Afdlin Shauki

Afdlin Shauki bin Aksan (born 19 May 1971) is a Malaysian producer, screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, singer, songwriter,television presenter and politician.

Career

Entertainment and media

Music

A singer, musician and live performer Afdlin, together with his band Acid Iz, presents a flavour of R&B, acid jazz and funk. His debut album ''FUUYO!'' was released in late 2003. In 1992, he performed for an audience of 50,000 in the 'Ikhlas Concert' alongside Zainal Abidin and Sheila Majid among others. He has performed in one of the most respected jazz clubs in Europe such as Ronnie Scott's, as an opening act for Sheila Majid for her 1996 UK Tour. He also made a guest appearance with David Foster's protege Jordan Hill for her 1997 Malaysian tour singing 'Till the end of time'.

He won the Best Ethnic Pop song category at the Anugerah Juara Lagu ke-19 in 2005 for a song he wrote for Dayang Nurfaizah called 'Erti Hidup'.

Television

Afdlin has been working as an actor, director and TV presenter. Afdlin received the award for Best Presenter in an Entertainment Programme during the prestigious 1999 Asian Television Awards for his role as the host on the late night talk show Bila Larut Malam on Astro. He has hosted the illustrious for six years running, as well as game shows, sports, music and lifestyle programmes.

Film

As a film actor, his local debut was as part of the supporting cast for Pesona Pictures' ''Mimpi Moon'', which was followed by his role as the "Interpreter" in the Hollywood movie "Anna and the King". He played his first romantic lead in Serangkai Filem's ''Soal Hati'', and was honoured with a Best Actor award for his portrayal of "Daniel" at the Anugerah Skrin Panca Delima Awards, 2000. He has since filmed "''Soalnya Siapa?''", a continuation of the story.

Afdlin has been involved in various direct-to-VCD projects, the latest being "Kelibat", a profit-sharing venture between the actors involved and Vision Works. For this project, Afdlin wrote, directed and acted simultaneously and the work was released in April 2004.

His screen debut as a writer and director, as well as lead actor, manifested in ''Buli'' a Grand Brilliance produced film about a technical savant and social misfit in a corporate and highly socialised world. He was awarded Most Promising New Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Story in the 2005 Malaysian Film Festival for this work. In the same year he was awarded for Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the ''Anugerah Skrin'' organized by TV3. An eventual sequel, "Buli Balik", was awarded Best Director, Best Original Story and Best Film Awards at the 2006 Malaysian Film Festival and also the Best Director and Best Screenplay Awards at the Anugerah Skrin (TV3) awards of the same year.

Other movies since then include ''Gila-Gila Pengantin Remaja, Pontianak, Biar Betul'' and ''Baik Punya Cilok'' (which received the Film Goer's Choice Award at the Anugerah Skrin Era Awards of 2006).

In 2007 he produced, co-directed and co-wrote '' Sumolah'' under his company Vision Works, which was invited to show at the Fukuoka International Film Festival. He also produced, directed and wrote "Los Dan Faun" under the same company. He played main and supportive roles in both films.

In 2009, Afdlin produced the film ''Papadom'', a story about a distracted, busy father who loses his wife in an accident, and ends up becoming over-protective of his only daughter. This bittersweet comedy drama garnered multiple awards at the 22nd Malaysian Film Festival on the same year for the categories of Best Original Story, Best Actor, Best Film, as well as Best Music Score for Film. Afdlin and his co-star Liyana Jasmay also won the Couple With Best Chemistry in the 2010 Shout Awards organized by 8TV. "Papadom" was in competition in the Asia Pacific International Film Festival held in Taiwan in December 2009. The film also competed in the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2010 in the International Competition and received 3rd place out of 12 movies taking part in the Audience Choice Award. "Papadom" was re-made as a Tamil version for the Malaysian Tamil audience and was released in November 2010.

Politics

Afdlin Shauki joined the People's Justice Party (PKR) in March 2021 alongside rapper Altimet. He had previously joined UMNO in 2012, supporting the Barisan Nasional (BN) government under Najib Razak. In 2022, Afdlin contested the Setiawangsa PKR division chief position, challenging incumbent Nik Nazmi. Despite a "healthy contest" welcomed by Nik Nazmi, Afdlin lost by 110 votes. Following the election, he lodged a police report, alleging voting irregularities, including missing ballot papers and conflicts of interest among election officers.

In April 2025, Afdlin Shauki contested the Setiawangsa PKR division chief position again and won, defeating incumbent Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad with 631 votes against 563. This victory marked a reversal of his defeat in 2022. Nik Nazmi, who also served as a PKR vice president and the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, was unable to retain his position despite his experience and political profile.

Following his victory, Afdlin's leadership became a topic of public discussion after PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli referred to him as a "professional comedian." In response, Afdlin emphasized his commitment to PKR and defended his background in the arts, asserting that diverse professional experiences should not constitute a barrier to political leadership. He further stated that he joined PKR during a challenging period following the Sheraton Move, when the party experienced significant setbacks, rather than waiting for opportunities when the party was in power.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Discography

''Fuuyo! (2003)''

** Aku Lelaki
** Miasara (As OST in '' Papadom'')
** Gadis Pilihan Ibu
** Percaya (As OST in '' Buli'' and ''Buli Balik'')
** Waras (As OST in '' Buli'')
** Tiada Lagi
** Tuan Dan Hamba
** Bukan Cinta (As OST in ''Los Dan Faun'')
** Sampai Bila
** Am I Too Late
** Mangsa Keadaan
** Disco Dancer
** Ku Tak Mahu
** Hingga Ke Akhirnya
** Reprise

Others

* Soalnya Hati (duet with Erra Fazira)
* Diva Bermimpi (Themesong of Diva Popular – with Umie Aida, Sheila Rusly & Ezzlynn)
* Baik Punya Cilok (As themesong of Baik Punya Cilok)
* Tanya (As Soundtrack of Sumolah)

Accolades

Others

* Asian Television Award 1999 – Best Presenter

Personal life

Afdlin Shauki was born and grew up in Johor Bahru, Johor. He is an eldest child among 10 siblings in his family to his parents, Fadzilah Jelani (died 2018) and Aksan Abu Bakar (died 2020).

Honour

* :
** Knight Companion of the Order of the Crown of Pahang (DIMP) – Dato' (2017)

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Afdlin Shauki
1971 births
Living people
Johor
Malaysian people of Malay descent
Malaysian film directors
Malaysian male actors
Malaysian comedians
Malaysian hip-hop singers
Malaysian funk singers
Malaysian rhythm and blues singers
Malaysian actor-politicians
Malaysian male singer-songwriters
Malaysian singer-songwriters
Malaysian television personalities
Malay-language singers
Malay-language film directors
People's Justice Party (Malaysia) politicians
Former United Malays National Organisation politicians
21st-century Malaysian actors
21st-century Malaysian politicians