J

ust like phoenix rising from the ashes, he went from struggling trader to popular actor after winning the leading role in the 2009 religious film Ketika Cinta Bertasbih [When Love Worships].

After appearing in the movie as Azzam, a religious man struggling to earn a living for his family while studying in Cairo, Kholidi Asadil Alam landed more jobs. His latest venture, RCTI’s religious soap opera Dari Sujud ke Sujud [From Prayer to Prayer] has since made him a familiar household face.

“I love reading books. When I have free time I usually go to the Gramedia bookstore in Matraman [East Jakarta] and spend my whole day there.

I will go early in the morning when the store opens and go home when the store closes. It’s fun because the bookstore has four floors and I can go up and down without making myself known to anyone.

Once, I asked a friend to accompany me on this hobby of mine. He couldn’t stand it after a few hours. He thought I was crazy, spending that much time reading in a bookstore.

When I didn’t have a lot of money I couldn’t buy many books. Now that God has given me a larger income, books are more accessible for me.

I really love buying books. I buy books like I’ve never bought a book before. I can spend around Rp 1 million (US$117) each time I go to a bookstore.

I will go home with plastic bags full of books in my right and my left hands feeling satisfied and content.

Seeing me at home with those piles of books, my mother will only shake her head, maybe wondering what I will do with those books.

I read all kinds of books, fiction and non-fiction, books about health… anything. When I buy a lot of books it doesn’t mean I read them right away. Books serve as reference for me.

When I face problems or have a little knowledge about something, I will try to look for the answers in the books.

I also use books to educate my employees. I run a restaurant in Kalibata in South Jakarta and have several workers. Every day when the restaurant is about to close I gather them and tell them a story from a book. I hope my stories can inspire them to do better.

I often tell them they should have a vision that they would not end as an employee forever. I want them to have a dream so that one day they can become entrepreneurs, too.”

— As told to Indah Setiawati