Flying high
Alif Satar is on a mission to pursue his childhood ambition as a pilot, writes Syahirah Mokhtazar
WHEN a person enters a singing reality competition, it’s natural to assume that his intention is to realise his dream of becoming a singer. But it was a different case for Alif Satar. The popular singer who is also an actor and a TV host may have risen to fame from his days as a contestant in 8TV singing reality competition One In A Million but, at the time, his aim was to try his luck at winning RM1 million so he could pay fees for lessons at a flying school.
“I want to become a pilot. That has always been my dream.
“Becoming a singer was never really an ambition but my rezeki is in showbiz.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy what I do. I’ve grown to become really passionate about acting, singing and hosting. It has brought me to where I am today,” he said.
Despite his hectic schedule, the versatile artiste is on a mission to fulfil his childhood dream.
“I’ll make sure I get my hands on that flying licence and fly an airplane one day! And who knows, one day, I might even get to own an airplane. Nothing is impossible and there’s no such thing as being too ambitious,” he said with a smile.
He added that his first passengers would be his wife Shadila Hadid and daughters Alisha Anugerah, 3, and Ariana Mecca, 1.
ALL SET FOR IT’S ALIF
Alif helms the talk show It’s Alif on ntv7.
“We’re looking at filming the second season sometime end of this month,” he said.
The Red Velvet star also hopes to discuss more intellectual topics on his show. “But it seems viewers enjoy light topics. There is nothing wrong with that, but I want to utilise this platform by sharing something that will be beneficial to viewers too.
“I want to be a host who inspires people, just like Oprah Winfrey,” he said.
THE HANTUS
Alif was approached by popular comedianTV host-actor Nabil Ahmad to act in the comedy-thriller telemovie The Hantus Astro’s parking lot.
“We sat there for a good hour talking about his idea, which has now become a reality,” said Alif.
In his latest acting stint, the 28-year-old has a starring role in the telemovie alongside Hannah Delisha, Faizal Hussein and Khatijah Tan.
It is story of a group of ghosts in a spiritual realm, and incorporates a storyline inspired by popular ghost stories such as Hantu Kak Limah, the mystery surrounding Mimaland and Volkswagen Kuning.
Alif plays a hopeless romantic man who one day dies in a bus crash and wakes up in the spiritual realm. He meets a beautiful ghost (Hannah) and other ghosts (Faizal and Khatijah).
Now here’s a fun fact about The Hantus: If Alif hadn’t agreed to be part of this project, the telemovie wouldn’t have been produced.
“Nabil wanted me to play the lead role. After reading the script, I couldn’t say ‘no’! I thought the story is brilliant.
“But it has some comical elements, and I told Nabil I was afraid I couldn’t deliver my character well as I am not naturally funny.
“He assured me that I could nail it. The great thing about Nabil is that he’s always looking to deliver something different. His ideas can get a little nonsensical at times, but it’s funny and it works!
“I enjoyed every moment of filming The Hantus because it felt like I was doing a project with a group of friends. There was never a dull moment on set.
“Nabil’s first project deserves a thumbs up. It could use some tweaks but overall it’s a job well done. It is his first attempt after all... there’s more to come.”
Despite watching his good friend venture into the world of production, it didn’t inspire Alif to do the same. “Acting, singing and hosting are my passion. I can never do what Nabil does. He does it with so much integrity and pours so much effort into his work you can see that he doesn’t mind the sacrifices.
“I’m extremely proud of Nabil for going after what he believes in. I’m happy he had chosen me to play such an integral role in his project,” he said.
I’ll make sure I get my hands on that flying licence and fly an airplane one day.
Alif Satar