Dharmadasa D. Dharamahsena (born 1 March 1990),[2] known professionally as Das DD, is a Singaporean television host, actor and comedian who speaks fluently in Tamil, English, Mandarin and Malay.[3][4] In 2023, he became the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for and win in a performance-based category at Mediacorp's Star Awards.[5]
Das DD | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 March 1990 |
| Other names |
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| Alma mater | Nanyang Polytechnic |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2015−present[1] |
Early life and career
editAn only child, Das DD's father is a Malaysian and his mother is a Singaporean who grew up in a Malay kampong.[6] The first language Das DD spoke was Tamil, at his mother's request, when he was in nursery school. He subsequently learned English and Mandarin, the latter which is due to the reason that Tamil was not offered as a second language by his preschool and kindergarten. Both his parents used to speak Malay to each other, and Das DD had also used the language to communicate with an Indonesian domestic helper and his grasp on the language became better as he had a close group of Malay-speaking friends when serving military service.[3]
Das DD got his start in the entertainment industry through appearing as a guest host on radio station Kiss 92FM with Joshua Simon on his show Joshua’s Goodnight Kiss.[3] At Kiss 92FM, he became acquainted with John Klass and his wife, who both enlisted him as a production manager for a music video. Through the job, he was roped in by Loretta Lopez for a project where she banded budding stand-up comedians for a show. Some time later, he was invited by Ryan Tan from Night Owl Cinematics (NOC) to join his company. Das DD left the YouTube outfit in 2021.[3]
In 2022, Das DD made his film debut in the Chinese New Year comedy-drama Reunion Dinner. While promoting the film on the online series, #JustSwipeLah, Das DD attracted the attention of the producers, who later reached out with an offer for him to host the show.[5]
The following year, he was named Best Rising Star at the Star Awards 2023.[5][7]
In early April 2023, he signed an exclusive talent contract with digital content site SGAG.[8]
He has also appeared in several Vasantham series and Suria shows.[9][6]
Filmography
editHe has appeared in the following programmes and films:[10]
Television series
edit- Intercept (2017)
- Senior Management (2018)
- Crimewatch 2020 (2020; episode 1)
- Couple Cosmo (2020)
- Future Proof (2021)[11]
- Crimewatch 2021 (2021; episode 6)
- Soul Detective (2022)[12]
- Home Is Where The Heart Is (2022)
- Crimewatch 2022 (2022; episode 5)
- Cash on Delivery (2023)
- All That Glitters (2023)
Variety show
edit- #JustSwipeLah (2022-present)
- Mr Zhou's Ghost Stories @ Singapore Sightings (2022)[13]
- Streamers Go Live (2022)
Film
edit- Reunion Dinner (2022)
- King of Hawkers (2024)[14]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Star Awards 2023 | Top 3 Most Popular Rising Stars | — | Nominated | [15] |
| Best Rising Star | #JustSwipeLah | Won | |||
| 2024 | Star Awards 2024 | Top 3 Most Popular Rising Stars | — | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Star Awards winner Das DD on the good friends & 8 years of hard work it took to land historic win". mothership.sg. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Dasa Dharamahsena". Facebook. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d Goh, Bryan (12 October 2020). "Dasa Dharamahsena on How He's Reshaping the Local Comedy Scene". Men's Folio. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Das DD is first Indian nominated for his performance at Star Awards". The New Paper. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Singapore comedian Das DD's journey from PM Lee 'magic cup' meme to Star Awards winner". CNA Lifestyle. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ a b "跨界四语言频道 印度裔网红Das圆明星梦 | 早报". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "'I'm just a simple boy from Woodlands': Das DD becomes first Indian nominee and winner at Star Awards 2023". AsiaOne. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "After making history at Star Awards, Das DD wants to continue making people laugh". sg.style.yahoo.com. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Man who mimicked PM Lee makes film debut". www.tamilmurasu.com.sg. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Das DD". mewatch. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Mandarin-Speaking Indian YouTuber Das DD Makes Movie Debut In Reunion Dinner, Says PM Lee Texted Him After Seeing His 'Magic Cup' Video". 8days. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "【红星大奖2023】印籍网红Das夺"最佳潜力星" 流利华语激动致辞". 8world Entertainment Lifestyle (in Chinese (Singapore)). 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Lee, Jan (5 April 2023). "Das DD is first Indian nominated for his performance at Star Awards". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Local CNY 2024 movie King of Hawkers to star Hugo Ng, Liu Lingling, Dawn Yeoh". AsiaOne. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "List of Star Awards 2023 Award Nominees". 14 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.