Business

Saturday November 28, 2009

Your 10 Questions for entertainer Gurmit Singh


Our favourite contractor says “harro!”

“Harro everybody! The new year is just around the korner ... So let’s celebrate la! Come for the biggest countdown party ever. Confirmed to be the best in Singapore, JB and some say Batam ah! Just join the Celebrate 2010 page for more information!”

And with that Phua Chu Kang (PCK), our favourite contractor, signed off! Gurmit Singh, who puts on the frizzy hair, fake mole and yellow boots as PCK is actually a very talkative chap, extremely entertaining and very articulate.

He got the idea to have a sitcom created around the hilarious character after discovering how popular PCK was in another series Gurmit’s World.

Three years after the original Singapore series Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd ended its run after eight seasons, spanning 10 years, Gurmit Singh and Irene Ang (who plays Phua Chu Kang’s wife, Rosie) have revived their characters and hooked up with an all-new Malaysian cast for the 26-episode Phua Chu Kang Sdn Bhd (PCK S/B) on Ntv7 (Wednesday, 8.30pm).

What fans are watching today is Season Eight from Singapore in which Chu Beng (played by Pierre Png) and his obsessive compulsive vegetarian wife, Margaret Phua (Tan Kheng Hua) continue to make an appearance.

Gurmit says it is a natural progression to start this new chapter in PCK’s life. After all, he is coming to Malaysia once a month to do corporate gigs.

“It’s (Malaysia) like my second home!” he says.

But what about PCK’s brother Chu Beng, their children Romeo and Crystal, and the other characters in the original series?

The plot for the Malaysian-made Phu Chu Kang has our favourite contractor leaving his Singapore office which will be looked after by Chu Beng. Chu Kang’s twins, Romeo and Crystal Jade, will be cared for by his mother, Ah Ma, and sister-in-law, Margaret.

“You will hear us talking about the kids, about Chu Beng, Ah Ma and all that, but you won’t see them. There’s no connection between this and PCK Pte Ltd — we’ve finished that chapter.”

After 10 years of playing the character, Gurmit is not tired of it and is keen on exploring a whole new Malaysian aspect.

He also reminisces on how far the character has come since it first started.

“I remember when we started PCK, the press conference room was almost empty. There were no sponsors, and even our own company didn’t think our product was good enough,” he recalls.

“But the next thing you know, we win the award for best comedy six years in a row, and it’s gone on for eight seasons, for 10 years in total ...

“So, with that said and done, now it’s a full room here ... so who’s to say this won’t go on for another 10 years?”

What’s your recipe for making people laugh, as they often do because of your punchy, spicy jokes? – Bulbir Singh, Seremban

My recipe is not a secret. I used all the ingredients known to man and put them together like rojak. Why? It works and I don’t know how to cook. Ha! Ha! Ha!

Who is your favourite world leader and why? – Mary Jane, Subang Jaya

I will have to say Abraham Lincoln. If you have done any research on him, you will find that he was not the brightest student in school. He was rejected a few times when he tried to enter politics. But those rejections did not deter him. When he finally entered politics, he not only became the President of the United States. He also stopped the Civil War and united the Northern and Southern states. He abolished slavery, which at that time was a very brave thing for a white person to do.

Do women find Phua Chu Kang or Gurmit Singh more attractive? – Ann Marie, Petaling Jaya

I think they find Phua Chu Kang more attractive actually. Maybe it is his mole or curly hair or yellow boots. Whatever it is, something about him wins them over very easily.

Is your brand of humour Malaysian or Singaporean, since you are popular in both countries? – Daryl Goh, Kuala Lumpur

I think it’s a bit of both and all of both. That must be the only reason why PCK and myself are popular in both countries.

How much are you worth and what do you invest in – properties, stocks, etc? - Suresh Kumar, Penang

I think my lawyer would advise me to not answer that question because it’s very personal. But I will say this – my family thinks I am priceless and I invest everything in my family.

What do you love and hate most in a person? – Bee Bee, Johor Baru

I love kindness and I hate indifference.

Are you living your dream life? How would you define that dream life? – Gilbert Ananda, Petaling Jaya

I have a wonderful wife, beautiful kids, house, car, and a job that allows me to have fun instead of stress. I am definitely living my dream life. So a dream life is all dependent on one’s expectations and criteria in life. It’s different with every individual. But I am living mine for sure.

In what way did the recession of the past year affect your business, or did it? – Goh Beow Chan, Penang

For me it did. Recession meant that there was less money for advertisers and companies to engage me for events, TV projects and endorsements. So, I was definitely affected. But there is always hope. We should never forget that.

If a movie were to be made of you, who would you like to play you and why? – Suraya, Skudai

If budget was not an issue, then I would like to get Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro or Edward Norton to play me because they are in my list of top-grade actors. Their work speaks for themselves and it would be such an honour to have them portray me ... (Now where can I find that kind of money ... hmmmm ...)

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