Devi Khajishvili
Devi Khajishvili, also known as Devi K., is a Georgian actor and musician, and a doctoral candidate in history specializing in Soviet Studies. He is a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellow.
Early life and career
Khajishvili was born to the family of Nodar Khajishvili, the president of the World Shotokan Karate-Do Federation in Georgia and Nana Khajishvili a piano teacher. He is of Georgian descent from his paternal side and Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish and Iranian from his maternal grandparents. Since he was six years old, he trained in Shotokan Karate under his father's mentorship, and later after competing in numerous national and international tournaments, became a two time World Champion. In his late teens, he was recruited by the national Shotokan Karate Team composed of top athletes who traveled the world competing and representing their country. In 2008, he was the youngest person included in a list of the most successful athletes of Georgia.In 2023, he defended his fifth-degree black belt in an examination conducted by Sensei Kasuya Hitoshi, President of the World Shotokan Karate-Do Federation.
Education
In 2014, Khajishvili graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelors in Political Science and moved to Washington D.C. to work for Congressman Beto O'Rourke. While working in Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s office, Khajishvili met with visiting Georgian officials, like the former Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, former [Embassy of Georgia (country)|Georgia in Washington, D.C.|Georgian Ambassador to the United States] Archil Gegeshidze, and the founder of the Georgian Labour Party Shalva Natelashvili.Khajishvili then pursued Master of Science in International Affairs. In 2024, as a PhD candidate in History at Texas Tech University, Khajishvili was awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, to support one year of research in Georgia. His research examines Soviet-era Georgian tea production, tracing how commodity culture shaped identity in the USSR.
Khajishvili speaks five languages; Georgian, Russian, French, Spanish and English.
Film and stage
After moving to the United States, Khajishvili continued performing Georgian dance and staged performances presenting Georgian culture to American audiences. In a 2019 interview, he said he produced a university staging connected to Shota Rustaveli’s The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, incorporating Georgian dance elements.Khajishvili has been profiled in Georgian media outlets, including Ambebi.ge and Imedi TV. Georgian press has also described him presenting Georgian national dance at events held at a Texas university.
Khajishvili first gained wider visibility in the United States through modeling work with Los Angeles-based photographer Michael Stokes, who featured him in his 2014 book Bare Strength. A Stokes photograph featuring Khajishvili was later used as the cover image for Jen Frederick’s 2016 novel Jock Blocked. Next Devi Khajishvili moved into acting co-starring with Richard Riehle in the 2017 romantic-comedy You Have a Nice Flight. In 2018, he played Vincent in the horror film Lake Fear 3. In 2017, he appeared in the Los Del Arroyo music video "Por Si Te Interesa", released by DEL Records, a Latin independent entertainment label based in the Los Angeles area.