Das DD
Dharmadasa D Dharamahsena (born 1990), better known as Das DD is a Singapore comedian and actor.[1][2][3][4] He is best known for the viral “magic cup” video by Night Owl Cinematics (NOC) and for winning Best Rising Star at Star Awards 2023.[1][3]
Currently, he has over 20,200 followers on Instagram and 22,000 on TikTok, where he often posts short-form sketches and relatable videos with his family and friends.[5][6]
Background
Personal life & family
Das DD is an only child who began picking up various languages from a young age.[4] In an interview with CNA, he mentioned that he learned Tamil from his parents, while Mandarin was taught to him during preschool.[4] As for Bahasa Melayu, Das was able to hone it with the help of his friends and National Service.[4]
“I’ve been talkative since I was young. I was an only child, so whenever I had an opportunity to meet someone, I would expend all of my energy on that person.”[4]
Education
Das DD is an alumnus of Nanyang Polytechnic, where he pursued a diploma in Multimedia.[2]
Career
Das DD is a self-claimed entertainer who does stand-up comedy, voice acting, and hosts events and variety shows. In 2020, he began participating in more acting projects, with some of his more notable ones being Reunion Dinner and Future Proof.
He also featured in a few acting roles for Workforce Singapore’s commercials, including ones for SGUnited Jobs Initiative and the Traineeship Programme.[7]
Acting and variety (2017 to Present)
In April 2023, Das DD made local headlines after becoming the first Indian to be nominated for and awarded Best Rising Star at Star Awards 2023. He received the award for his work on “#justswipelah”, a variety web series that covers content on food and lifestyle. On top of #justswipelah, Das has also participated in several other television and film projects, including “CrimeWatch”, “Future Proof”, and the CNY movie “Reunion Dinner”.
“I went to just promote the movie…and then I went to promote this show, and I was just myself, with the actor Lawrence Wong…and another veteran actress, her name is Xiang Yun…And then the following week they called me and said, ‘Why don’t you host?’ And I was like, “wow”. The whole point is: seize every opportunity, no opportunity is too small.”[8]
Acting and variety projects
Night Owl Cinematics (2018 to 2021)
Das DD joined Night Owl Cinematics (NOC) in 2018, and he regularly appears in their YouTube segments, such as challenge videos and comedy skits. In fact, his most notable work was the Prime Minister Parody.[2] As part of an IMDA and SGUnited initiative, Das starred in a series of episodes that featured a caricature of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s circuit breaker address.[2] He also hosted FoodKing’s livestreams and co-hosted NOC’s The Good Scoop news series with local influencer, Nicole Liel.[9]
“I think it was very nice. I think as a comedian, you’ll always feel very happy when you parody or sort of make fun of someone [and] the other person receives it with a lot of love. ‘Cause obviously when you make fun of someone, you’re always afraid that they might be offended, right? But then he took it with, so well, so I was just very flattered, especially ‘cause he’s a Prime Minister.”[10]
Hosting (2019 to Present)
Stand-up Comedy (2019 to Present)
Das DD occasionally performs as a stand-up comedian at various events, such as radio station Kiss 92’s 5th Anniversary Picnic @ Marina Barrage.[2]
Media coverage
Star Awards 2023 Best Rising Star - #justswipelah
In 2023, Das DD was nominated for the Best Rising Star at Star Awards 2023.[1][2] He later received the accolade for his work as a host on the Mediacorp web variety series, #justswipelah.[1][2] He also made several headlines for being the first Indian to receive an award in the performance category of the event, which is known for being a chinese-medium awards ceremony.[1][3][4]
“I was so shocked to the point that I don't know how to speak Mandarin anymore. I really want to thank our #justswipelah production team…you really believed in me, letting me host a Mandarin programme. I really have to give it to you, if it were up to me, I would not have chosen me…I also want to thank those who watch #justswipelah regularly and my fans…I didn’t give up, and [my mother] didn’t force me to give up and she persevered with me.”[4]
References / Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Yuam, Valerie. “Das DD Named Best Rising Star, First Indian To Win Performance Accolade At Star Awards”.MSNews. April 10, 2023. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Dharamahsena, Dharmadasa. “Das DD”.LinkedIn. n.d. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tseng, Douglas. “Mandarin-Speaking Indian YouTuber Das DD Makes Movie Debut In Reunion Dinner, Says PM Lee Texted Him After Seeing His 'Magic Cup' Video”.8days. January 26, 2022. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Sukri, Hazeeq. “Singapore comedian Das DD's journey from PM Lee ‘magic cup’ meme to Star Awards winner”.CNA. April 14, 2023. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ dasdyl. “dasdyl”.Instagram. n.d. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ dasdyl. “dasdyl”.TikTok. n.d. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ Night Owl Cinematics. “ONLINE MEETING GOES WRONG!”.Facebook. August 3, 2020. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ IMDb. “Home Is Where the Heart Is”.IMDb. n.d. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ Dharamahsena, Dharmadasa. “Das”.Facebook. January 13, 2021. Accessed 17 April 2023.
- ↑ Mediacorp. “CLASS 95 Interviews: John Klass and Das DD on what is it like to win big at the recent Star Awards!”.YouTube. April 14, 2023. Accessed 17 April 2023.