JOHOR BAHRU, April 24 — In Malaysia’s entertainment scene, establishing a distinct identity can take years, and many stars are still working to break into the spotlight.
Among those rising through the ranks is Nia Atasha, who is steadily making her mark in the industry.
She has now landed her first leading film role in the upcoming action romantic comedy Kata Hati, where she plays Ayra Natasha.
The journey was a humble one.
Nia started in entertainment journalism before moving into modelling, then finally breaking into television with smaller supporting roles, such as 2023 Metro Crime Series Siapa Lelaki Itu? (as Hazi) and Nafsu (2024) (as Suria).
It was the same for films such as last year’s Soloz: Game of Life, as Emma, and Legasi: Bomba the Movie, as Mustika.
At the Hunter Eleven: The Awaken launch event recently, she told Malay Mail that if a leading role were ever meant for her, she hoped it would be in a romantic comedy — a dream that has now come true.
The genre long resonated with her since childhood adding how 2005 Shrek is among her favourites.
“That rezeki came, and I took it immediately,” she said.
However, she shared that landing a leading role was never her main goal when she began acting.
“The main thing I wanted to do is play roles that I’m proud of.
“I just really wanted to do all kinds of roles.”
Her earlier supporting roles, with some less screen time, each carried their own distinct appeal that stood out for her which she consistently delivered with growing confidence and depth.
As her dream of landing a lead role in a romantic comedy has come true, Nia shared that voice acting in animation is another goal she hopes to achieve someday.
“I think that’s my next goal.
“I’ve got my lead in a rom-com, and now I want to do voice acting in local animation,” she said.
“Hopefully that will be in the cards for me in the future.”
On what advice she would give to young people hoping to break into the local industry, Nia encouraged them to immerse themselves in the arts — whether through acting classes, theatre, or even commercial work.
“The most important thing is to gain as much life experience as possible, because that really helps your acting,” she said.
No matter how much training you do, it can only go so far without life experience, which is essential in helping actors convey authentic emotions on screen — a point she strongly emphasised.
As Kata Hati is set to hit cinemas on June 4, and her animation dreams remain on the horizon, Nia is already gearing up for her next project, the upcoming Malaysian film Hunter Eleven: The Awaken.
Currently in the midst of principal photography she plays Sadlin — a character she described during the press conference at Iskandar Studios as sharing familiar traits with roles she taken on in previous works.
