Rosyam Nor & Isyarat Cinta

Today, theSun publishes my interview with actor cum producer Rosyam Nor and actress Liyana Jasmay who talks about their latest movie Isyarat Cinta. Below is the full story  

Headline: Torn Between Two Lovers  
By Bissme S

Film producer-actor Rosyam Nor is sending out a signal in his company’s upcoming release, Isyarat Cinta. At a recent press conference, he said: “We have seen many Malay movies tackling love themes. But very few have a love story involving people with disabilities. I wanted to show that they are no different from the rest of us. They have the same feelings like us. They, too, want to love and be loved.”
Isyarat Cinta is about a blind woman, Dhia, who is torn between loving two men – businessman Iskandar who is deaf and handsome tourist guide Ariel.
Opening in cinemas on March 19, this RM1.5 million movie stars award-winning actress Liyana Jasmay in the lead with Adi Putra as Iskandar and Fizo Omar as Ariel.
Rosyam, an award-winning actor himself, said all three leads managed to give fantastic performances in the film helmed by Bade Azmi.
But with many Malay movies doing quite badly at the box office lately, one wonders if Rosyam is not worried about the fate of this film.
He admitted that many movies did not make a profit last year but he was lucky that his movie, Balistik, bucked the trend and turned a profit.
“I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be lucky with Isyarat Cinta, too,” he says. 
“I believe my fans know I will not present an inferior product.That is the reason they come and see my films. They have faith that the movies I make will not disappoint them.
Hopefully, they will leave the cinema entertained.
“Isyarat Cinta is a simple story but it has many beautiful messages that will touch your heart and make you cry.”
Liyana added that playing a blind woman was challenging but she is thrilled to have tackled the role.
“I just observed how blind people interact and adapted what I have observed into my character. I am eager to see the audience’s reaction to my performance.”
Like Rosyam, Liyana has also spread her wings and started her own production company called Mermaid Studios. So far, she has produced several television shows.
Next month, she will be producing her first feature film. Called Bella & Jamie, it is a comedy about two best friends who fall for the same guy and become enemies. Expect their cat fights to 
have some hilarious moments.
Liyana also harbours dreams of sitting in the director’s chair. She has so far directed a number of short films. One of them, Jerat, was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last year.
“I am directing short films to build up my confidence to tackle my first feature film,” she added.
Meanwhile, Rosyam is already looking at his next project, producing a comedy entitled Rempit Sampai Ke Langit.It’s about a Mat Rempit who is given some enhanced fuel by a scientist. The fuel is infused with unique properties, allowing his motorbike to drive at superfast speeds, even beating a Ferrari in a race at one point! Naturally, this leads to other hilarious shenanigans along 
the way.This film is also directed byBade, and will hit cinemas early next year.
Rosyam will team up with Bade again on another film, this time, a religious movie called Temu Janji Dengan Allah that talks about life, death and God.
The film will start shooting at the end of the year. As for returning to acting, Rosyam said he has become choosy about the script and the role. He recently appeared in Chowrasta under the direction of Razak Mohidden where he plays a gangster who wants his nephew to study hard and get proper paper qualifications from the university.
“The movie emphasises the importance of education,” he added.

Rosyam Nor & Balistik

Today the sun highlighted one of  interview with Malaysian actor Rosyam Nor who is acting and producing a movie called Balistik. Below is the interview 

Headline An age-old question
BY Bissme S 

In 2006, actor Rosyam Nor took a bold step in producing his first film, Castello. It became a hit, collecting RM2.8 million at the box office. Seven years on, he has come out with his second production – Balistik – under RK Screen and Asia Tropical Films. The movie will open on Jan 9 in 91 cinemas including those in Singapore and Brunei.  
Produced at a budget of RM2.5 million, Balistik is directed by Silver and stars Rosyam,  Rita Rudaini and Adi Putra as Saga, Salina and Nizam respectively.
Saga and Salina fall in love, marry and have a son, all the while unaware that their good friend, Nizam, has been secretly in love with Salina.When Saga becomes a hired killer, Salina urges him to repent but in one of their intense arguments, he pushes her down the stairs, takes their baby and goes into hiding.
Six years later, Saga learns that Salina has survived the fall and has since married Nizam, who is now a police inspector out to apprehend Saga at all cost.
In a recent exclusive interview with theSun, Rosyam, 46, talks about his latest movie and why veteran actors here do not enjoy the same respect and job security as their counterparts in Hollywood and even Bollywood.

* What can we expect from Balistik?  

“Love, tears and lots of action. I brought in a stunt coordinator from Hong Kong to handle the action scenes in the film. I wanted the stunt scenes in this movie to look different from other Malay movies. 
"I have also included well-known Malaysian Chinese entertainers such as Gan Mei Yen, Jack Lim and Jason Phang. I’m hoping they will lure in the Chinese audience to watch my film.”

* You have not appeared in many films in the last few years. Why is that?

“Our film industry is youth-oriented and producers have the habit of giving older actors like myself insignificant roles where we have nothing much to do.
“I do not want to accept such roles. I only want to play roles that excite me. I have the luxury to be choosy [about what roles to take] as acting is not my bread and butter. I also produce TV dramas.
“Veteran actors in Hollywood like Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep are still playing meaty roles. Why can’t the same thing be applied here?”   

* Do you think audiences here would want to see an older actor in a leading role?

“Yes, why not? Older actors in Hollywood from Sylvester Stallone to Bruce Willis are still pulling in the crowd. In Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth, who are pushing 70, are still playing lead roles.   
“In February, I will be a grandfather. At 47, I’m probably the youngest grandfather in Malaysia! I’m not afraid of getting old.  The only thing is that I must look after myself well. I do look good for my age though. This is because I watch my diet.
“So I must also choose my roles carefully, befitting my physique and age.
“In four years’ time, I will turn 50 and  my dream is to play a lead role in a movie when I’m 50. I am determined to make this dream come true.”

* Why do you think audiences accept older Hollywood and Bollywood actors as the lead but not Malaysian?

“Foreign actors do not act in any other medium except in films. You rarely see Meryl Streep or Robert DeNiro in TV shows. If you are a big fan of these actors, you have no choice but to go to the cinema and catch them in their movies.  
“Our older actors, however, often appear in television shows. Their fans do not feel the need to go to the cinemas to see them.
“In the last two years, I have cut down on my television appearances. I am trying to create a hunger for my fans to watch my films in the cinemas.”     

What is your next movie?

“It is a sweet love story between a mute guy and a blind girl entitled Isyarat Cinta. Adi Putra and Liyana Jasmay will be playing the lead roles. The movie will open in cinemas in June next year.”

Rosyam Nor plays a hired killer 

Rita Rudaini  is torn between loving two men

Adi Putra is a man torn between his duty and his friend

The poster of the film

A scene from Balistik : Rosyam Nor as a hired killer ..

A scene from Balistik  

A scene from Balistik - Expect love, tears and action