Fly entertainment artistes Munah & Hirzi have delighted and given us more than a few laughs. We find out their latest antics
By Cheryl Chia
Munah and Hirzi remind us of the local version of Amanda and Marc from Ugly Betty.
Sharp-tongued, witty and incredibly funny, the duo has come a long way since they started MunahHirziOfficial on YouTube in 2008.
They have also starred in local productions on Suria channel and in Happily Ever Laughter, a stand-up comedy show.
This dynamic duo share with us more of their antics.
How did you both decide to get into comedy?
Munah: Since the day we met, we’ve always understood each other’s sense of humour, so I think that kind of chemistry really helps us always find the funny in situations.
Hirzi: We are natural pranksters even before ‘comedy’ became our ‘thing’. Back in poly, the only thing that motivated me to come to school apart from my competitive desire to get good grades was that I knew I was going to get some hearty, gut-wrenching laughing sessions hanging out with Munah.
Laughing makes you feel good, healthy and youthful. And that’s why, until today, people don’t believe when we tell them we’re in our mid-20s. They think we’re 12… I usually go along with it.
How do you come up with your skits and characters?
M: Our characters and skits are based on what’s going on but just exaggerated with some humour. We always believe that you deal with a situation or an issue better when you start looking at it in a light-hearted manner.
H: I always like to think of myself more of a character actor than anything else, especially because I can pick up accents and mannerisms very easily.
My character Corporal Hassan, for example, a cocky know-it-all and suave policeman, was inspired by three different actual officers I know during my National Service stint with the [Police] Force.
Sometimes when you’re so into your character, you kinda get away with saying half the stuff Munah and Hirzi would never say on a normal basis… It’s almost liberating. And the stuff that comes out of our characters is always priceless!
What is in the pipeline for Munah and Hirzi?
M: In terms of YouTube, we are working on certain things to expand and branch out into something new. We’re excited and I definitely see ourselves doing it for a long time.
Any memorable moments when filming?
Both: There are just so many!
M: But I think the more memorable ones are the ones with people involved. We include a lot of public interaction in our videos and I love it when we meet our followers while filming.
We will make them join in our videos. It’s like a motivation for us to keep doing what we do.
I also really like it when our lovely foreign workers take part in our videos. I mean, these people are so sporting and they really enjoy being part of the process. It’s so easy to work with them and they just make our video all the more interesting. I love them!
You guys frequently film your skits on the MRT. Do commuters recognise you or think you are just crazy people in the train?
M: Haha! A bit of both I guess. When they recognise us, they say “Hi” and we ask them to join us in our antics. Best part is – they do! So that’s a lot of fun. Others who don’t know who the heck we are just think we’re a bunch of nuts.
H: Sometimes I would rather they not know me because, when the camera is not on us, we’re actually very normal people.
Once, I was sleeping in the train looking really unattractive, only to go home to a tweeted picture of it. So, yeah, I would rather not be recognised in public. LOL!
If you could play any TV or movie character, which would it be?
M: I don’t have a particular character that I want to play, but I’ve always wanted to be an action hero! Like Lara Croft or the Black Widow, or GI Jane.
H: Munah is clearly joking, because the girl cannot be sporty to save her life. Once, I made her run for a scene in our video and she looked like she was walking on coals. So unattractive, her run, OK! Haha!
But, if I could be on any TV show, I’ve always either wanted to be on Glee, Friends or Ugly Betty, as a villain. I desire to be hated!
Hirzi leaves this parting shot, “A lot of people are asking us where we have disappeared this year, but I tell them, relax man, Munah just graduated from NUS this July and I have my senior year to finish.”
He adds, “MunahHirziOfficial believes in education too, you know. Hahaha! And, if you miss us so much, subscribe lah! We got weekly videos, you know!”
Check out their antics at www.youtube.com.sg/user/MunahHirziOfficial
ADVERTISEMENTS