Doppelganger: Mohamed Ahmed making kunafa at his stall at the Jalan Padi Mahsuri bazaar in Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Baru. (Inset) ‘Fast and Furious’ star Vin Diesel. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: Not only does Mohamed Ahmed Mahmoud Shokr resemble Hollywood action star Vin Diesel, he also packs a mean punch as a kickboxing instructor.
The only difference between the 39-year-old Egyptian and the actor is that he can cook kunafa, a popular Middle Eastern dessert.
His stall at the Jalan Padi Mahsuri Ramadan bazaar in Bandar Baru Uda here has been drawing customers in after a video of his uncanny resemblance to the American celebrity went viral on social media.
“I feel honoured that people think I look like Vin Diesel because he is one of my favourite actors, thanks to the Fast & Furious franchise.
“Many people come to my stall at the bazaar to buy kunafa and also request selfies with me, especially women – but I am not complaining,” he said when met at the bazaar here yesterday.
He added that because of the viral video, he was able to make good profits selling the dessert to Malaysians.
“I have many customers buying kunafa and I can make between RM400 and RM600 in sales,” he said, adding that his kunafa is priced at RM10 a piece.
Mohamed Ahmed, who is a single father with two children, added that he has been in Malaysia for almost a year now.
He said that he came here after his brother, who has been staying here for 22 years, reached out to him for help.
“I was previously working as a kickboxing instructor in Dubai and South Korea before coming to Malaysia.
“My brother operates a Middle Eastern restaurant in Tampoi, so I have been helping him and also work as a kickboxing instructor here,” he said.
He also said that he knows a little bit of Bahasa Malaysia after spending time listening to the locals here.
In a TikTok video posted by @flamjars on April 3, the lookalike – casually dressed in a white tee and blue denim jeans – can be seen flipping a kunafa while taking orders from @flamjars and his friend.
In the 14-second clip, @flamjars and his friend were unable to hold in their laughter and excitement at seeing someone so similar to Vin Diesel.
“Bro (is) selling kunafa for (his) family,” he wrote in the caption.
The video has since gone viral on TikTok with over 3.1 million views, 405,600 likes and 15,000 shares at the time of writing.
