By Juliana June Rasul

WHEN he famously declared in 2004 that he was leaving our shores for better prospects in Kuala Lumpur, the future seemed bleak for local actor Aaron Aziz.

Hunky as he is, Malaysian fans already had a bevy of other actors to drool over.

What chance did a Singaporean have at cracking the notoriously protective Malaysian market?

His detractors pooh-poohed the move, saying it would not amount to anything.

For a time, it looked like they were right, as Aaron took on bit parts in dramas like Gerak Khas (Special Forces).

But four years on, it's Aaron who's having the last laugh, as he prepares to break out as a major film star.

Next month, Shh...Dia Datang (Shh...He's Coming), a comedy with Cicakman Saiful Apek, will be out in Malaysian theatres.

In the film, Aaron plays one half of a bungling duo who attempts to make it big in films.

In real life, the 32-year-old has successfully completed that stage of being a bit actor, and is ready to be a major fixture on cinema screens in the next year or so with more leading man roles.

The New Paper caught up with the actor last week, when he was in town to shop for his wardrobe for the sequel to KL Evolusi Drift.

The movie, which is Malaysia's homage to Hollywood street-racing The Fast And The Furious series, was released last year. It raked in RM3.9million ($1.6 million) at the Malaysian box office.

Shooting for Evolusi KL Drift 2 begins in February and Aaron hinted that his role, that of the orange-haired gangster Joe - a supporting role in the first film - may be expanded.

After he's done playing with fast cars, the actor will move on to filming what sounds like a potential epic. Aaron calls his next project, Ransan, the 'next Ong Bak'. It will revolve around the traditional Malay art of silat, updated for the 21st century.

He will be filling in Tony Jaa's shoes.

Locally, Aaron is still best known as one of the perennially shirtless Heartlanders hunks.

But asked whether he would have expected to rise quickly, Aaron adamantly replied: 'No.'

Paying the bills

When he first started out, it wasn't success he was craving, but simply a means to pay the bills.

'Not that I want to be humble, but honestly, when I started out, I was just thinking of my family.'

He and wife Diyana Halik, who is also his manager, have two children, Danish Anaqi, 5, and Dwi Riana, 3.

Addressing long-swirling talk that his move to Malaysia was done out of vanity, Aaron said: 'I never thought about being a star. I just thought, I know I want to be in this business, but how can I feed my family?

'That was the most important thing.'

Now, he has other concerns, such as how not to break his neck doing intricate silat stunts for Ransan. He says he wants to do his own stunts.

'I've already told Raja Mukhriz (the director) that I'd prefer not to have a stunt double,' he said.

That means working extra hard at his silat training sessions.

Aaron even insisted on showing this reporter videos of his training sessions recorded on his phone. There was a hint of pride in his voice as he described taking down six men at a go during one training session.

'It's going to be a cool movie. Very Romeo and Juliet,' said Aaron, referring to the hip, MTV-style, action-packed 1996 Shakespeare remake by Baz Luhrmann.

Aaron is not the only Singaporean to try his luck in Malaysia.

Actor Ady Putra has been getting work in Malaysia, and recently took on the lead role in horror film Histeria, and veteran Hasnul Rahmat has been acting in Malaysia since the mid '90s.

Since Aaron moved to KL in 2007, there has been no shortage of work and offers, such as his recent endorsement deal with make-up giant L'Oreal, which is also represented by the likes of Lost's Matthew Fox and Pierce Brosnan.

Last year, he signed a one-year contract with satellite TV channel Astro, ensuring a constant stream of drama work. Plus, he's constantly fielding film offers.

Aaron cautiously agreed that he now has the liberty to pick and choose his projects.

Diyana said she had to reject five film offers in the last year, mostly due to scheduling conflicts.

One, an epic based on aspects of Malay legend, has a stellar cast and director attached to it, and is set to be a blockbuster next year.

Another is the Malaysian version of Phua Chu Kang, which will also feature Gurmit Singh and Irene Ang.

'It's not that I'm being picky, it's that I have no time.' he said, laughing.

Despite his apparent success, the actor was reluctant to say that he's finally ready to tell his detractors that he's made it.

So what else is he waiting for?

Critical recognition, of course, although that may never come.

Aaron said he is not eligible for most Malaysian acting awards because he is a foreigner.

'I'll only say that I've made it if I start to get awards, ' he said.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Jan 24, 2009.