Pursuing Her Dreams – Badrika | Hall of Fame
Badrika Baluch is a 23-year-old teacher, actor and TV Host based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is most known for her role as a TV Host in Disney Channel Southeast Asia.
Badrika has also been a part of Seussical The Musical – a musical theatre show produced by Enfiniti Academy – where she played the role of Getrude McFuzz in 2013 and 2014. Notably, Badrika was also cast for the role of Orked in Sepet The Musical (A musical theatre adaptation of the iconic Yasmin Ahmad film) presented by Liver & Lung production.
Since she was a young child, Badrika has always loved to act, sing and dance! Her mother always said that she started singing before she started talking, dancing before she started walking. So the performing arts have always been a very comforting thing for her to lean on, and it is a massive part of her life.
We’re proud that Badrika is part of our Enfiniti Academy Alumni, as she has accomplished so much. Enjoy a video snippet of the full interview below.
Tell us about yourself.
Hi, my name’s Badrika and I live the best of both worlds. I’m a teacher, so I teach English as an additional language and I also help out with the Drama department, Musical Theatre elective and I’m also a performer. I sing, dance and act.
Would you like to share any of your current projects with us?
Yes, with everything that’s happening in the world with Covid, we’ve had to stop. But the most recent thing that we’ve been working on was Kloud Fest back in March. And now we have put together the Spotify album for Sepet the Musical, and we launched it on April 10th.
(Kloud Fest was a Digital Arts Festival that celebrated creativity and brought out the best in Film, Music and Comedy!)
How did you first hear about Enfiniti Academy and what made you realise that performing arts was your passion?
So Enfiniti Academy, it feels like I'm going way back here, a trip down memory lane. We had a few friends and we were going out for lunch and met the musical director for Seussical The Musical, who spoke to us about this audition that was happening at Enfiniti Academy. So we gave it a try and auditioned for Enfiniti Academy’s Seussical The Musical.
What made me realise that performing arts was my passion? It’s been in me from a very young age, I’ve always loved to act, sing and dance! Like the song ‘Thank You For The Music’, my mom said that I started singing before I started talking. Dancing before walking, and it’s always been a very comforting thing for me to do. It’s very much a part of me.
Why are the performing arts important to you?
To me, it’s because I can be myself. I think that a lot of people can agree with that as well, for the arts, you immerse yourself into it and you’re playing different characters but ironically you’re still appreciating yourself. You’re being yourself and it makes you who you are as a person. And I think that’s something that’s really important for us to have.
What are some of the challenges you had to overcome to pursue your passion?
Personally for me, I am my own obstacle. You get so insecure about yourself and how you’re perceived to other people. You have a goal you want to meet, but hold yourself back from that goal because you feel that you’re inept or you’re not good enough. That’s a personal challenge.
But getting to where I want to be, it’s also about juggling everything in life. Like I said earlier, I’m a teacher and an actor as well. So I have to make sure I find the right balance between the two.
Speaking of performing, what have been the highlights of your career so far?
I feel like everything is a highlight, but if I had to choose I’d say working with Disney Channel Southeast Asia. It was such a big deal for me. I went in there as a Disney Girl, I loved Disney and when I applied for the role, I didn't know if I'd get the role to be a part of Disney Channel Southeast Asia. But I got it! I was so happy to have been a part of it for two years.
One of the best parts was being on the red carpet for Avengers: Infinity War where I got to meet the director Joe Russo, producer Jane and actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
And of course, working with Liver & Lung production for Sepet The Musical. We have a very close relationship and we’ve worked together on big projects like Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales) and more.
What has Enfiniti Academy done for you or taught you in the past that you carry with you now?
I’ve been with Enfiniti Academy since I was 15 years old. So that was 8 years ago, and that was a time in my life when I was trying to find myself. Enfiniti really taught me to believe in myself and stand my ground and be who I am so that when I go into the real world, I can face any challenges. Even now, I have to remember that I am me and I am good enough as I am. And they taught me that. Enfiniti helped me do that.
From your time with Enfiniti Academy, what are some of the highlights?
Seussical The Musical! I played Getrude McFuzz in 2013 and 2014 and that was an awesome show. It was like a little family and it was so much fun. You also got to learn so many new things while being a part of production.
As part of the Burn Girls, I think this was in my first year, we would repeat this phrase before every show: ‘Burn Girls Kick Ass!’ And we would do that before every show, plus it’s different characters before every show. The Burn Girls, the monkeys, the jungle animals, the who’s. We’d have a different handshake with them before every show, it was really nice. Everyone was really close to each other and had that little link.
Has the performing arts helped you with your emotional or physical wellbeing?
In terms of physicality, you’re moving around a lot and it’s a form of exercise on its own. The rehearsal times, from morning till late at night. Depending on the rehearsal schedule, I just remember being in the rehearsal studio and being absolutely exhausted but it was a good kind of exhaustion. Cause you’re dancing and you’re singing, you’re moving different parts of your body and you feel so energised even though you’re tired.
On top of that, there’s an emotional side to it as well, and sometimes people can have a bad day. In the Arts, when you come into the rehearsal space, you leave it all at the door. And you come in, you rehearse and you feel better! Cause you’re doing what you love and that’s the performing arts. And it just takes away the weight on your shoulders. You can be who you want to be there and that helps you emotionally and for your physical health.
So, especially growing up in Malaysia and Asia, most people do not understand the importance or benefits of performing arts education. What would you say to them, based on your experience, of why performing arts education is important?
This is something that I’ve been pushing with different schools as well, because I went to local school and international school. And I think that as students, growing up, we’ve been told that you have to choose a path in Science, or Math, or Business.
But they forget the importance of something like the Performing Arts, because it’s something that you use to develop different skills that you can’t find in other subjects.
It’s used for developing yourself with confidence and developing your social skills. The performing arts is a community of its own and there are so many values that it teaches you. These are values that you’ll be able to use later on in life, and I think that it's really important that people really push on the importance of the performing arts. Because for our next generation, the more that they immerse themselves in the performing arts, the more well-rounded they’ll become.
Thank you so much Enfiniti Academy and Happy 10th Anniversary!
(Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.)
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At Enfiniti Academy, we are SO proud of Badrika and everything she’s achieved in her career so far.
We’re also incredibly happy to celebrate 10 years of producing outstanding, creative leaders!
For those who wish to pursue a career in the performing arts or learn creative skills on a part-time schedule, our performing arts program is perfect for you!
Keen to learn what’s needed for a career in the Performing Arts, Creative & Entertainment Industries? THIS is your chance to learn the performing arts ONLINE and earn 10 Uni Credits upon graduation.
Register for our Performing Arts Certificate Course now – our next semester starts 9th October! Sign Up before 29th September 2021.
