After more than a decade in the entertainment industry, actress Bella Dowanna is becoming more selective about her acting roles, with plans to move away from romantic comedies and take on more challenging characters.
The 23-year-old said her last major role in a heavier production was in the 2020 film ‘M4m4’, and she was keen to return to the genre.
“I have not done a heavy role for quite some time, so I would like to explore genres like that again,” she said recently.
At the same time, Bella has expanded into event organising, driven by her passion for concerts and curiosity about what goes on behind the scenes.
Her interest began in 2022 after attending numerous concerts and wondering how shows were organised, from obtaining licences and securing venues to bringing international artistes to Malaysia.
“I even thought about bringing BTS to Malaysia. From there, I started learning about the process and now I understand how it works,” she said.
As director of her own event company, Beatus Live, Bella said organising concerts involved extensive preparation, often taking at least six months from the initial planning stages to the event itself.
This allows her to balance the business with acting, which she considers her main career.
“If I receive an acting offer, that remains my main job because I know I am an actress,” said the ‘Budak Tebing’ star.
Although relatively new to the event industry, Bella said she has been learning from controversies involving event organisers and taking steps to ensure similar problems do not occur in her own projects.
She also accepts that criticism is unavoidable in show business, regardless of whether one works as an organiser, actor or singer.
“It is something I have to face after entering this industry. I cannot avoid or run away from it. What matters is how we choose to receive and learn from those comments,” she said.
