Ainunl Muaiyanah Sulaiman

We will be celebrating Valentine Day  on Friday. Since Valentine day is about romance  I decided explore the element of romance in our literature books.  I got a novelist cum poet to pick ten novels written in national language that featured  grand romance. The story appeared in theSun newspaper on Wednesday  Feb 12. Below is the full article.     

 Ainunl Muaiyanah  

Headline: Romance In Literature 
By Bissme S 

Novelist cum poet Ainunl Muaiyanah Sulaiman (bottom, right) is an editor at the institute of translation and books Malaysia (Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia – ITBM). Her short stories and poems have periodically appeared in magazines, newspapers and anthologies while her first novel,Sepetang Di Kafe Biblioholic, was published in 2013. In November last year, Ainunl won the country’s premier literary award for poetry – the Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia 2012–for her poem, Mimpi Dari Sebuah Lukisan Ilusi. In honour of Valentine’s Day this Friday, this wordsmith is asked to pick 10 grand romances written in the national language and why she chose them.

* Salina (A. Samad Said)

“Salina, the main protagonist in this novel, is a strong woman who never stopped believing in love despite the hardship of war and poverty. I like the relationship between Salina and Helmy. I could feel the strong love Helmy has for Salina  although she is a prostitute. But he is too afraid to express this emotion due to the age gap between them. So he buries his true feelings and treats Salina like an older sister. Samad doesn’t resort to using clichés such as ‘I love you’ to express love (among his characters). You will also learn that love is never perfect but love has the power to complete the imperfection in you.”
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* Dekat Disayang Jauh Dikenang (Khadijah Hashim)

“Khadijah took a different approach to tell a love story between two people from different classes. Usually in tales like this, the rich parents will oppose the relationship. But in this case, they are portrayed as kind souls.The story centres on Normala who works as a maid but takes night classes to better herself.She dislikes her employer’s son Zahar who is spoilt and arrogant. Zahar only realises that he is in love with Normala after she has gone from his life. Sometimes. one can be blind to love even though it may be in front of us.”
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* Tunggu Teduh Dulu (Faisal Tehrani)

“Faisal is skilful in the way he uses language to tell his stories.This novel centres on Salsabilah Fahim who runs a papaya farm and finds herself wooed by two childhood friends.Interestingly, she doesn’t end up with these guys. Instead, she falls for a younger man who works in her farm. Their love blossoms when they perform the Umrah in Mecca, in front of the Kaabah. It is one of the best Islamic novels I have read. It is story of love between people and God …person and another … and between people and nature.”
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* Nyanyian Tanjung Sepi(Noor Suraya)

“Syarifah Nuur Khalida enters in an arranged marriage with Dr Aqmar Aziz. But she is crushed when her husband takes a second wife. Boldly, the demure woman asks for a divorce and learns to toughen up. I like the fact that Noor Suraya ends each chapter with a beautiful poem.”
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* Bulan Tak Bermadu di Fatehpur Sikri (A. Samad Said)

“The story centres on two married couples. The first is Mansor and Zawiah who go on honeymoon to Fatehpur Sikri, India. The second couple is Neeta and Rehman who have difficulty making ends meet. This book tells the tragic romance and touching relationships between the couples. It teaches us that a marriage is not always a smooth ride.”
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* Delima Ranting Senja (Siti Zainon Ismail)

“Siti Zainon is also a painter and I believe that that has given her an added advantage. The language she uses is so romantic and beautiful. This book shows the beauty of marriage and that it doesn’t necessarily restrict your freedom. The book centres on the marriage between two activists filled with the many ups and downs in their lives.”
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* Pulau Renik Ungu (Siti Zainon Ismail)

“Once again, I am impressed by the way Siti Zainon uses the beautiful analogies to describe the relationship between traveller Zaidah and the captain of a ship.After reading the book, I feel like travelling and seeing the world just like Zaidah.”
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* Konserto Terakhir (Abdullah Hussain)

