Kamal Adli’s reinvention
The actor tells Dennis Chua he has found his true calling in comedy and action films
FANS of boy-next-door Kamal Adli often see him on TV, taking on romantic roles, with the occasional thriller, action adventure and comedy for good measure. He has spent a decade in showbiz without an identifiable film genre, but this is going to change following his surprise win in Astro Warna’s eight-week comedy challenge Super Spontan Superstar last Oct 27.
In the comedy contest held at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor every Friday, Kamal received 31.4 per cent of viewers’ votes in the eighth and final concert. He narrowly beat popular comedians Achey, Shahrol, Syuk, Mamak and Fad to win the grand prize of RM100,000.
“I’m not often associated with comedy, though I’m quite a ‘joker’ off-stage,” said Kamal in a recent interview. “On the set of TV dramas, series and films, I often crack jokes and make co-stars, directors and producers laugh!”
Fans may find it hard to believe that Kamal, 31, is a “clown” behind the scenes, as he has a serious look. “Looks can be deceiving,” he
said. “I’ve always been the funny sibling amongst my parents’ seven children, and that goes right back to my schooldays.”
CONQUERING CRAZY CHALLENGES
In Super Spontan Superstar, Kamal was a member of King Musang, one of two celebrity teams participating this year, the other being Tenggiling Taiko.
Comedians Shuib, Syuk, Atu (Kunal Doli), Fikry, Fad and Zulin Aziz, and singer-actress Amy Mastura were Kamal’s fellow King Musang members.
Tenggiling Taiko comprised comedians Achey, Rahim, Sharif (Kadir Doli), Danial, Shahrol and Mamak Puteh, and actresses Sharifah Shahirah and Ozlynn.
“Every week, we had to undergo different comedy challenges, some of which were absolutely crazy!” said Kamal. “For instance, there was Maju Mundur, in which each team had to do a sketch and, on the orders of the judges, members had to ‘rewind’ or ‘fast forward’ their movements! We also had to create spontaneous poems about objects the judges mentioned to us — from mundane things like teh tarik to sophisticated things like Star Wars movies.
“The craziest task was Terteruk Dari Ladang which means The Worst Job Of All; here we had to come up with jobs that were out-of-this-world and ridiculous, among them puke cleaners at funfairs!”
In the last concert, each celebrity had to compete as an individual. “We had a total of 36 comedy tasks, and marks were solely dependent on Short Messaging Service (SMS) votes from audiences. My team was often the stronger of the two, and with additional effort on my part in the last weekly episode, I won!”
NO STRANGER TO COMEDY
Kamal has been in comedy challenges thrice — last year, he was also in Super Spontan Superstar as a member of the losing team Monyet Mafia led by comedian Johan. He also participated in TV3’s Liga Lawak Superstar in 2013, as a member of Apa Kasih Toq with comedienne Didie Alias and actor Syafiq Kyle. They were the runners-up.
“I didn’t have any hard and fast rules for my individual acts — all I did was heed judge Datuk Afdlin Shauki’s advice, to go all out every week!”
Kamal improvised a lot in his weekly challenges, and often discussed strategies with his team’s comedians especially Shuib and Syuk. “Since they are into comedy most of the time, it’s best to put our heads together before every on-stage ‘mission’,” said Kamal.
His three forays into comedy challenges have convinced him that it “pays” to be a comedian.
“I’m ready to be one, but this doesn’t mean I’m going to turn my back on serious characters. Local actors I look up to include Afdlin, Shaheizy Sam, Syamsul Yusof, Zizan Razak and Farid Kamil — they are action heroes with funny as well as serious sides.
“Afdlin and Zizan may be more associated with comedy, and Sam, Syamsul and Farid with serious drama, but all of them inject good, healthy humour into their work, and that’s what I’d like to be.”
IT STARTED WITH HORROR
It was director Ahmad Idham’s horror Niyang Rapik which marked Kamal’s entry into cinema. “In my first movie, I was Helmi, one of four best friends who also included Saiful, Zizan and Amir, played by Zed Zaidi, Shaheizy Sam and Awal Ashaari respectively.
“We were investigating the mysterious death of a fifth friend, Zack, played by Fizz Fairuz. Zack fell victim to a deadly disease
It’s a challenge to be in theatre because audiences get to watch my every move. Kamal Adli
after coming home from a village called Niyang Rapik with a strange bottle,” said Kamal.
“Niyang Rapik has a very good plot twist at the end — the boys are punished for causing the death of the village headman’s daughter. It is he who has placed a curse on all of them.”
Since then, Kamal has appeared in 19 films which also include Gangster Celop, PE3, Abang Long Fadil, The Malay Regiment and Kolesterol vs Cinta.
He has appeared in 26 drama series since 2008 such as Renjis, Bio-Nik, Gemilang, Ana Lulu, Sha Dan Shah and Syurga Tanpa Cinta, and 33 telemovies such as Apa Celop Raya, Tipah Semperit, Suamiku Encik Beruang, Pondok Senja and Nasi Dagang Nasi Ayam.
“In most of these, I played either the hero’s close friend or the hero himself, but most of my heroes have been guy-next-door. Now that I plan to do more comedy, my aim is to play characters who are more colourful, with interesting back stories,” said Kamal.
BIONIC MAN
Kamal developed his acting skills during his schooldays at Sekolah Menengah Jalan Reko in Kajang, Selangor.
