"He's the Second Most Handsome Actor in Malaysia" M. Nasir on Choosing Aliff Aziz for Lead Role

Singaporean actor and singer Aliff Aziz has been cast as the lead in legendary Malaysian musician Datuk M. Nasir's upcoming musical, Hikayat Mansur & Liu, after emerging as the top choice from a competitive audition process.

M. Nasir said Aliff was selected because he possessed the complete package required for the role, particularly his ability to both act and sing, a combination he described as difficult to find in musical theatre.

He stressed that every cast member earned their role through auditions and was chosen based on merit.

In his trademark humour, the veteran musician also joked that Aliff was picked because he is "the second most handsome actor in Malaysia", drawing laughter during the production's press conference.

The production marks M. Nasir's directorial debut in theatre and is the culmination of six years of planning.

Aliff will play the titular character Mansur alongside Melinda Dadew as Puteri Liu, with the cast also featuring Sherry Alhadad, Amerul Affendi, Hazama and Brian Chan.

For Aliff, the role adds another milestone to a career that began after winning Mediacorp Suria's Anugerah in 2007 at just 16 years old.

He later established himself in Malaysia as both a singer and actor, before winning Gegar Vaganza in 2022.