“Musician Hilmi cannot marry the woman he loves because her mother objects to their relationship. He learns to move on and marries another woman named Azizah. But his wife abandons him and that creates turmoil. This book will likely make you cry because of Hilmi’s tragic love life.”
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* Tanah Andriyana (Noor Suraya)

“It is a love story that spans three generations between two families. It begins with Aliya readingthe diary of her grandmother, Princess Raden Andriyana, who wrote about her love story which ended tragically.I like the lead character Raden as she is a strong soul. This novel is the Malaysian version of Romeo & Juliet.”
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* Bukan yang Pertama (Salina Ibrahim)

“This is about Yasmin Zulaikha, a graduate, who cannot get a job in the city, so she goes back to her village and manages a home stay business. She searches for love but in the end, finds it in the most unexpected place.”
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Roslan Jomel

I did an interview with author Roslan Jomel.  I have enjoyed reading his book Selamat Datang Ke Malaywood that highlight a collection of his short stories. My persona favorite story from the collection is Lelaki Yang Menetak Anaknya...  

Headline A Good Storyteller 

BY Bissme S

In November last year,Roslan Jomelwas awarded the prestigious Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia 2012 in the short story category for his collection of 18 short stories entitled Selamat Datang Ke Malaywood. The prize, which was introduced by the second prime minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, in 1971 as a form of recognition to good literary works and writers, could be liken to the British Man Booker Prize for fiction. The prize finally put the spotlight on Roslan, who hails from Kuching, Sarawak. The 41-year-old author came out with his first collection of short stories, entitled Namaku Epal Kuning, in 2010. Selamat Datang Ke Malaywood is his second collection published in 2012 and his third book, also another collection of shorts entitled Serangga Di Dalam Kepala, has just hit the bookstores. Here, he answers questions posed to him on his life and writngs with a wry sense of humour. 

*What inspired you to be a writer?

In my schooldays, I was not a smart student. In fact, I was a slow learner.When I was in Form Three, I was introduced to literature – short stories, poems and novels. I immediately fell in love with the beautiful words and I thought being a writer would be great fun. Since coming out with three collections of short stories, I learnt that writing is difficult and complex … and writing has little to do with talent and fun.

*Describe your childhood years and what shaped you to be the writer that you are today.

As a kid, I like to think about weird things. For example, what will happen if the world ends? Who will replace the human race as the next occupant of the Earth? How the Earth, which is inhabited by billions of people who move from day to night, can remain in perfect condition? And who control this rotation?
There is nothing more magical than the power that is governing the universe.So when I write, automatically, I tackle these themes in my works. I know some readers are not comfortable with
the subjects I have written and I am not utterly disappointed when they choose not to read my work.

* Some have said your short stories do not have ‘nilai-nilai murni’ (noble values). Any comment? 

A few even said my books are written by someone who does not believe in God and I was utterly shocked when I first heard this comment.But I am not a moralist. I am not writing a travelling brochure.I consider myself as a storyteller and all I want to do is to tell a story. Readers buy your book with their money and now, every sen is precious. Today, readers are not keen to read books where the authors preach to them.

* What changes would you like to see taking place in the Malay literature scene?

Everyone, including myself, want to see Malay literature works with a ‘cosmopolitan’ touch and not be stuck with old ideas. I also like to see great contemporary works from various countries be translated into the national language.
FIXI (a publishing company under Amir Muhammad) has begun to do that. By doing that [being exposed to world literature], Malay literature will [hopefully] move forward and we will no longer have to read phrases such as daun kelapa melambai-lambai di tepi pantai’ (Palm leaves swaying on the shores) in Malay works.”

* Some people say your writing style is similar to Haruki Murakami. Any comment?

I love his work. But to write like him is very difficult. I cannot emulate his style. He uses simple communicative words to express himself. But it is not easy to write if the writer is not confident about the story he is telling or the theme he is tackling.

* What is your opinion of the national language?

I am very proud of my national language. It is the language that will define my identity and my culture if I ever choose to stay in New York or London. My wish is that every Malaysian should be fluent in communicating in the national language. You have no right to speak about your country’s affairs if you are not fluent in your national language.

* What is your strength and weakness as a writer?