“At school, I participated in some sketches during year-end concerts. It was here, too, that I sang and danced a little,” he said.
His parents exposed him to the movies of Tan Sri P. Ramlee, and he is especially fond of Ramlee’s comedies such as Ali Baba Bujang Lapok. “I furthered my studies at Akademi TV3 in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, where I pursued a diploma in broadcasting. I graduated in 2006, and after that I modelled for some advertisements,” said Kamal, who is from Pekan, Pahang.
He first acted in the drama series Renjis in 2008, followed by his first action role, Bio-Nik which was produced by KRU Studios for TV3 in the same year.
“I loved Bio-Nik, it’s a bit like the 1970s American drama series The Six Million Dollar Man. My character, Nik, meets with a horrific car accident, but is revived by his scientist father as a bionic man with superhuman strength.
“Throughout the series, he uses his special powers to help fellow Malaysians in distress, and at the same time he has to help his father confront an unscrupulous scientist who works with a terrorist organisation that is bent on obtaining the secret formula which made him a bionic man.”
ESPIONAGE THRILLER
Kamal has just completed an action film, Escape, in which he plays an injured police officer who has been captured by a terrorist organisation.
“It’s a superb story, very Hollywood-ish, in which I’m shot by a group of terrorists, develop amnesia, and am forced to find a top secret Government microchip hidden in a secret location that resembles a maze,” said Kamal.
“Escape is likely to be screened next year, and I had a great time on the set. My co-stars are Elizabeth Tan and Amar Asyraf, and while they’re my juniors in the industry, they’re really good in their roles as my fellow law enforcers.”
Kamal did a few stunts in Escape, and while he returned home with some bruises, he enjoyed himself throughout the monthlong shoot. “It’s not a wholly serious story, there are some elements of comedy in it, especially the dialogue — my kind of film!”
Kamal’s first action comedy on the big screen was Gangster Celop in 2013. It has been his only collaboration with Syamsul Yusof to date, and they played two young gangsters who decided to turn over a new leaf after being released from jail.
“I loved Gangster Celop because it had lots of jokes about the entertainment industry in general. It was here that I also got to know Syamsul. While he’s a tough guy, he’s also got a good sense of humour.”
In the same year, he appeared in PE3, with Farid Kamil who also directed the action comedy. While it is his first encounter with Farid, Kamal best remembers the movie for his worst on-set injury.
“I accidentally punched one of the cameras, and as a result, I cut my right hand badly. The scars are still there but thank God, the wound healed pretty fast.”
Working with Farid was a “cool” experience because he encouraged Kamal to give ideas on how to improve the story. “He told me to help tweak the plot to make it interesting — we came up with an open-ended ending, and that’s so keeping up with Hollywood!”
MUSICAL APPEAL
Kamal may not be a good singer, but he is happy to be appearing in the occasional musical at Istana Budaya. “Ahmad Idham’s Impak
Maksima in 2009 was a good, cautionary story about illegal racing. My character was simply known as Drift King, and it was my only teamup with Mardiana Alwi of Aku Isterinya fame,” said Kamal.
His other musical, also directed by Ahmad Idham was Gerimis Mengundang in 2012. “While it’s based on Slam’s song performed beautifully by Zamani, it has nothing to do with his life story. My character, also called Zamani, was a helicopter pilot who fell in love with an Indonesian expatriate,” said Kamal, adding that he enjoyed working with Indonesian actress Mikha Tambayong in the play. The real Zamani gave Gerimis Mengundang good feedback, and praised Kamal for his portrayal of a pilot in love.
“It’s a challenge to be in theatre because audiences get to watch my every move. Nevertheless, I’d like to act in plays with funny, heartwarming stories, especially if they are based on bestselling songs or novels.”
STILL DEVOTED TO EMMA
Of late, Kamal’s relationship with actress Emma Maembong has been strained as a result of his acquaintance with another actress Zahirah MacWilson. He admits that it was a “hiccup” in their four-year relationship but things are “on the mend”.
“Emma came to support me in the finals of Super Spontan Superstar, and that greatly boosted my confidence, which perhaps propelled me to victory,” he said.
Kamal does not blame anyone for the “hiccup” because it was a “misunderstanding blown out of proportion” by certain individuals. “Zahirah may have said some things about me, but I’ve decided to put these behind me and move on. I’ll still work with her if we are cast in the same drama series or movie,” said Kamal.
SLOw AND STEADY IMPROVEMENT
Kamal is also a host of television programmes, and his credits include Rentak Juara and Taste Selebriti.
He is currently hosting Curi-Curi Cuti on Astro Ria at 11am on Tuesdays, and in the 13-episode travel series filmed during Ramadan, he took selected guests on tours of Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
“I love travelling as it allows me to learn about different peoples and cultures. When it comes to Southeast Asian countries, it’s great to see that they share so much in common with Malaysia,” he said.
What are his future plans?
“Appearing in more comedies, that’s for sure!” he said. “At the same time, I’ll also look for better scripts especially those that are action-packed. I’d love to work more with directors like Kabir Bhatia and Michael Ang who are full of fresh ideas.”
Kamal admits it is not easy to find “meaty” roles but he will do his best to audition for them. “Competition is stiff in the industry, but I have to be patient — slow and steady wins the race!”