"It's not ok to make fun of others through trolls and memes all the time; healthier trolls would be a better option," says actor-host Akul Balaji

He is one of the most popular faces of Kannada television. Season after season, Akul has only turned out to be one of the most-loved reality show hosts on Kannada TV and is definitely known for his affable nature. Currently, the actor is all excited to host the new dance reality show 'Dancing Champion', and is looking forward to an exciting fruitful year ahead. ETimes TV got in touch with the host himself on the sets of Dancing Champion for an interview. Akul, in the interview spoke about his new venture, weight loss journey, and even opened up about handling trolls. Read on...

I think it's a dream for many to begin work at the year beginning itself. I am no exception. I believe that if we start working in the year beginning, the year will be fruitful. I am quite excited to start my year by hosting a dance reality show. I relate a lot to the dance show because I started my career with a dance reality show. Seventeen years down the lane, I started off with a dance show called 'Kuniyona Baara'.

Taking about performing arts, I connect a lot to it. Being trained in classical dance forms and even contemporary and martial arts, I have travelled across the globe to give many performances. I am even lucky to have got a chance to dance with many established gurus. Likewise, now, when I see a dancer, dancing on stage I can easily tell which dancer will shine in their career.

I am looking forward to witness a lot of new dance forms in Dancing Champion. Dance is a celebration and there are a lot of dance forms to explore. That is what I want to see in Dancing Champion. I want 'Never seen before' performances with new dance forms in Dancing Champion. And if I find any repetitive concepts, I am sure to talk to the choreographers about them.

Reality shows make a huge impact on real talent. A lot of celebs started their journey with reality shows. They are in fact doing wonders in their respective careers. In fact, I don't mind saying that reality shows give birth to a lot of dreams and hopes. A celebrity participating in a reality show will give that person more popularity. On the other hand, a commoner becomes a celebrity through reality shows. That's the strength of reality shows.

Shooting for a reality show needs a lot of energy. Sometimes the shoot goes up to more than eighteen hours and you need to maintain the energy. And as a host, it is important for that particular person to pep up the energy. This is more like a task for the host. Being energetic for an hour or two is different. But being active for more extended hours of the shoot is quite a challenge.

I have hosted nearly about 38 reality shows now and every show is a new experience to cherish. And I am happy being a part of all of them. I try to balance the reality show with the same energy. I come up with a lot of stints to entertain everyone. There are times when I take up challenging situations while hosting. Like walking or trying new dance forms with skeletons. I put up a comic act and many other things like that.

My son enjoys my pranks, the fun, and everything. He enjoys watching me on stage. But at the same time, he even says 'Dad you can't be funny and silly on stage. You're in your 40's and can't be tearing your trousers on stage. (Relates to an incident when the host's pants got torn on stage while stretching. People will laugh at you. But my son enjoys me being a prankster on stage.

Talking about family, I feel they are the best critics. My wife loves my work. Since she is also a dancer, she gives feedback. That's not all, they even give me feedback about my looks, appearance, and everything about me. It's the same with my mother as well. Even she watches me on-screen and enjoys it. I do face a lot of critic at family itself.

Oh! it was my mother who wanted me to lose weight. She always felt I was developing baby fat and wanted me to work out to lose it. In fact, she was the first person who noticed and asked me to lose weight. She wanted her son to look fit and fab. And I think the best thing that happened to me in 2021 was to lose weight.

My wife is my inspiration when it comes to fitness. She was the one who was motivated me to work out and lose weight. She is there to literally kick me to work out. Also, I used to get a lot of messages saying that I am putting on weight. That's when I realised the same. It was also like an eye-opener to me. I felt maybe when everyone is saying, I felt it was time for me to actually shed some weight.

The toughest part during the weight loss journey was to cut down on food. I am a total desi food lover and due to this entire weight loss journey, I had to cut down on them and was literally forced to consume salads. Otherwise, I am a foodie and loves to explore all sorts of food and dishes.

Of late, I have taken trolls a little easy. Initially, it was very tough to handle it. But then I realised, that it's just a part of our work. I realised once you are a public figure, you tend to get trolled. Luckily, they have not been mean to me. There have been videos of mine that have been trolled for a long time. But that's ok! There are times when they go overboard. They need to understand that what they do is not correct all the time. It's not ok to make fun of others through trolls and memes all the time. I feel healthier trolls would be a better option.

I am not a social media person at all. I still prefer catching up with people and then having a chat with them. I enjoy reality. I am somehow not ok with these virtual meet-ups and knowing others through their Instagram stories and posts. It's just out of peer pressure that I am active on social media.

I really don't mind taking up OTT projects. In fact, I have also been approached for a few OTT projects. If things work out, I will also be making my OTT debut soon. And looking ahead, I am sure OTT is the future. I am sure we will all be doing reality shows for OTT platforms. I Have been watching a lot of series on OTT and am happy that a lot of talents have come to the forefront because of OTT platforms.