From zero to hero for 3 brothers from Kudat
Published on: Friday, February 13, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Zero to hero — that is probably the most apt description of the meteoric rise of a Sabah trio, who despite a self-deprecating view of themselves at the start, went on stamp their mark on the national scene.And all they ever did was tickle the funny bones of their audience week after week to land the grand prize of RM500,000.It was an exhilarating coup for brothers Sharif, Syaiful and Atu whose rags-to-riches story can be traced back to humble beginnings in the backwaters of Kudat.
ADVERTISEMENT
In just 13 weeks, culminating in their well deserved victory in the Maharaja Lawak Mega 2014 reality show finals in Kuala Lumpur last Friday, they have turned their lives around.Jury members at the show have put it down to the never-say-die attitude of the Sabahans, who despite calling themselves Zero, found themselves the hot favourites as the competition neared its end."After we won second place in the sixth season of Raja Lawak, we went back to our hometown to look after our sickly father and became fishermen to help support our family," recalled 25-year-old Sharif Kadil Doli Sharif.But gigs that followed were few and far in between despite their new-found success as fledgling comedian-entertainers.
ADVERTISEMENT
"That was why we decided to join in the Maharaja Lawak Mega 2014 after Atu suggested that we try our luck again," said Shariff, adding, "this was because in Maharaja Lawak Mega 2013, we only reached the fifth week." It was a gamble on their part as unlike the Raja Lawak which was a platform for debutants to strut their stuff on stage, the Maharaja Lawak Mega was a reality show that brought together participants of the Raja Lawak series as well as established comedians, thus making it all the more competitive.But we had nothing to lose, said Shariff matter-of-factly.
ADVERTISEMENT
As things turned out, the gamble paid-off with Zero winning over both the jury members and viewers who accounted for 30 per cent of the votes via SMS.They polled 69.42 per cent to emerge the runaway champions in the finale which pitted five finalists against each other in two rounds of competition.Jury members Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan, Farah Quinn, Taufik Batisah and Fazura were unanimous in their vote of approval for the spirited performance, sincerity and efforts shown by Zero during the finale."Zero's first performance with their lion dance act was something very creative and suitable to our current situation. I saw Chinese viewers who sat behind me laughing and this proves that their acting is very entertaining."But we must remember that defending champions Sepahtu (which finished second) also tried their best as evidenced by their first performance."However, they seemed to lose focus in their second performance compared to Zero. The jury was able to see their (Zero) spirit and sincerity in all of their performances," they said.Taufik chipped in saying the fact was Zero managed to raise their game in the 12th week after registering dismal performances for two consecutive weeks.They almost got booted out after finishing among the last three groups in the 10th and 11th week."But tonight, Zero came up with an entertaining and touching performance especially in their second round. Both Farah, Fazura and I were in tears," he said.Second placed Sepahtu, comprising Shuib and Jepp, who picked up RM250,000 for their effort were equally magnanimous."No finalist was considered an underdog because each group including Zero had its own speciality."We are happy that Zero won in the competition because they deserve it. To us, they are all sincere and have an attitude of wanting to learn more," said Jepp.On their part Zero were quick to point out their success would not have come about without the support of especially their mother and the production staff of Astro."Among them were Abang Jepp who suggested I be the group's anchor throughout our performance, not to mention Nabil, Shiro, Bocey and the rest," said Shariff.He also brushed aside whispers that they could have benefitted from sympathy votes especially after word circulated that their father was visually-impaired."Actually he had a speech impediment," said Shariff, pointing out that their fisherman father had passed away last year."Our second performance was not to gain sympathy from viewers but to pay tribute to our father. We also wanted to do our best," he said, clarifying the news spread on a social website.Towards this end he made no secret of their intentions behind participating in the competition, saying it was to win the cash prize to help support their family.Shariff's brother Atu, whose full name is Sharif Kunal, 23, said they plan to send their mother on a pilgrimage to Mecca."We also plan to build a new home for her back in our hometown because she does not want to move to Kuala Lumpur."We will also be returning to Sabah in a while to attend an appreciation ceremony for the people but we have not determined when," he said, adding several projects are also already in the pipeline for the group.Also on the cards are wedding plans — that of oldest brother Mohamad Syaiful, 26, to a girl from Kudat.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
