in the future. I think it’s a great deed to help people to get better and live healthy lives.    Q: Who would you like to thank for supporting you? A: Oh, there is a very long list. First, I want to thank my parents and my family. I can’t thank my late sir Daminda Mendis. Apart from that, I’d like to thank all the directors and producers who gave me opportunities to take part in their productions; everyone who was there on teledrama sets and helped me to do my part without any problems.  Q: You told us that you are interested in beauty and makeup. From where do you learn about this?  A: Well, on YouTube there are makeup tutorials for kids. Some of them are done by kids too. I watch them when I have free time and I try them on myself.  Q: Is putting on makeup enough to make a person beautiful? Not at all. There are so many other things a person must do if they want to stay beautiful. Makeup can only enhance it. You must eat a lot of fruit and drink lots of water regularly so your skin and hair will stay healthy and shiny. If possible, try to drink king coconut water every day. That really refreshes your body. Make sure you start your day with a full glass of water. Wash and clean yourself daily.  Next, you have to focus on maintaining your body. You have to comb your hair daily and apply oil when necessary to keep it well moisturised. You have to choose your dresses wisely and make sure they are clean and neat. If your hair is long, plait your hair before you go to sleep.  Applying makeup only comes next.  But, none of this will matter if you don’t have a pure heart and a peaceful mind. If you are angry or if you are full of hatred, people will see your ugliness no matter how much effort you put into becoming beautiful. Try meditating every day; that will help. That’s also something that I do as a habit.   


More News..