Actor Zarif Ghazzi went into playing the lead character in Kudrat 1968: High Council with a mindset of giving his all to his character, Ungku Abbas Ungku Deramat.
The 22-year-old took the job so seriously that he underwent a drastic physical transformation to the point it posed a danger to his health.
“At the time, I weighed 90kg and I had to bring my weight down to 69kg to play a poor 16-year-old schoolboy,” Zarif said.
“So, over a period of three to four months, I stopped eating rice, started running and tried various methods to achieve the physical appearance that suited the character,” he explained his process.
Due to the lack of carbs and overtaxing of his body for the fight scenes in the show, Zarif started to have side effects that landed him in hospital three times.
“The doctor told me that if I lost any more weight, it could become dangerous for me.”
Nonetheless, Zarif saw the transformation as part of his responsibility as an actor.
“Even if I had to face any consequences, that is my responsibility as an actor. No matter how difficult or challenging a role is, I will give it everything I’ve got,” he said.
“I love acting. So if you give me a role where I have to become extremely thin, play someone with cancer, or portray a soldier or an athlete, just give it to me and I’ll do my best. I will give 200% to the role,” Zarif added.
Set in the year 1968, Kudrat 1968 tells of a batch of new students arriving at the prestigious Kolej Ungku Deramat only to discover that they are treated differently based on their family status.
One of the newbies is Ungku Abbas, the abandoned son of Kudrat’s founder, who reluctantly enrols at the school on a scholarship.
Zarif, who began his acting career in 2023, sees the fact that he was picked for Abbas as a blessing.
But he also admitted that blessing comes with a very heavy responsibility especially to be the lead in a prequel to High Council, which has a large fanbase.
“I did a lot of preparation because I knew this was a quality project made by quality people.
“On set, I just tried to absorb as much knowledge as I could from all the more senior actors around me,” the actor said.
Kudrat 1968: High Council is available on Sooka, Astro X3 and Netflix. A film is scheduled to be released later this year.
