Quotes 2017

I am highlighting 12 best quotes from all interviews I have carried out throughout 2017. 

1) “I do not want to believe in the supernatural but sometimes, I can’t help myself. Recently, there was a demonstration in Jakarta where I lived. A distant relative sent me coconut water to drink. He said if I drink the coconut water, I will be safe from any harm (from the demonstration). I did not believe him. But in the end, I drank it. I would like to believe that I drank the coconut water because it was a hot day and it tasted sweet.” (laughs)

- Eka Kurniawan, Indonesian author, on whether he believes in the power of supernatural (January 11, 2017)

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2) "My relationship with God has changed from fear to love. In Brazil, I visited the statue of Christ the Redeemer. There were a handful of tourists taking pictures of Jesus and praying.It was the World Cup season in Brazil at that time and out of the blue, a group of famous footballers visited the place. Suddenly, the tourists’ focus was on the footballers. Everyone was crowding around the footballers. The tourists were cheering and screaming. The atmosphere was almost like a party. Once the footballers left, their attention returned to Jesus. If a similar situation were to happen in Malaysia, you can bet it will become a controversy, and their behaviour will be seen as disrespecting God. Personally, I like to believe in a loving God. I really believe that God understands these people have no malicious intent to disrespect Him. They were just too happy to see their football idols, and a good God will want his followers to be happy.”

Mislina Mustaffa, actress, activist and author,  on her relationship with God  (January 16, 2017)
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3) “He (his older brother) was a disruptive force in my family. But my late mother was constantly defending him. I could not understand how my mother chose to love one child more than the others. I always thought my mother never loved me. And I resented her for that.”

Saw Teong Hin, film director,  on his film  You Mean The World to Me that explore his relationship with his mother. ( April 21, 2017)  
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4) “When I act in these foreign productions, nobody really knows who I am. I am almost like a newcomer and have to prove myself all over again. That is a good feeling. I want to be out of my comfort zone. I want to be put in a new place where I have to struggle to play a role. I would rather be an anchovy in a big sea, than a big fish in a small pond.” 

Bront Palarae, actor, on accepting offers from Indonesia and Philippines ( June 8. 2017) 
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5) "My father woke up at 5am every day, and only stopped working after 7pm. When he got home, he was too tired to spend time with me. I felt neglected. I was angry at him for putting his work first. I did not understand his predicament then. Looking back now, I realised he was working hard to put a roof over our heads, and food on our table. I should have been more grateful." 

Shanjhey  Kumar Perumal, an award winning film director, on his relationship with his father ( June16, 2017) 
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6) "What irks me is when a person who has power, wealth and fame migrates to our country,it is perfectly fine and nobody has issue with that. But these refugees have no choice. They have to abandon their homeland. If they continue living in their homeland, they would end up dead.   Frankly speaking, we need to remove the labels we have attached to [people], and look at these refugees as human beings who are fleeing prosecution. And they need our help."

Mahi Ramakrishnan , a journalist on her her documentary  BOU  ( August 9, 2017) 

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7) "How can Islam be compromised if you give justice to a mother? Some Muslims feel [that] if they side with the mother, then they are siding with a non Muslim. But just imagine if this were to happen to you ... what would you do? Some [only care] that the daughter has become a Muslim. But she cannot see her mother. It is never easy to grow up without a mother. Kindness has always been the central principle of Islam, and that’s the reason Islam spread fast in the early days. Unfortunately, Islam (in our country) has become dogmatic.”  

Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim,  a lawyer turned politician, on producing the documentary  Dairi Untuk Prasana that focuses the controversial case of  M. Indira Gandhi who has been cruelly separated from her daugther Prasana. ( August 23, 2017) 
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8) "If you want to survive in this industry, you must develop a thick skin.You cannot take criticisms to heart and let them break you.Our former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has done a lot for our country, and yet people have not stopped criticising him. You cannot please everyone. My company has survived for more than 30 years in this industry, and that fact alone is enough to tell you that there are people who like the kind of films I make.” 

Datuk Yusof Haslam, a film maker,   on people who thinks he is a mediocre film maker despite his films making tons of money at the box office. (October 31, 2017) 
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9) “In Islam, it is said that you won’t smell heaven if you are arrogant. No matter how rich and popular you are, you must remain humble. I pray every day that I will never be arrogant. If you want to do bad things, God will permit you, and if you want to do good things, God will help you." 

 Ramli Sarip, singer cum song writer, on being humble ( November 15, 2017) 
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10) “You can find a Malay eating Indian curries and Chinese yong tau foo You can also find a Malay wearing the sari, or the cheongsam.So why can’t we master a beautiful dance form from [another] race?” 

Mohd Yunus Ismail, a dancer, on learning BharataNatyam, the indian classical dance ( December 9, 2017) 

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11) “I wanted to be a fisherman. I did not see anything wrong in being a fisherman. Somebody has to provide fishes.The teacher was furious. He wanted me to have a higher ambition, like everyone else in my class. He forced me to rewrite my essay.I just followed what he wanted. Looking back, it is lucky that I did not become a fisherman, because I [discovered] that I do not like the sea very much.”

Chew Kin Wah, Malaysian actor who has been creating waves in the Indonesian film scenes ( Dec 18, 2017)  
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12) "There have been three turning points in my life. The first was the death of my father in an accident 20 years ago. The second was the death of my mother from cancer five years ago. And the third was calling off this wedding. It is something I will never forget for the rest of my life. I have done my best for the relationship. I never visualised [that] my relationship would end this way. I’d visualised myself travelling and seeing the world after my marriage, and maybe, even having a baby the following year. I am hurting now, but I am sure the hurt will get less with each passing day. I need time to heal.I know all this [pain] will pass and I will need to move on, and hopefully, to find happiness again.”

Hans Isaac, actor, on his broken heart ( December 21, 2017)