Singaporean actor Aaron Aziz has been awarded the title of "Datuk" by the Malaysian state of Pahang.

On Dec. 16, Aaron was conferred the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP) award during the formal celebrations for the birthday of Sultan Ahmad Shah, the monarch of Pahang. The award carries with it the right to be addressed as "Datuk".

Aaron was joined by 166 other award and medal recipients, which were handed out by the Sultan's son and regent, Crown Prince Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Aaron posted on Facebook about his award, saying (translated):

"I express my gratitude to the Royal Successor of the Sultan of Pahang for the award of Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Pahang yang amat mulia-peringkat kedua Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP). It is something that I truly appreciate, begging your indulgence, sire."

Leave Singapore for great success

Like most Singaporean artistes, Aaron left the country to try and break into a bigger market.

He moved to Malaysia more than ten years ago, and has been making a name for himself there ever since.

According to IMDB he's been rather prolific, starring in 18 films since 2008. He even directed his first movie, Romeo Kota, in 2015. It was a buddy cop comedy that starred -- surprise -- Aaron Aziz. Aaron's artistic achievements must have caught the eye of the Pahang elite.

[related_story]

Despite his achievements in Malaysia, Aaron hasn't forgotten his roots. In May 2017 he starred in a new Channel 5 comedy show called Meet the MP, where he plays a newly elected MP who has to shoulder new responsibilities.

Yes, that's Tosh "Sergeant Ong" Zhang rapping the theme song, because that's how the entertainment industry works now in a Jack Neo-dominated world.

Not many privileges

So what benefits will the title bestow on Aaron? Beyond being addressed as Datuk in official correspondence and at formal occasions, there's not really that many official privileges.

It's not as though he's suddenly immune from the law, as some people seem to think. In Oct. 27, a Datuk was arrested for running a property scam.

It doesn't mean that you get fancy car license plates too. You have to be at least a Dato' Seri for that, which is the highest state award and of a higher rank than a Datuk.

First time realising Dato Sris have the fact that they're Dato Sris on a special badge on their car pic.twitter.com/A7fXlqV7tx

— Sumisha Naidu (@sumishanaidu) August 11, 2014

But at the very least, Aaron can take some comfort in the fact that Xiaxue now knows who he is.

https://twitter.com/Xiaxue/status/939732375994376198

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Top image from Aaron Aziz's Facebook page.