I really like Nepali people and the country

Dato Athy Muthoo
Founder & Managing Director
AT Group of Companies

Dato Athy, Please introduce yourself?
I come from a very large family with nine siblings from a very small town. By nature, I am a very simple person but in business, I have big ambitions and visions. I am driven and I work hard to achieve my goals. Currently, I am directly involved in managing the companies under my group. I also believe in giving back to society by helping out in many charitable organisations especially in the field of education, art & culture and women empowerment. As a business owner, I treat all my employees as my family. I have many Nepali brothers working with me and I treat them like my family too.

How many Nepali Workers in AT Security Company.
I am so sorry; I am not able to share that information due to business sensitivity. Suffice to say, I have a very big number of Nepali brothers working with me.
I always advise them to remember their loved ones in Nepal like their parents, wife, children and friends. As I consider them to be like my family, I love the Nepali brothers that are in my team.

Are all foreign security Guards in Malaysia taken from Nepal? Why?
Yes, to date, only Nepalese are allowed to be employed as foreign security guards in Malaysia. The reliability of Nepalese as security guards is well documented all around the world. Nepalese guards are diligent in their works, hardworking and largely honest.

I would like to share an incident about their honesty. At one of my sites, a Singaporean misplaced his bag. Our Nepali guard found it. About half an hour later, the Singaporean returned to retrieve the bag. Upon checking whether the contents were missing or not, he found that the S$200,000 which was in the bag was intact. The Singaporean was marveled at the guards. I teased the guard on why he didn’t take some of the money. I was very touched when he answered that he did not take the money because it does not belong to him. That is how honest Nepali guards are.

Why are you shifting your attention from security to making movies?
No. I did not shift my attention but merely expanding the horizon of the business. Making movies has been a passion of mine. It was one of the desires of my heart that I wanted to achieve. I am merely fulfilling my dreams.

As for my security company, it has been running for some time and the basic standard operating procedures and the cultures are in place. I am able to trust my people to run the show. Though I looked more focused on the movie company, I still keep an eye on the security business and my managers update me from time to time. I have not changed but I have expanded my business model to include film –making.

How many movies have you made?
I have already made four movies thus far despite being in the industry for only couple of years. For the latest project that was produced, I also had the pleasure of directing it also. It was a fun learning curve. I am grasping the ups and downs of the industry in order to be better equipped for the future.

How do you feel about the movie industry in Malaysia?
Film making in Malaysia is vibrant and culture specific. There is a lot window of opportunity in the industry. Nevertheless, it comes with a very high risk with no guarantee for return of investment. It is a passion driven industry. To put in view, the income derived from the security business is fixed and I can figure out how much I am going to get at a particular period of time. It is not so with the film industry, you can never be sure about the returns. Some might say that there is an element of luck to it too. On a lighter note, I was considering using Nepali heroine for my fifth movie. Maybe we should collaborate to produce a Nepali movie to cater for the Nepali brothers in Malaysia.

Have you visited Nepal?
I enjoy travelling. Yes, I am happy to say that I have visited all the cities in Nepal. I enjoy their food as it is quite similar to ours. I have many friends in Nepal through my business and personal circles. I really like Nepali people and the country.

Thank you for your time Dato Athy.
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to talk about my people, my business and everything. Thank you.
– interview by RAMJI BAGALE (Editor)