{{short description|Sri Lankan actress}} {{Infobox person |name = Devika Mihirani <br /> {{lang|si|දේවිකා මිහිරානි}} |other_names = |image = |alt = |caption = |birth_date = 21 March |birth_name = Naullage Devika Mihirani Perera |birth_place = Colombo, Sri Lanka |death_date = |death_place = |death_cause = |resting_place = |resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} --> |education = Anula Vidyalaya |years_active = 1985–present |party = |spouse = Vijaya Nandasiri (1989-2016) |children = 2 |father = William Perera |awards = |mother = Kusum Perera |relatives = Lal Kularatne (cousin) |footnotes = |occupation = Actress }}
'''Naullage Devika Mihirani Perera''' ({{langx|si|දේවිකා මිහිරානි}}), popularly as '''Devika Mihirani''', is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.films.lk/sinhala-cinema-artist-devika-mihirani-411.html |title=Devika Mihirani films |publisher=Sinhala Cinema Database |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sarasaviya.lk/මේ-ඇගැයුම-ගැන-නිහතමානී-සත/ |title=මේ ඇගැයුම ගැන නිහතමානී සතුටක් දැනෙනවා: පුරෝගාමී රූපණවේදිනී දේවිකා මිහිරාණි |publisher=Sarasaviya |access-date=16 April 2026}}</ref> She has the honor of being the first TV actress in Sri Lankan teledrama history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sinhala.lankahitgossip.com/2018/04/29/vijaya-nandasiri-wife-devika-mihirani-speks/ |title=The memory of veteran actor Vijaya Nandasiri wakes up again |publisher=lankahitgossip |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.silumina.lk/2017/03/18/රසඳුන/විජය-හැම%C2%ADදා%C2%ADමත්-වේදි%C2%ADකා%C2%ADවට-ආද%C2%ADරය-කළා-මමත්-ඒ-මග-යන්න-සුදා%C2%ADනම් |title=Veteran actress Devika Mihirani |publisher=Silumina |access-date=14 February 2020 |language=si}}</ref>
==Personal life== She was born on 21 March as the third of the family of eight siblings. His father Naullage William Perera was a jockey and a steward. Her mother Kusum Perera was a housewife. Her mother died in 2017. Mihirani has one brother and six sisters. Mihirani completed education from Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda.<ref name= mihirani>{{cite web |url=http://life.dailymirror.lk/article/uncategorized/devika-mihirani-the-unconquerable-actress/83/1047 |title=Devika Mihirani: The unconquerable actress |publisher=Daily Mirror |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref> Devika's sister Sriyani Perera is married to actor Lal Kularatne. One of her sister's children Sakura Kumari, Sachi Deepankara, Shanthimala and Malkanthi are involved in drama productions. She studied Kandyan dancing with Daya Nellampitiya and then under Somadasa Niththavela at Sudarshi, Bullers Lane.<ref name= devika>{{cite web |url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2008/04/27/spe09.asp |title=Her face was her fortune |publisher=Sunday Observer |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref>
She was married to popular actor and dramatist Vijaya Nandasiri.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2004/01/04/fea19.html|title=Which way year 2004 ?|access-date=2007-04-17|year=2004|publisher=Sunday Observer}}</ref> Their first encounter was at Sudarshi Visual Arts Center, where Mihirani studied for dancing under Somadasa Niththavela.<ref name= mihirani /> Nandasiri was the one who invited Mihirani for the drama ''Subha Saha Yasa'' in 1974.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/2015/03/05/?fn=sa15030540 |title=Its 30 years for our love |publisher=Sarasaviya |access-date=11 March 2017}}</ref> They married in 1989. On 8 August 2016, Nandasiri died at the age of 69 while being taken to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital after suffering from a cardiac arrest.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vijaya Nandasiri passes away - නොකියාම ගියේ ඔබ නොගොස් බැරි නිසාමද?|url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/2016/08/11/?fn=sa16081132|publisher=Sarasaviya}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Veteran actor Vijaya Nandasiri passes away|url=http://www.itnnews.lk/local-news/veteran-actor-vijaya-nandasiri-passes-away/|publisher=ITN|access-date=8 August 2016|archive-date=20 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820070820/http://www.itnnews.lk/local-news/veteran-actor-vijaya-nandasiri-passes-away/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Veteran actor Vijaya Nandasiri passes away|url=http://www.newsradio.lk/245789-2/|publisher=News Radio}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
