In the month of July, you\u2019ll have the opportunity to catch Fir Rahman performing two very different roles, on stage and on screen \u2013 which is just how he likes it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Head down to the Singapore Theatre Festival, and you\u2019ll find Fir treading the boards as a military man in Alfian Sa\u2019at\u2019s GRC (Geng Rebut Cabinet)<\/em>. Pop into any cinema, and he\u2019s headlining Boo Junfeng\u2019s capital-punishment film Apprentice<\/em>, which made a splash when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rallying the Vote<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my first Singapore Theatre Festival,\u201d confides Fir, who is happily juggling gala premieres and rehearsals with more prosaic duties like picking his son up from day care. \u201cI\u2019m proud to be in GRC<\/em>, and prouder to be part of the Festival!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In GRC<\/em>, Fir plays Brigadier-General Bukhari Ghazali, one of the new candidates running for political office in an alternate version of Singapore \u2013 one in which Malays form the majority of the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI learnt a lot about Singapore politics,\u201d Fir says of his experience working on GRC<\/em>, which was first staged by Teater Ekamatra to sold-out houses and critical acclaim last year. \u201cIt really opened my eyes about what it means, politically, for anyone to be in the minority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fir understands very well, after all, what that entails. \u201cAs a Malay, I know what we\u2019re lacking as a community,\u201d he says, pointing to the historical absence of Malays in key positions in the Singapore armed forces and navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, because he knows just how marginalisation feels, he finds himself sympathising, too, with the character of Catherine Seah (played by Serene Chen) \u2013 the Chinese minority candidate in the fictional GRC<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHitting the campaign trail to shoot a video for GRC<\/em> (Image courtesy of Teater Ekamatra)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Fir\u2019s respect for this world that Alfian has created as a \u201cmirror image\u201d of our own is palpable. \u201cThe play is so good and so smart in examining Singapore\u2019s political issues in a lighthearted way,\u201d he observes. \u201cIt shows us that we needn\u2019t be afraid of taking a good look at what\u2019s going on in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery Singaporean should come and watch GRC<\/em>,\u201d says Fir with conviction. \u201cWhether you\u2019re Chinese, Indian or Malay, you can really relate to it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taking the Stage<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
For all the success Fir has had on television and film, he will always return to the theatre. It remains his first love for many reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a satisfaction I get only when performing live on stage,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s in the energy I get back from the audience when I perform, whether they\u2019re crying or laughing their heads off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While he\u2019s done his fair share of television work, Fir believes that the real challenges for him as an actor lie on stage. \u201cI only get the chance to play very good, meaty roles in the theatre,\u201d he confides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He recalls that he was once asked to play a Bruneian man a good twenty years his senior. \u201cI can only play characters like that in the theatre. I love that character. He\u2019s totally not like me at all. I had to work so hard to make sure it was believable that I was in my fifties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fir is also a passionate advocate of rehearsals. \u201cTheatre makes me a better actor because there are so many rehearsals,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s when and where you find your character.\u201d It\u2019s a luxury he doesn\u2019t get when rushing from scene to scene on a television shoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\nApprentice<\/em> \u00a9 Meg White<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Cannes-do Spirit!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Apprentice<\/em> was a different matter, however. With a great deal of affection, Fir describes the film \u2013 his first \u2013 as the one screen project that most closely resembles the work he does for the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For one thing, the role of Aiman \u2013 a police officer who becomes the apprentice to a prison executioner \u2013 offered \u201clayers\u201d and an \u201cemotional journey\u201d that he rarely gets outside of the theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also appreciated the more measured pace of the shoot, which gave him time and space to develop his character. \u201cCompared to TV, they had all the time in the world,\u201d he laughs. Once, Junfeng set aside five hours to shoot a two-page scene, which would have taken just half an hour on a television set. Scenes were also rehearsed repeatedly, both for the actors\u2019 benefits as well as to plan camera shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting Apprentice<\/em> to the silver screen was a long, difficult process for all concerned. Fir recounts one of his toughest auditions yet: it went on for half a day back in 2013 and, as it turns out, was only for a trailer that would be used to raise funds to shoot the actual film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also read with several actresses, including Tanglin<\/em>\u2019s Mastura Ahmad, and travelled to KL to meet Malaysia\u2019s Wan Hanafi, before all three were officially cast in the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s clear, however, that the hard work and long wait have been worth the while. Fir speaks with unbridled passion about everything he has learnt from Junfeng. \u201cIt\u2019s such an honour to work with him,\u201d he says, recalling how his director taught him to look beyond close-up shots and red eyes to convey the sadness in a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is my first lead role in my first feature film,\u201d he says in wonder, as if he still can\u2019t believe that Apprentice<\/em> has taken him to Cannes and back. \u201cI\u2019m totally blessed lah, and I\u2019m definitely going to tell my grandchildren about this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s particularly overwhelmed by the fact that he and Mastura were able to represent the Singapore Malay community at the Festival \u2013 the first actors to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo see ourselves on the silver screen, and to have people we don\u2019t know, people who know nothing about the Malay language, give us a standing ovation \u2013 it was very special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/newsletter\/NL34\/03B.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/newsletter\/NL34\/03C.jpg\")