KUALA LUMPUR: The late veteran comedian Yusof Hamid or Mr Os may be gone but his legacy lives on with his sons Mohamad Hazwan Yusof, 30 and Mohamad Hafizul Yusof, 25.
The brothers form the comedy troupe Arteh which is among the 12 participating troupes in Astro Warna's comedy talent search Sepahtu Yang Hilang, which begins its 8-week run at 9pm on Dec 2.
Hazwan said that not many comedy fans knew that they were Mr Os' sons, largely because their family had chosen to keep a low profile.
"We didn't even let the producers know who we were during the auditions for Sepahtu Yang Hilang," said Hazwan in a news report yesterday.
Hafizul added: "We both believe that it is better not to be known as our late father's sons, or comedy fans might think we are riding on his popularity."
However, both brothers have always believed that the "truth would eventually be revealed" as they bear an uncanny resemblance to their father.
"Yes, we do possess a lot of our father's physical features and we sound like him, too," said Hazwan.
"Many of our family friends think I look like a younger version of him," said Hafizul.
Hazwan said that it was an honour and a responsibility to follow their father's footsteps.
"It is great that he passed his talent down to us. On our part, we must now give the contest our best shot, and make sure that we do not go overboard as funnymen, so as to protect his stellar reputation," said Hazwan, adding that his father would always remain as one of the country's most revered comedians.
Hafizul said that their mother was very supportive of them, and advised them to "conduct themselves well" at all times.
"My father knew that I was keen on following his footsteps. He did not object, but advised me to master the basics of entertaining people first," he said, adding that his father also told him to be disciplined, punctual, polite and humble.
Mr Os, whose illustrious career began in the early 1980s, died of cancer on April 8, 2016 at the age of 55.
His best known television series and films included Santan Berlada, Balik Kampung, Keluarga 99, Mr Os, Kembar Siam, Cikgu Romantik, Ghazal Untuk Rabiah, Senario The Movie Ops Pocot, and Oh My English!
Sepahtu Yang Hilang, which is co-hosted by actress Ramona Zamzam and comedian Jiggy, is aimed at finding new members for the comedy troupe Sepahtu.
Sepahtu was formed in 2011 by Maharaja Lawak comedians Shuib, Rahim and Jep.