My weakness is that my heart goes a-flutter each time I enter a bookshop. And as for my strength, compared to most people, I think I have no problem locking myself alone in a room to
write. 

* What change would you like to see taking place in this country?

I do not dare dream of an Utopian world. All I want to see is for everyone to live in freedom and in peace ... that they can enjoy ice cream on the beach during weekends without having to listen to any extreme political speeches!

Roslan Jomel .... the author of Selamat Datang Ke Malaywood  and ( below) his three books

Diffan Sina Norman, Kekasih & Sundance

My first post for 2014 will be on  Malaysian Diffan Sina Norman who makes a short film titled Kekasih that has been chosen to be screened at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival ( starting from Jan 16 to Jan 26)  The story appears in theSun today.   Here is the full interview ... 

Headline : A Spiritual Endeavour 

By Bissme S

DIFFAN SINA NORMAN has done Malaysia proud. His short film,Kekasih, which he wrote and directed, has been chosen to be screened at the Sundance Film Festival at Park City Utah in the United States from Jan 16 to 26. Kekasih was among the 66 short films selected to be shown at the festival from over 8,000 submissions in the category.Diffan is the second Malaysian to have his work shown at Sundance. The first was writer-cum-publisher Amir Muhammad whose work, The Big Durian, was chosen under the world documentary category in 2003. 
“I got an email from the Sundance in November telling me that they found Kekasih to be a powerful film and that they will be delighted to share it at the festival,” says the 30-year-old director.
His short will have its first screening on Jan 18 at Broadway 6, Salt Lake City, the second on Jan 19 at Redstone 1, Park City. The third and final screenings areon Jan 22 and 25 in Park City at Temple Theatre and Holiday 1 respectively. The director refuses to divulge the budget for his film but admits receiving a grant of RM16,000 from the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas).
“Kekasih cost more than RM16,000 to make. I had to use some of my savings,” says Diffan, who is of mixed parentage. His father is Malay and his mother, Iranian.
The film is about a man named Mansor, who goes through a roller coaster of emotions when his wife, Rozita, dies. The husband and wife in the nine-minute short are played by award-winning actors Nasir Bilal Khan and Fauziah Nawi.
“My short film deals with God, life and death,” he says. “I was trying to define death. Death is highly confrontational.”
Diffan admits to having gone through the same emotions as his lead character when his father died of liver cancer in 2011 at age 62.
“There was a certain happiness that comes with his death,” he says. 
“My dad was no longer suffering and I know he is in a better place. Still, I miss him.My dad still comes into my dreams. One time, he came as a zombie,” he adds with a laugh.
He explains that his father, who was a civil engineer, did not have an easy childhood.
“My dad had to struggle for success. His mother worked in a pineapple factory and my dad had to help her in looking after his eight siblings. He was a  wonderful son, a loving husband and a

fantastic father.
“With my father, it was all about giving. I cannot help questioning why he was taken away. I cannot help questioning why he is not around to see my short film being shown at the Sundance film festival.”
For the last eight years, Diffan has been based in Los Angeles in the United States as a multi-disciplinary artiste,filmmaker and designer. He directed mostly commercials there.
“I used to read my scripts to my dad and he always liked my stories,” he says.
“My dad always gave me feedback.He was always trying to convince me to direct a feature film. He even said he wanted to be a producer for one of the films that I was to direct.”
But Diffan kept postponing his dream of becoming a filmmaker but finally realised that he needed to do something about fulfilling that dream soon after his father’s death. While clearing his father’s desk, he found his script for Kekasih. After making some changes to the script, he finally turned it into a short film. So, it is not surprising that he has dedicated Kekasih to his late father.
His purpose of making this short is to create a template for him to direct a Malay feature film in the near future. But he is not keen in making an expanded version of Kekasih although he will deal with the themes tackled in Kekasih.
“I like to talk about my short film as being spiritual fiction,” he says.
“We’re from a region where God and spirituality is at the forefront of everything. Let us talk of spirituality in the fictional way.”
Diffan now plans to spend six months in Malaysia and six months in Los Angeles. Interestingly, he is more interested in making films in Malaysia than in Los Angeles.
“There is a magic in this place,” he says.
“In Los Angeles, we cannot talk about spirituality without cynicism. But this part of the world allows you to discuss
spirituality without cynicism.
“I want to make films where I want to say God exists ... that a creator exists. In fact, I believe the universe is the creation of the Almighty." 

