In His Element

Zul Ariffin plays a tough MMA fighter in Sangkar – and he likes it.

- John Ng

When Zul Ariffin decided that he wanted to be an actor at the age of 22, he strove toward his goal without a backup plan. Until today, Zul’s unwavering determination to achieve anything he sets his mind on and devour every opportunity that comes his way remains clear. Having said that, it shouldn’t be assumed that affirmation and validation are not important to him.

“This is more than a job for me and I just want to excel in what I do, so I’ll do anything it takes,” Zul says, and continues, “I need to be able to convince the audience that the person they are watching on screen is real; they need to believe in the character. When I get feedback from the director, the team and the audience that they are convinced, that is enough motivation for me to carrying on doing what I do.”

One of his major works hitting the big screen this month is Sangkar. In the Malaysia’s first MMA film, Zul plays Adam “The Ace” Abdullah whose tough childhood moulded him into a merciless fighter without regard to the consequences of his action. Adam gets into a fight with his nemesis Johan (played by Remy Ishak), which results in the latter being seriously injured. This causes him to finally engage in introspection. Filled with guilt, Adam attempts to atone for his mistake by helping out Johan’s family while struggling with his own problems.