Born in Perlis, Malaysia's smallest state, Nam Ron ("hot water" in Thai) is the stage name of Shahili Bin Abdan. A trained automechanic, and graduate of Kuala Lumpur's National Arts Academy, he has worked in theater, television and film as a director, writer and actor. His independent feature films Gedebe (2003) and the never-released Gadoh (2009) explore the underground music scene and the taboo subject of racism in Malaysian schools. His first commercial feature was serial killer thriller Psiko: Thief of Hearts (2013). His ground-breaking, multi-cultural Crossroads: One Two Jaga, focuses on police corruption and systemic racism in contemporary Malaysia.

After spending his teenage years in New Zealand, where he was often mistaken for a Maori, Javanese Ario Bayu studied at London's Globe Theatre when he secured one of 20 scholarships out of 4500 applicants. After a year of business studies in New Zealand, he returned to Jakarta in 2004. His breakthrough role was as police detective Eros in Joko Anwar’s neo-noir Dead Time (2007). Comfortable acting in both English and Indonesian, and boasting a strong physical presence, he has become the international face of Indonesian cinema with roles in The Forbidden Door, Macabre and Buffalo Boys.