HE WEARS many hats in the entertainment industry now, but when Bala Ganapathi William first started out, all he wanted to do was to be an actor.
Growing up in Sungai Petani, Kedah, Bala came to Kuala Lumpur at age 19 to study engineering but his dream of becoming an actor led him to attend audition after audition.
“I was selected as a guest speaker on a talk show called Alaram 2. That was my first time in front of the camera, and I was so fascinated and I wanted more.”
He told the producers to keep him in mind for future auditions and also expressed his interest in acting.
He said: “Each time they called me for auditions it was for hosting. Every time I filled up the form the receptionist would tell me to tick the ‘hosting’ column because I could speak Tamil fluently and I looked fine.
“I was doing this for two or three years. At that point I was just going to auditions to meet people, but I ended up getting my first hosting job, for a dance competition series called Yuttha Medai in 2012.”
This opportunity opened doors for Bala, who had to make a difficult decision.
“Initially I was studying, and acting was something I did part time. Eventually I could not manage my time and I had to choose.
“So I left engineering halfway during the second year. I knew that I was getting many opportunities and they were not going to come back again.”
After assuring his family that he knew what he was doing, Bala continued with his new career, and fortunately, he always seemed to have projects coming his way.
“I really started to shine as a host when I started hosting Rasikka Rusikka.”
Rasikka Rusikka (from 2014 to now) is a food show that saw Bala travelling across the country trying out food from a wide variety of eateries. He initially went from place to place on a Harley Davidson, but eventually moved to driving a truck.
Bala said: “I used to ride bikes in school. When they held auditions, they were looking for someone who could talk and ride a big bike. Most of those who came could do only either one. I was able do both.
“When I shot the first season, I really wanted the programme to be mine and so I did a lot of research. The viewership was good and even the channel was surprised at how well the show did. We just completed season five.”
What made the show appeal to audiences was Bala’s natural charm as he talked about the food he was enjoying, and how he engaged the people who prepared them. With episodes of Rasikka Russika made available on YouTube, its audience went beyond the intended Tamil-speaking market.
This eventually led him to hosting programmes on Astro Vaanavil, TV2 and MediaCorp Singapore, and to acting jobs on TV series such as Vazhkai Valvatharke and Annamalai as well as telemovies such as Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga.
Despite finally getting his chance to shine as an actor, Bala was not satisfied.
“That is when I decided to become a director. In 2018 I directed my first movie Neeyum Naanum.”
Bala said one of the reasons that not many people watch local Tamil movies is because the content is not up to par. So he decided to do his own research as to why not many local Tamil movies are well received, and decided to make his own film.
Prior to his movie, he worked for two years as assistant director (as well as actor) for a MediaCorp series (Annamalai). “That is where I learned how to direct. I also picked up things on other sets I worked on.”
He admitted he is not a good singer. But in 2017 he recorded the track Kaadhal Enbathu Saabama (composed by Lawrence Soosai) which was well received on YouTube.
He also directed the music video and subsequently directed music videos for other artists.
“I never advertised myself but when people saw the content, they would seek me out.”
His unique name became his brand. “My father is actually an Anglo Indian. His name is William Boniface Netto. My mother is Hindu. I always wanted to carry my father’s name wherever I go.
“I am from Sungai Petani. Wherever I go people recognise me as William’s son. I want people to know he is Bala Ganapathi’s father and so that I why I carry his name.”
In 2014 be started his own production company called BGW.
“You can’t survive as a Tamil actor here because the pay is peanuts. If you ask for more, they will replace you with someone else. There are actually people who are willing to act for free. I knew I had to do something for my survival. That is why registered my production company and took on small jobs initially. I branded my name as BGW, and used that as my company’s name.”
Bala is keen to break into India as it is a huge market but he is aware that it is an uphill task.
“So what I plan to do is create local content here and show them what I am capable of. There are not many people who are content-oriented like me.”
He hopes that people will look forward to his productions.
