Ash Nair On The Secret To Having An Arts Career, Your Way
At 35 years old, Ash Nair is living the dream.
Kicking off his career with his high-profile participation in Malaysian Idol several years ago which in turn led him to theatre, he most recently found himself in Channel 4’s Indian Summers. We had the chance to speak to Ash about his role in the popular British drama series as well as his music and acting career several weeks ago, and here we report back on this dashing, enigmatic triple threat.
Ash Nair, a triple threat. Image via finishedwithfins
REMEMBER those days, when Malaysian Idol was a fresh new show we all couldn’t wait to tune into come night time? If you’ve watched it up until its second season, you’ll know that Ash was one of eleven finalists in the show, exiting after becoming one of four remaining contestants.
But here’s the twist: Ash has, for an even longer time, given serious thought to acting – you could even consider it one of his earliest attempts at show business.
“I started acting even before singing. I was doing plays back in school and we’d win at every level, right up until the state level, where we’d lose to a girls’ school,” he confesses, candid.
But Ash brushed off the bug, never considering acting something worth pursuing. Eventually he got into singing and formed his first high school band called Gasoline which he would leave after SPM to go solo. Since then, friends and the larger public has pretty much gradually witnessed his steady rise to fame.
Brief Encounters with Musical Theatre
Ash in Frogway which was staged in 2007. Image via Flickr
Never in the actor/singer’s mind did Ash think he’d ever be in a musical, but life’s too short to be spent on second-guessing one’s opportunities. Besides, why would anyone in their right mind pass on playing a singing frog alongside Akademi Fantasia-winner Vince Chong?
Frogway was a 1980 musical written by Michael Veerapen and Marcel Nunis, restaged under the direction of Harith Iskander in 2007. Again it wasn’t exactly the kind of gig that Ash had in mind, though good reviews managed to lure the Scottish Warrior himself over to our shores: according to Ash, even the great Mel “Braveheart” Gibson (wait, WHAT?!) was in the audience one night.
During Ash’s time in theatre, he has worked with the renowned likes of Ida Nerina, and from the things we’ve heard and seen of her, we can tell you that she’s one heck of a tough cookie. Ash’s experience working with Ida was beyond his expectations.
“Ida can be pretty brutal. She falls in love with characters that you portray and she’s very passionate and wants things at their best,” he began.
“With Ida, you’ve got to get down and dirty and really challenge her. if you have a Malaysian mentality, when a teacher scolds you, you’d just listen. However it’s important to speak the truth and not just be subservient for the sake of kowtow.”
Other than getting a dose of award-winning Ida, he has also been involved with Gavin Yap‘s productions, which he describes as being an altogether different experience.
“Working with Gavin is like dealing with different personalities within one body. You have the Gavin who you hang out with in the pub for a few beers, and then there’s the Gavin who works in theatre who I don’t know very well,” laughs Ash.
“Gavin is intense but he’s had great experience in the world of theatre and he’s got great instincts as well.”
Once the offers to do musicals stopped coming, Ash started receiving invites to do theatre, which he found a little odd.
“Although I may have done a few shows, I could never call myself and actor just until I was certain and confident at doing it.”
But then again, from Malaysian Idol to Frogway and to working with film/theatre badasses Ida and Gavin, Ash never planned on not becoming an actor either.
From Singer to ‘Actor’, to Actor
Ash might have thought he’d come a long way after his local gigs – let’s just say that he probably never assumed he’d get this far ahead. Despite not having a background in acting, he somehow landed in Indian Summers. It’s a British period drama that airs on Channel 4, but here are some interesting facts about the series:
1.) Indian Summers is the most expensive television series Channel 4 has ever commissioned.
2.) Julie Walters (Harry Potter), Roshan Seth (Indiana Jones Temple of Doom) and Henry Lloyd Hughes (Anna Karenina) is in it.
3.) Though it’s not aired in Malaysia, it has been stated by netizens to be superior to hit British series Downton Abbey.
Ash’s experience working with an international crew was almost surreal – he coyly claims that he’s still on cloud nine. But the pressure turned out to be quite immense when working with the international cast.
“It can be really intimidating when you’re doing a scene and the other actors are doing so well!” he notes.
Ash also explains that in the 10-part epic series, he sees himself as merely being a fly on the wall, “observing the world of production and the work of actors”, in order to learn bits and pieces from the experience. After working with different directors and having to adapt to each one, Ash now has some sort of insight into what makes these people, his people, tick.
