Vikram credits Bala for awakening actor in him

Chennai: Vikram feels that the actor in him would have still been dormant if not for director Bala.

"I didn't know that the real actor within me was sleeping until I worked with Bala. After having worked with him in 'Sethu' (1999), I realised my potential as an actor. Had it not been for him, I'm sure I wouldn't have ever found the actor in me", Vikram told reporters.

He was speaking at the audio launch of Bala's forthcoming Tamil period-drama 'Paradesi', based on the Tamil translation of Paul Harris Daniel's English novel "Red Tea".

The film is set in pre-independence India and it narrates the affliction of plantation workers in southern India. It is coming out on December 21.

Meanwhile, Vikram, 47, who was one of special invitees at the function, is shooting for the Tamil romantic-thriller 'I' and Tamil-Hindi bilingual 'David'.