Datuk Yusof Haslam once found himself in desperate circumstances when he was forced to pawn his child’s birth certificate to an unlicensed moneylender, or ah long, to raise capital for drama production and secure a contract worth RM300,000.
The director, producer and actor explained that his involvement in the production world began after Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) opened a tender for drama productions, prompting him to seize the opportunity upon encouragement from a close friend.
“After five months of operating Restoran Haslam, I established Skop Production in 1985. Coincidentally, RTM launched a drama privatisation project and opened tenders to local producers. I took the opportunity after being encouraged by my friend, Datuk Latifi, who was then a police officer holding the rank of Assistant Superintendent (ASP). I was willing to do anything, including borrowing money from a Malay ah long, to the extent of having to pawn my child’s birth certificate,” he said, as quoted from the audio programme Buat Saja Podcast.
Yusof’s sacrifice paid off when he successfully secured a drama contract worth RM300,000 from RTM. From there, he went on to produce his second project and many more thereafter.
He added that his determination to venture into production was also driven by his late father’s wish, who did not want him to remain solely in a career as an actor.
After five years of producing more than 40 drama titles, Yusof made his debut in filmmaking with Bayangan Maut, starring Noor Kumalasari and Ella, which went on to record a box-office collection of RM1 million. –Boom!
