Malaysian star plays cop again in upcoming film

Shaheizy Sam was in Singapore last month to meet his fans. PHOTO: STARHUB

Malaysian actor Shaheizy Sam is following in his policeman father's footsteps in a rather different way.

He starred in last year's buddy cop comedy Polis Evo, the highestgrossing film at the box office in Malaysia, and his next major film role will also see him put on a badge as a police detective in upcoming supernatural thriller Interchange.

But the two roles are different, says the 33-year-old actor, whose late father Abdul Samad Jaaman was Selangor's Deputy State Police Chief and whose mother is actress Khaty Fauziah Musa.

"In Interchange, my character is trying to solve a murder mystery which has a supernatural twist to it, and there's a lot more drama in the film. There are a few action scenes in it, but not as many fights or shootouts like in Polis Evo," he says in a recent telephone interview from Kuala Lumpur.

Polis Evo airs tonight on Sensasi (StarHub TV Channel 123).

Local viewers can watch two more of his works on television - 2014 romantic comedy flick Manisnya Cinta Di Cappadocia (Dunia Sinema On Demand, StarHub TV Channel 120) and drama series Aku Bukan Bimbo, which will be shown in September.

The Johor-born Shaheizy is one of the Malaysian film and television industry's most bankable stars, thanks to a string of roles in boxoffice hits and popular television series.

He sang and rapped in Malaysian hip-hop/R&B group M.O.B. in his late teens and early 20s, but it was only after he turned to acting that he became a household name. Playing a race car driver in race drama Evolusi KL Drift 2 (2010), one of his early breakout roles, earned him the Best Supporting Actor prize at the 23rd Malaysian Film Festival.

Since then, he has won a string of accolades, including the Most Popular Artist and Most Popular Film Actor prizes at the the 2010, 2012 and 2014 editions of entertainment awards ceremony Bintang Popular Berita Harian Awards.

In February this year, he tied the knot with fellow actress Syatilla Melvin in a grand ceremony with RM25 million (S$8.42 million) in sponsorship, which the Malaysian press dubbed "wedding of the year".

The couple were in Singapore last month to meet their fans at a StarHub Hari Raya promotional event at Geylang Serai.

"They are very friendly," he says of his followers here.

"Singapore is one of the best places to go to for me because I'm very attached to my fans there. They make me feel like I'm home every time I meet them there."

  • Polis Evo airs tonight on Sensasi (StarHub TV Channel 123) at 10pm.
  • Manisnya Cinta Di Cappadocia is available on Dunia Sinema On Demand (StarHub TV Channel 120).

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 06, 2016, with the headline Malaysian star plays cop again in upcoming film. Subscribe