“Every director has their own sort of style and focus. Some are very visual and some are character-based directors. But to sum up the experience, it’s about working with people who are at their A-game,” he explains.
“Watching how they come out from their own school of thought and practice really opens up your perspective. Hopefully, one day I get to bring all I’ve learnt into the local scene.”
We don’t mean to berate the Malaysian film industry but Ash makes a good point when he states that the biggest problem with Malaysian creatives is that we often compromise. According to the actor and sometime writer-director, a lot of things are seen as unimportant when every single component throughout the filmmaking process bears its own importance.
But that doesn’t mean he won’t be coming back to Malaysia to try and get himself into local film and television. He probably will be back doing things that matter for a spell – just as long as he doesn’t have to speak Malay. Though born here in Malaysia, when it comes to speaking Malay Ash says he’s always shying away from speaking the national language.
“I would like like to do more Malaysian productions but I don’t speak Malay very well. I’ve had offers to host in Malay but I’m one of those who gets very self-aware of my capabilities,” Ash explains, adding that though he may not be as proficient in that language and if he were, he’d be in it in a heartbeat.
“I think it’s necessary to support the Malaysian scene and the Malay-speaking scene,” he reasons.
Speaking of which, Ash was well aware about the recent FFM27 nominees which included his drinking pal Gavin up for a Most Promising Director award for the Patrick Teoh-starring Take Me To Dinner. Ash even played a role in the award-winning movie Cuak.
On the Touchy Subject of Local Film Festivals and their Categories
Ash Nair on set of Indian Summers. Image from pertwee
For a while now, the Festival Filem Malaysia has had a variety of categories like the usual Best Actress and Best Screenplay etc., but it was only recently that a certain category has raised eyebrows for some, which would include Ash’s own (and dude’s pretty high-brow himself…): the much-contested category of Best Film Not In Malay.
“We have the Indian, Chinese and Malay films which cater to their own markets, which is a bit of a shame and you don’t find that in other countries,” he begins, opining on the topic.
In an argument like having a separation of Malay films and non-Malay films, there’s almost nothing to do about an issue such as this. In Ash’s opinion though, creating separations as such isn’t going to do the local arts and culture a service.
“I think it should be abolished, and it should be an open playing field, where it will be about the story and the concept.”
When speaking to Ash about race representations on screen, Ash mentions that minorities are rarely seen on screen. However, based off what he’s watched recently, he sees that there’s a gradual change to that.
“Like with Cuak, there have been some movies that are trying to be different. But then again, there’s that business-corporate side of things where people decide on ‘wanting this and wanting that’ and it dilutes the arts.”
As for capturing the essence of the real Malaysia, Ash immediately thinks of the late Yasmin Ahmad. A respected director and an adored storyteller who had the talent to make people sob while watching her ads even before she made her seminal movies like Sepet, the late Yasmin was someone Ash thinks had it on point when it came to infusing the myriad cultures and authenticity of our Malaysia on screen.
We see movies from France, Korea or Japan and their films actually give audiences a taste of their very own culture, which our local Malaysian scene has seemed to lack. But Ash is hopeful that it won’t be for long.
“As our scene expands, we become more conscious filmmakers and that would be by not making films based on what’s going to sell. Once we become more conscious on what we’re trying to say, all the questions become answered; like reasons of why am I making this film or why is it necessary for this film to exist,” he muses.
But above it all, Ash is generally hopeful about the future of our local film industry.
On Music And What Fans Can Look Forward To From Ash
Image via glaringnotebook
Back on the subject of his music, seeing that Ash was in Indian Summers, some feared that there won’t be a next album for awhile. But not to fret Ash fans – he’s been working on one and it’s called The Infinite Odyssey. In fact, Ash recently came back from China after a solo tour which spanned a total of eight major cities to promote his new album and he’s glad to say that he’s fallen in love with music again.
“I have also formed sort of like a new band but it’s still hush hush and I don’t want to talk much about it now. But what I’d tell you is that the first single is called The Fire, and it’s a fusion of eastern and western music.”
Like his upcoming song The Fire, Ash definitely is on fire and as cheesy as it may sound — he will be on fire for as long as he follows’ his heart. And in regards to following ones calling and instincts, Ash believes that if a person really has the calling to do something, and if it’s something that needs to be expressed, do it.
“If your heart is pulling you towards something, you can be smart about it, but I personally won’t deny the heart. Never compromise on your calling, even if it’s not necessarily something that makes money.”
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