The director Diffan Sina Norman wants to film where he want to say God exists

Nasir Bilal Khan plays as the lead in the Malaysian Short Film 

A scene from Kekasih, a Malaysian short film that deals with God, Life and Death.

Fauziah Nawi as Rozita in this Malaysian short film

Ayam Fared & Pada Sebuah Ketentuan

Today I am highlighting  an interview I did  Ayam Fared in 2011 and the story appeared in the sun newspaper on June 1, 2011 
Here is the article 

Headline: Voice Of Dissent  
By Bissme S 

Ayam Fared is not one to keep his thoughts to himself. In his second book, Pada Sebuah Ketentuan (It is Fated), he lashes out his anger and pours out his sadness and disappointment about the society he lives in.    
“Many of us prefer to close our eyes to the wrongdoings that take place in our society,” says the author, who is also a theatre artiste and an activist and prefers to be known by his assumed name, Ayam Fared.
“We don’t want to stick our necks out and jeopardise our comfortable life to right a wrong. We’re constantly living in fear. We’re selfish and we only think about ourselves.
“But what is the meaning of life if we don’t take risks and try to make the society that we live in a better place?” 
Pada Sebuah Ketentuan covers a series of poems and short notes, with some witty and sarcastic recollections. It follows in the same vein of his first book, Stabil, where he also sounds out his thoughts about life and society.
But in Pada Sebuah Ketentuan, Ayam gets more personal and inward-looking. He questions about the roads he has chosen to take in life.
He finds himself asking the question: “Should I stay in this line and continue with what I am doing. Or should I just quit.”
He adds: “I have still not found the answer to that question. But writing this book has given me some kind of motivation to stay stronger.”
In a lighter note, Ayam also lets loose with some humour in the book.
One of the gems in Pada Sebuah Ketentuan centres on a conversation he has with a pirate DVD seller who, surprisingly, prefers to watch movies in the cinemas.
Another anecdote tells of two girls who want to borrow Ayam’s clothes for a TV shoot. It turns out that they are playing beggars and his clothes, according to them, are just right! 
Another classic gem involves an incident that takes place at Ayam’s cousin’s wedding.
An uncle pesters him to get married, and Ayam tells his uncle that since he is dead against the monarchy system, he has no intentions of becoming ‘king for a day’ (the groom in a Malay wedding is often called ‘raja sehari’).
Despite these amusing anecdotes, Ayam has pulled no punches in the bold statements he makes in the book about life and society in general.
He openly writes about experimenting with weed and whisky. Such episodes have been included in the book because he wanted to show that not all who smoke weed and drink whisky are bad people.
“I don’t want to be a hypocrite and paint a false picture of my life,” he says, adding that life is not always black and white.
“It’s very narrow-minded when people judge you bad just because you consume alcohol. There are worse things in the work.
“Life is not that simple. People who divide their lives into black and white are wasting their lives away. I want people to realise this and celebrate the multi-colours that exist in our lives.”
Yet, he points out that society tends to stereotype artistes like him with the notion that they cannot write if they are sober.
“Well they are wrong,” he states. “I wrote this book when I was sober.”
However, not everyone can digest the frankness in Pada Sebuah Ketentuan and some may accuse Ayam of courting controvery.
“I write not because I want to become famous,” says Ayam. “I write because I want to express my emotions and vent out my frustrations.
“Even if nobody wants to publish my books, I’ll still write and I’ll find other ways to get my work read. Perhaps, I’ll resort to Facebook.”
Going against the mainstream seems to be in his nature. Even the cover of this book smacks of controversy. It has a picture of him in the nude looking up.
He explains: “I am just looking up at the sky and waiting for God to come down and make everything okay.”
Despite the labels he has been given, Ayam insists: “I’ve never called myself an artiste, activist or an author. Those words are just labels to me.  Maybe, it’s fated that I walk this line (being an artiste).
“My intuition always tells me that if you follow the road that the majority has chosen, then the risk of being on the wrong road is very high.
“The majority always has the power and ultimately, we know power corrupts. I would rather be standing on the outside.” 

