Das DD has become the first Indian to win in a performance category in Star Awards’ history. The #JustSwipeLah host, whose full name is Dharmadasa D Dharamahsena, took home Best Rising Star Award on 9 Apr (Sunday), beating fellow #JustSwipeLah anchor Jernelle Oh, Jarrell Huang (In Safe Hands), Kiki Lim (When Duty Calls S2) and Joey Pink (Soul Detective).
Before Das, Gurmit Singh was the only other actor of Indian descent to compete in the Star Awards. Gurmit has made the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes list, but has never been nominated in a performance category, where the winner is picked by a panel of judges.
He hopes his win will inspire “all Malays, Indians, everybody from all walks of life, anyone who has a goal.”
“A lot of times in our minds, we limit ourselves, and society limits us as well. Nevertheless, we should just do what we need to do. I hope that all the children like me out there know that no dream is too big.” – Das
Das’ Background
Das speaks English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. He went viral in 2020 for parodying Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Circuit Breaker announcement where he changed the language he spoke every time he took a sip from his ‘magic’ ceramic cup.
After leaving Night Owl Cinematics in 2021, the independent artiste then debuted in Mediacorp’s online entertainment programme “#JustSwipeLah” as a celebrity guest. A week later, the producers invited him to host the show, and the rest is history.
“I’m just a simple boy who lives in Woodlands, and now I’m the first Indian to ever be nominated and win Star Awards, so clearly anything is possible.”
Congrats Das!