Nasrul Suhaimin bin Saifuddin (born 27 September 1978), known professionally as Bront Palarae, is a Malaysian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer.[1]
Bront built his career in the early 2001 with roles in Castello, Bilut, Tipah Tertipu The Movie & 1957: Hati Malaya. His collaboration with director Mamat Khalid resulted in the films Man Laksa (2006) & Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang (2008). They also co-wrote the script together for Tipah Tertipu The Movie (2006).
Bront portrayed a private investigator in Belukar (2010). He was the Producer of One Two Jaga (2018), which won 6 awards including Best Pictures at 30th Malaysia Film Festival.[2]
Early life and education
Bront was born in Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia. His father is of Malay and Pakistani descent whereas his mother's family is Thai surnamed "Palarae" (Thai: ปาลาเร่) hence his stage name;[3][4] his mother migrated to Peninsular to start a new life together after their marriage.[5] Bront is fluent in Thai himself.[6][5]
Personal life
In 2005, he received a scholarship from the Italian government to attend a short course in Language & Culture at the University for Foreigners Perugia, Italy. He overstayed and toured the country for the next four months.
He took another sabbatical in 2017, this time, he chose Palo Alto, California as his destination. With a scholarship from Ministry of Finance Malaysia, he pursued and completed Innovation & Entrepreneurship Studies at Stanford University.
Acting career
2001–2008: Early years
Palarae made his acting debut on television in 2001, Mat Nor Kusyairi & The Velvet Boys, directed by Mamat Khalid and Produced by Puan Sri Tiara Jacquelina. His collaboration with Mamat Khalid brought him onto his first feature film Lang Buana (2003). He first gained fame by portraying two characters in Cinta Tsunami, a television series in 2005.
In 2008, with the release of his biggest commercial success, Sindarela (Cinderella), he rose to prominence in a lead role, Hussin on the hit television series with Sharifah Amani and Remy Ishak, followed by another television series, Rona Roni Makaroni in the same year, again with Sharifah Amani.
2009–2015: Breaking into film
Uncomfortable with his career direction, the media-shy actor turned his focus to film roles. Since then, he started attracting a variety of roles in films including Anak Halal (2005), Man Laksa (2005) and Bilut (2005).[7] His first major role was in V3: Samseng Jalanan, starring alongside Farid Kamil who also directed the movie.
In 2009, Palarae starred in Belukar alongside Daphne Iking, directed by Jason Chong.[8] Though the movie did not do well at the box office, his acting was praised among critics and audiences alike. He won the Best Actor award at the 23rd Malaysia Film Festival[9][10] and also the Anugerah Skrin 2010 for his performance in Belukar.[11]
In 2010, Palarae co-founded Otto Films and through the company, he co-produced, co-written & co-directed Kolumpo,[12] a feature film released in 2013. He also served Camwerk Studios as a Creative Consultant to help developed The Kidnap Case of Ammar Affendi and secured a co-production deal with RexMedia (US) at the Marche Du Film at Festival De Cannes at the same year. He was later appointed as the Brand Ambassador for Edwin Denim Malaysia[13] and also the face of local fashion designer Fairuz Ramdhan.[14]
2016–present: Going regional
In 2016, Palarae starred in a Malaysian sports football film Ola Bola,[15]Chiu Keng Guan's latest film after the record-breaking The Journey. Not only that the film made RM15.85 million and became the 5th highest-grossing Malaysian film of all time, Bront also won the Kuala Lumpur Critics' Choice Award 2016[16] in the Best Supporting category, for his role in the film.[17]
After winning the Best Actor award for Terbaik Dari Langit at the Asean International Film Festivals (AIFFA) 2015,[18][19] he was roped in for HBO Asia's original series titled Halfworlds directed by Indonesian filmmaker, Joko Anwar.[20] He later joined the Mo Brothers on their latest film titled Headshot, starring Iko Uwais.[21] In 2016, Palarae joined the cast of comedy film My Stupid Boss as a collaboration with another Indonesian filmmaker, Upi Avianto.[22]
At the recent 2016 Asian Television Award, Palarae was nominated for his role in the telemovie Eropah, Here I am through the "Best Actor In A Leading Role" category.[23]
Bront later appeared on Pengabdi Setan[24] (Satan's Slave), a remake of classic Indonesian horror film by Joko Anwar. This would be his second collaboration with Joko after HBO Asia's Halfworlds series. Pengabdi Setan became the highest-grossing film in Indonesia for 2017 and being distributed in 26 countries under CJ Entertainment (Korea). They later made two films together, Gundala in 2019 & Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion[25]
In 2020, he won the Best Actor award at 25th Asian Television Awards (ATA) [26] for his role as Inspektor Megat in the asian adaptation of The Bridge series. He also starred in an adventure drama Edge of the World, directed by Michael Haussman and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the British soldier and adventurer James Brooke (1803–1868), the first White Rajah of Sarawak.
Humanitarian work
In 2012, Palarae joined the AQSA2Gaza11 Emergency Relief trip to Gaza.[27]
He was the goodwill ambassadors for the UNICEF's My Promise To Children campaign[28] to emphasise children's rights in Malaysia.
Filmography
Key
Denotes film/dramas that have not yet been released
^Lee, Joe (28 October 2010). "A film fest that lets everyone down". The Malay Mail. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Meanwhile, questionable choices abound on the main awards night of FFM 23 - with only Bront Palarae's win, one that was noteworthy and much overdue for the low-profile, talented actor.
