Vikram credits Bala for awakening actor in him

Chennai: Vikram feels that the actor within him would've still been dormant but 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 here Sunday.

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 the story of the film narrates the affliction of plantation workers in southern India. It is coming out Dec 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'.