Who: Local actor, presenter and content creator Dharmadasa D Dharamahsena, who goes by the stage name Das DD, is a multilingual personality known for hosting Mediacorp programmes such as online Chinese variety show #JustSwipeLah (2021 to present). The 33-year-old Singaporean, who speaks English, Tamil, Mandarin and Malay, won Best Rising Star at the broadcaster’s annual Star Awards in 2023, making him the first Indian to win in a performance-based category in the history of the awards.

Das returns to the big screen as a food stall owner in the new home-grown movie King Of Hawkers, which is showing in Singapore cinemas, after making his film debut in local Chinese New Year comedy Reunion Dinner (2022).

He will also be presenting three awards at Vasantham’s awards ceremony Pradhana Vizha 2024 – dedicated to local Indian entertainment – on Feb 24. The show will air on mewatch, Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel and Vasantham at 9pm.

“An ideal weekend for me would involve a short trip, to somewhere like Jakarta or another nearby city, for example. When I am overseas, I still make a few posts, but for the most part, I stay off social media. 

I enjoy the escape because, while I love my country, I can’t ever really feel like I am on holiday here even when I am on a staycation or at Sentosa. This is because going anywhere here feels like an opportunity for a social media post, especially as a content creator. 

I took a solo trip to Bali, Indonesia, from Feb 9 to 15 and that was really nice. It was a lot of “Eat, Pray, Love”, although it was mostly eat and pray. 

I am Hindu and meditation is something I believe in, so I did a lot of that. I also tried a sound bath session for the first time, which was enlightening because it almost felt like I was semi-asleep. I was in dreamland, yet I was conscious and knew what I was doing, and that was really cathartic. 

I stayed at the W Bali in the Seminyak area, which is known as the party area, but I was not there to party. I went to Potato Head Bali not for the beach club where the parties are, but its sanctuary. You can meditate there and, when you get out, it’s the beach and you can see the sunset and it’s beautiful.

If I am staying in Singapore over the weekend, I spend a lot of time with my friends, my mother and by myself. 

I read a lot, although I do wish I could read more. Currently, I’m reading You2 (1994) by Price Pritchett, which is about how to become more efficient as a person. I’m on my second read of it. 

I also watch some television. I just finished the Netflix crime series Griselda (2024), starring Sofia Vergara. It was brilliant and it was nice to see Vergara in a non-comedic light after she spent so many years on Modern Family (2009 to 2020).

Playing a serious character is something I hope to do at some point, since I’m still very much known for comedy. 

I watch television with my mum as well. We’ll watch Indian movies or Tamil dramas on Sun TV or Vasantham. That was something we used to do and bond over when I was a kid, and it is something I’ve loved retaining in adulthood. 

I’m watching Baakiyalakshmi (2020 to present) with her. It is about a woman who is always under her husband’s shadow, but one day, she leaves him and becomes an entrepreneur. A lot of these Indian dramas go on for hundreds of episodes and you can catch up very easily even if you miss a few episodes.

I always find an opportunity to practise my language skills by listening to songs and watching variety shows in languages such as Tamil and Mandarin. For Mandarin variety shows, I watch #JustSwipeLah and Pasar Malam Stars (2024). 

I feel that variety shows, more than movies or dramas, are very good for picking up real-life conversation and reactions. For example, if someone is scared, how does he or she react? It’s a way for me to grow and revise my vocabulary.

I’m not very adventurous when it comes to food, so when I meet my friends, I usually go to this bistro called Chug Chug at Tanjong Pagar, which is owned by a friend. It’s a nice place to chill and its chicken wings are very good. 

Sometimes, I’ll even head there for a meal alone when I need to recharge. I have a very extroverted job, but at heart, I’m an introvert and I need time alone. 

I’m in my 30s now, so I care a lot less about what people think and I’m much more comfortable being alone. I would even go to Haidilao alone, get one soup base and enjoy a solo hotpot.”