Zarif Ghazzi sheds 21kg in three months for Abbas role in KUDRAT 1968

AMPANG – Actor Zarif Ghazzi lost 21 kilogrammes in just three months to take on the role of Abbas in the film KUDRAT 1968 High Council.

Zarif, whose full name is Zarif Farahi Effie Ghazzi, 22, said the sacrifice was made because he wanted audiences to see Abbas on screen, not himself.

"Abbas is 98 per cent not me. I really don't want the audience to see Zarif in this work. I want them to see Abbas fully," he told Kosmo! Online. (Translated from Malay.)

"Mentally and physically, I made big changes. My weight went down from 90kg to 69kg in three months. Eating once a day, jogging 15 kilometres every day just to get the right body shape," he said.

The Ai Crush You star said the physical transformation was necessary because his character is a schoolboy, whereas he had previously played characters in their late 20s and carried a bigger frame.

"I place a lot of importance on being convincing. Not just emotionally, but physically too. I don't want people to watch and say, 'Big body but playing a schoolboy.' That is the thing I dislike most," he said at the media conference and cast introduction for the film here last night.

Zarif said he cooked his own meals, eating minced beef or minced chicken with a different menu each day, once a day and with carbohydrates cut out entirely.

He also underwent treatment to darken his skin, as his natural complexion is fairly fair while Abbas is a village boy. The full preparation took about four months before he stepped onto set, and he said the biggest challenge was the emotional side, as he is not someone who is quick to anger or prone to fighting.

Mierul Aiman was earlier announced as the lead of KUDRAT 1968, before Astro Shaw introduced five more main cast members last night – Zarif Ghazzi, Akmal Asyraf, Dai Fuad, Evertts Gomes and Chech Harith.

The film is produced by Astro Shaw with co-producers ZAK Capital, Enotech Pictures, Pegasus Motion Pictures and HM Entertainment, and is scheduled for release this year.

It follows a student forced to enter an institution built in his father's name, who then faces the dilemma of whether to defend the system or become the one who destroys it. – KOSMO! ONLINE