KUALA LUMPUR: English may be his most frequently spoken language, but Singaporean comedy legend Gurmit Singh of Phua Chu Kang fame is very much at home with Malay.
In fact his flawless Malay greatly impressed radio announcers and podcasters Shuib, Mamat and Shuk who interviewed him in their recent edition of Dol's Podcast.
"Malay is really my second language and we Singaporeans all learn it in school, as it is the country's national language," said Gurmit to the trio of comedians who graduated from reality show Raja Lawak.
"And since I have many friends in Malaysia, I made sure that I spoke fluent Malay in order to communicate effectively with them. Furthermore I often cross the Causeway to visit my friends in the Klang Valley and Penang."
Gurmit, 59, also revealed that he began his showbiz career as a dancer instead of a comedian.
"I joined my school's dance troupe, and I also dabbled in emceeing during school concerts," he said.
After leaving National Service, Gurmit danced in troupes, and after one live performance, Singapore's television company, Mediacorp, spotted him.
"I performed in their variety shows and it was not long after that I starred in my very own sitcom Gurmit's World.
"One character I played in 1995, a year after the show debuted, was a funny contractor named Phua Chu Kang, and the rest is history," said Gurmit, who famously coined his character's catchphrase "don't play play".
Phua Chu Kang has been on Singapore television for almost three decades and the republic has adopted him as its "comedy ambassador".
He has been successfully 'employed' by the government over the years to appear in public service announcements, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, where he urged Singaporeans to mask up and observe social distancing.