At only 28 years old, Bala Ganapathi William—also known as BGW—has made a name for himself in the Malaysian film industry. His breakthrough series, Rasikka Rusikka, garnered him a large fanbase because of his hosting skills, and a movie he directed, Neeyum Naanum, is released this year.

Here are some facts you probably didn’t know about this star:

1) He can cook

BGW is a foodie (unsurprisingly, as he would eat delicious local food in Rasikka Rusikka) and he loves cooking. Who knows… he could be a better cook than his fans!

2) He can speak Japanese

Bala went to Japan in 2007 for a student exchange programme under AFS (American Field Service) Malaysia, where he studied at a Japanese high school with other students from 40 countries around the world for a year. He was the only Indian selected out of 12 students from different races.

3) His first directorial debut was a silent short film titled Goodbye

Goodbye was his first attempt in directing. The short film was shot in only two hours! The direction and cinematography were done by Bala himself.

4) He dropped out of university  

He was in his second year of Mechatronics Engineering when he quit university to pursue his passion in acting. Many people were against him leaving, including his family and relatives. But he stuck to his decision and worked hard towards achieving his dreams.

5) He got his first big break as a host

Bala didn’t start out immediately as an actor. He got his shot at stardom as a host for Astro at the young age of 19!

6) He has wanted to be a superstar since he was five years old

Bala was inspired to be an actor when he was five years old after seeing his idol Rajinikanth in Annamalai. People around him told him it was impossible, but look at him now!

7) He’s amazingly multi-talented!

He doesn’t settle for being ‘only’ an actor—this star is also a host, producer, and director. To top it all off, he’s the founder and CEO of BGW Studios, a local film and TV production company.

Bala’s latest project is as the director and lead actor in Neeyum Naanum. Watch the trailer below for a sneak peek of the movie:

The romantic comedy centres on Karthik, who notices that his new girlfriend Oviya is behaving strangely, and his friend Viki, who falls in love with Oviya’s sister. Catch it at your nearest cinema today!