Gurmit Singh is one of the GOATs of the local comedy scene. And the Phua Chu Kang star enjoyed a level of popularity in his heyday that raked in the big bucks.
But life wasn’t always cushy for Gurmit.
In a recent podcast with Malaysian YouTube channel Let’s Get Real, the now 59-year-old star opened up about his financial struggles when he was a student.
Back in the day, Gurmit’s friends would always ask him to hang out after school but he would find excuses to turn them down.
“I had no money [but] I didn’t want to say that. I would say: ‘Oh, I can’t go because Mr So-and-so, the teacher, wants me to do something. I just made it up,” he recalled.
Gurmit, however, knew he was going to run out of excuses one day. He then decided to not eat during recess every day so he could save up his pocket money.
“I starved, so by the end of Friday, I would have $2. Back then $2 could buy you a whole Filet-O-Fish meal, with fries and drinks. So when my friends called me, I would say: ‘Yeah, I’ll go!,’ and I felt very good,” he said.
He never forgot that feeling of being poor even after this career flourished.
“Now what I’ll do is when I go to a new country or a new city, whether it is for holiday or for work, we’ll check into the hotel, get that done, and the next thing I’ll do is look for McDonald’s,” he revealed.
“I’ll line up and order takeaway for one Filet-O-Fish. Then I’ll go somewhere, a corner in the street or an alleyway, and I’ll pray to Him, and say: ‘Thank you, God, that today I can buy Filet-O-Fish any time I want. I don’t have to starve anymore,” said Gurmit, his voice quivering with emotion.
Who knew that simple fish burger could mean so much to someone?