The couple has one daughter, Navanjana Dulanjali and one son, Rasanjana Suchitra.<ref name= mihirani /> Navanjana born in 1990 and studied at Visakha Vidyalaya. She worked at the Soviet Cultural Centre as a teacher and followed a Mass Communication Diploma at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. She currently lives in Australia.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.english.gossiplankanews.com/2016/08/story-related-in-company-of-wife-devika.html | title=Story related in the company of wife Devika by Wijaya Nandasiri who left us | publisher=Gossip Lanka News | access-date=9 August 2016}}</ref> Navanjana was born on 13 November 1989.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/2012/12/27/?fn=sa1212278 | title=Daughter you are my soul| publisher=Sarasaviya| access-date=9 August 2016}}</ref> Navanjana is married to businessman Chaminda Gunaratne and they married on 28 December 2012 in Hilton Colombo.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/2013/01/03/?fn=sa13010325 | title=Vijaya-Devika's daughter married | publisher=Sarasaviya| access-date=9 August 2016}}</ref> Rasanjana was born in 1994 and is a past pupil of Royal College, Colombo.<ref name= devika /> He worked in stage lighting before entering acting with parents in the stage play ''Wrushabha Raja''. After the death of his father, Rasanjana started to continue his legacy by acting in many stage plays and advertisements.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/2017/02/09/?fn=sa17020916 | title=Rasanjana on Stage on behalf of Vijaya විජය වෙනුවෙන් රසාංජන වේදිකාවට.. | publisher=Sarasaviya | access-date=9 August 2016}}</ref>
==Acting career== At the age of 18, she joined the chorus in the popular play ''Maname''. Then at the age of 21, she got the opportunity to act in the television serial ''Dimuthu Muthu''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2016/08/15/features/90407?page=7 |title=One of a kind |work=Daily News |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref> Mihirani holds the record to be the main actress in the first TV television serial ''Dimuthu Muthu'' telecast in Sri Lanka as well as a record in South Asian television.<ref name= mihirani /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://hirutv.lk/blog/news/4291/හොඳ-පිම්මක්-පනින්නේ-අඩි-දෙක-තුනක්-පස්සට-තියලනේ |title=Chat with Devika Mihirani |publisher=Hiru TV |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref> The serial was directed by D.B. Nihalsinghe and Mihirani played the role "Nanda", an innocent pretty girl. She won the best actress award and the Popular actress awards for her role as well. She also became the most popular actress for three consequent years for her television serials in 1980s.<ref name= devika />
After the serial, she started to act in serials ''Rekha'', ''Sulanga'' and ''Sudu saha Kalu''.<ref name= mihirani /><ref name= devika /> Her maiden cinema appearance came through the 1979 film ''Hingana Kolla'' directed by K.A.W. Perera. In 2019, she was appointed as one of the jury member for Sumathi Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ceylontoday.lk/features-more/4043 |title=Stars Shine Again |publisher=lankahitgossip |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref>
==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Film !! Role !! Ref. |- | 1979 || ''Hingana Kolla'' || || |- | 1982 || ''Ridee Nimnaya'' || || |- | 1984 || ''Biththi Hathara'' || || |- | 1984 || ''Ranmalige Wasanawa'' || || |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://english.gossiplankanews.com/2016/08/story-related-in-company-of-wife-devika.html Story related in the company of wife Devika by Wijaya Nandasiri who left us] * [https://www.newsfirst.lk/2016/08/09/final-rites-late-veteran-actor-vijeya-nandasiri-performed-thursday/ Final rites for veteran actor Vijaya Nandasiri to take place on Thursday] * [http://gossip.hirufm.lk/35954/2019/08/devika-mihirani.html Vijaya has been gone for 3 years now] * [http://sinhala.lankahitgossip.com/2017/08/05/gossip-story-about-wijaya-nandasiri/ රටක් හිනැස්සවූ අසාහය කලා කරුවා සමුගෙන වසරයි…!] * [http://www.raw.lk/article/16108/h විජය නන්දසිරිගේ මරණය ගැන බිරිඳ දේවිකා මිහිරානි දුන් සාක්ෂිය]{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} * [http://www.dinamina.lk/2016/08/08/20608 විජය නන්දසිරි දේවිකා විවාහයේ තිස්වැනි සංවත්සරය දා සරසවියට කී කතාව] * [http://www.sarasaviya.lk/critics-stage-dramas/2019/07/26/7344/සිකුරු-හතේ-මඟුල්-කපුවා-වූ-බරණැස්-කුමාරයා සිකුරු හතේ මඟුල් කපුවා වූ බරණැස් කුමාරයා] * [http://www.sarasaviya.lk/news-features/2020/08/06/18255/දේවිකා-මිහිරාණි-විජය-ගැන-ලියූ-ආදරණීය-කවි-පෙළක් දේවිකා මිහිරාණි විජය ගැන ලියූ ආදරණීය කවි පෙළක්]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihirani, Devika}} Category:Living people Category:Sri Lankan film actresses Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Sri Lankan television actresses Category:Sri Lankan stage actresses