Veteran actor Richard Low surprised and honoured to score award nomination for Tamil drama

SINGAPORE – Veteran Mediacorp star Richard Low, 72, has scored a nomination for his performance in a Tamil drama.

The Singaporean, who has more than 40 years of acting experience, is the first non-Indian nominee in a performance category at the broadcaster’s upcoming Indian entertainment awards ceremony, Pradhana Vizha, in the past decade. The ceremony will be aired live on Feb 15 at 9pm, on mewatch, the Mediacorp Entertainment channel on YouTube, and Vasantham.

Low is vying to win best performance for his role as a ruthless Japanese who plans the bloody Sook Ching operation in the period series 1943 (2023 to 2024), about the Japanese Occupation of Singapore during World War II.

He is competing against Karls Karthikeyan, nominated for period epic Ayya Veedu (2023), and Sathiyaselan Sivalingam, for Vilangu (2023), a drama about three former convicts.

Low tells The Straits Times in an e-mail that he was surprised and honoured by the nod.

“Having spent many years acting in Mandarin dramas on Channel 8, mostly playing antagonists, I never expected to receive a nomination for a Tamil drama in an antagonist role. It is truly an honour, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity,” he says.

Low has played memorable villains on Channel 8 over the years, in period wuxia series such as The Return Of The Condor Heroes (1998) and The Legendary Swordsman (2000).

As all his lines for 1943 were in English, Low says he did not encounter many obstacles despite the language barrier. Most of the cast were of Indian descent and spoke in Tamil.

He says: “I didn’t face many difficulties as the director and I primarily communicated in English. He understood me well, and whenever I needed assistance, he would help convey my words to those around me.”

In fact, his biggest challenge was a physical one – filming a scene in a cold swimming pool at 2am for a sequence where his character is shot and falls into the water.

“I had to hold my breath for 30 seconds so my body would float like a dead person’s for the shot. But it was an exciting experience,” he said.

Low has won the broadcaster’s Star Awards for Chinese-language entertainment for his supporting role in The Silver Lining (1997).

He is also known for starring in some of director Jack Neo’s movies. He had a major role in the 2002 hit I Not Stupid and made a cameo in the film’s third instalment in 2024, and was part of the cast for the military-themed crowd-pleaser Ah Boys To Men (2012).