taken from The Starait Times 29 June 1992
Malaysian musician M. Nasir, who fell in love with the cinema after watching *The Godfather* while playing truant, tells ANUAR OTHMAN why he wants to become an actor.
MUSIC man M. Nasir now wants to become a movie man. But he is not leaving the music world.
A musician who has written more than 300 songs and produced more than 50 solo and group albums, Nasir is not calling it quits.
Acting on the silver screen is not new to this talented composer. Nasir has acted in four movies — Kembara Seniman Jalanan (The Wandering Artiste), Fenomena (Phenomenon), Selubung (Veil) and Balada (A Song).
Selubung will be shown in August and Balada at the end of the year.
Nasir, who turns 35 this Saturday, was in town recently to promote his latest solo album, Saudagar Mimpi (Dream Merchant).
He says the songs on the album, his second solo, are very personal. "Every song conveys a message. I want listeners to think of the messages.
I tried to pass them on in the simplest form possible." But the lyrics seem to require a lot of pondering, as in Apokalips (Apocalypse), for instance. According to Nasir: "There is such a thing as supply and demand, as there is in economics.
In music, I create the supply. "I don't bother about the demand. I believe supply will create the demand.What I want to see is an emergence of thinking music lovers, not just listeners. "
As for his entry into the movie world, he says that in almost everything he does, he looks for continuity.
"One movie debut does not make a filmstar, what's more a superstar. It is difficult to judge an actor when one is basing one's opinion on just one movie. There must be continuity. "I have acted in four movies and have verbally agreed to act in a new movie by director Nasir Jani, titled Aku Mahu Hidup (I Want To Live)," says Nasir, a father of three, the youngest a four-month-old infant. Singapore-born Nasir, now a Malaysian citizen, confesses that his interest in movies started when he watched his first English film while playing truant from school.
He was studying at Bukit Panjang Secondary School, and decided to skip class to watch The Godfather starring Marlon Brando at the Golden Cinema in Beach Road.
He was very impressed with the movie. "I fell in love with the silver screen that day."
A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Nasir acted in a few Malay dramas on Singapore television before packing his bags for Kuala Lumpur.
Even with his busy schedule, he has managed to find time to act in four Malay dramas on Malaysian television.
His involvement in the movie world started about 15 years ago, when he wrote the theme song for the movie, Azura. From then on, there was no turning back.
For the film Fenomena, his song of the same title was selected the Best Song in the Malaysian Film Festival three years ago.
He admits that he is his most exacting critic. "I look at my acting in my past movies and can see many mistakes. To me, these are challenges. I need to practise more and upgrade myself.
"If you have acted in only one movie, you cannot make comparisons. That is why I say there must be continuity."
He is still waiting to be offered a role in a serious movie.
"When we talk about serious movies, we are talking about non-musical movies, movies such as The Godfather. "Kembara Seniman Jalanan, Fenomena, Selubung and Balada are musical films. In these movies, there are singing segments. But I believe the day will come when we will come out with a serious movie and I want to be part of it."
One would have thought that Nasir, being a music man and movie man all in one, would have no choice but to take time management seriously.
"Time management? No time management for me. If I have to be at a certain place at a certain time, I make sure that I reach there on time. That's all."
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