Actor Rashdan Baba shares struggles of early career, emphasizes self-reliance

Malaysian actor Rashdan Baba, 57, expressed gratitude for his current comfort, recalling the severe hardships he faced when he first sought an acting career over three decades ago. His early struggles included rationing food and enduring long commutes, experiences he now views as valuable life lessons.

Around 1993, before becoming an actor, Baba worked as a waiter at the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. He described his initial days in the city as financially dire, often sharing a single plain bun with two friends to stave off hunger while waiting for his weekly wages. This period of scarcity lasted for two to three days.

Adding to the challenge, Baba and his friends had to walk approximately 4.3 kilometers, taking nearly an hour, to reach the Shangri-La Hotel on Jalan Sultan Ismail. "Imagine walking that far almost every day. But we were patient because we wanted to earn a living. It was purely for survival," he recalled. He chose not to borrow money from his parents, having been taught to be independent and avoid burdening them.

Baba now instills this same value of self-reliance in his three children, who are also capable of earning their own money for necessities. He believes in facing life's challenges without complaint, emphasizing that problems are inevitable but solutions can always be found. "When we have acceptance, our lives automatically become peaceful. Life is full of problems, and I am no exception. But don't let problems furrow your brow as if you're carrying a heavy burden," he advised.

Rashdan Baba, whose full name is Muhamad Rashdan Abdull Halim, comes from a family that valued art; his late father was an art education teacher who later became a principal and then a lecturer. His mother was a homemaker who always supported his artistic pursuits. His father's parting advice before he moved to Kuala Lumpur was to uphold the family's good name.