KUALA LUMPUR: Best known as Ayam, the inmate of a reform school in the drama series Juvana, Adam Shahz is now a hero in the fight against Covid-19.
The 39-year-old Melakan is a member of the Civil Defence Force (APM) in Putrajaya, and has been busy assisting needy folk around the Klang Valley since the start of the Movement Control Order (MCO).
Adam, whose real name is Nor Shah Azli Abdul Ghani said in a news report last Saturday that he had always believed in "helping the less fortunate" and as a result, he joined the APM in 2017.
"Many people are suffering as a result of Covid-19. In these trying times, able-bodied people like me need to lend them a helping hand.
"I'm aware that some people have questioned my decision to join APM, but I did so because I believe in helping people. Nobody forced me to join APM, it was my own decision," he said.
Adam added that helping others gave him great satisfaction, and he had chosen to ignore his detractors.
"I'm not bothered about what detractors say. They don't understand how important our work is.
"We go to work at 8am daily, and our working hours are not fixed. It can last up to 17 hours."
Adam said he was honoured to serve his country as a frontliner, distributing food and basic necessities to low income families.
However, he insisted that everybody was a frontliner in the fight against Covid-19, because the deadly disease could attack anyone.
"All of us are in this fight together. Doctors treat the sick, volunteers distribute food to the needy, and others stay at home to be safe."
Adam has been acting since 2009, and his first drama series was Akademi Polis on TV9. His first film was Saya Amat Mencintaimu in 2012, directed by Syafiq Yusof.
Juvana, directed by Kabir Bhatia, was screened on TV3 in 2011, and it was made into three films Juvana (2013), Juvana 2: Terperangkap Dalam Kebebasan (2015) and Juvana 3: Perhitungan Terakhir (2016).
Adam won Most Promising Actor for Juvana 2 in the 28th Malaysian Film Festival.