The cover of Ayam's Book 

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 

KOLUMPO

Kolumpo opens the cinema today. I have watched the film and I really enjoyed the film.  There was never a boring moment... I would suggest people to catch  the film. The film simply proves Malaysian film makers  can tell  good stories that touches your heart.  Any way I had opportunity to interview the cast and crew of the film and the story appeared in the sun newspaper today . Here is the full article   

Suggested : A Trio Of Heartfelt Tales 

BY BISSME S.
THREE touching stories by three directors which show the plight and dilemma of three people caught in situations that are beyond their control – that is what you get in Kolumpo.
The combined feature cleverly showcases a multiple of languages spoken in this country such as Bahasa Malaysia,Cantonese, Tamil and English all in the one  film.
Otto Films Sdn Bhd recently held a special screening of Kolumpo for the benefit of media and invited guests which garnered quite a lot of positive response. Opening in cinemas today, Kolumpo talks about the hopes, dreams and love of three individuals set in the backdrop of city life, each separately helmed by three directors – Bront Palarae, Rozi Izma and Sheikh Munasar. 
In Bront’s piece, an Indian immigrant Rahul (played by Azad Jazmin) arrives in Kuala Lumpur only to discover that the company that has offered him a job has gone out of business.
A restaurant owner listens to his plight and then decides to help him out. But the owner has his own agenda – he wants Rahul to work at his restaurant. And so, Rahul begins his new life as an illegal immigrant.

“Immigrants are a part of our city now,” says Bront, an actor who has directed short films in the past. 

“They came to this city with big dreams only to find disappointments. People do not want to listen to their kind of story because it’s not a success story.”

Bront will next helm a movie entitled Sabotage – on how the Chinese are recruited to infiltrate a communist party with the aim of turning those commandos into normal citizens. He hinted the film will be along the lines of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.
The second story by Rozi is about Gienna (Nell Ng), a Chinese woman in her 30s, who has mother issues but finds herself spending an afternoon helping a stranger, an old Malay makcik
named Nek Wok (Ruminah Sidek) find her house.The problem is that Nek Wok cannot remember where she stays. 

Rozi was not available for comment earlier but her lead actress, Ng, has this to say: “This movie is to show that there is still goodness and good people in our society. The movie gives us hope.”

 Ng who gave wonderful performances, credits her co- star actress Ruminah, for helping her. “She is so easy to work with and she is always sharing her knowledge with me.”
Sheikh Munasar’s piece centres on the shy Hafidd (Amirul Ariff) who meets a pretty stranger (Sharifah Amani) after missing the last train home. For someone who has never had a date in his life, this is a life-defining moment and his only hope of a glimpse of love. Sheikh Munasar hinted that the film, in some way, is a reflection of his life. Ten years ago, he came to Kuala Lumpur from his hometown in Johor Baru to study filmmaking. Like his character, he felt homesick and lonely.

When asked if he met his love at the LRT station, just like in the movie, he laughs and says: “I am not going to tell you that.” 

He says, the next film he is planning to direct will touch on his childhood years. As a child, he used to stay in the government flats called Flat Lumba Kuda in the centre of Johor Baru. 

He says: “The flat has been demolished several years ago. But the place will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the place where I learned about life.”

Bront on the set of Kolumpo .... 

Rozi Isma on the set of Kolumpo 

Sheikh Munasar on the set of Kolumpo 

Afdlin Shauki , Papadom 2 & Sandakan Tears

On Nov 26 the sun ran a story  where I interviewed Afdlin Shauki who talked about his sequel to his hit film Papadom as well as co directing a Hollywood project that

Suggested Headline : The Return Of Undercover Dad

A father's love for his daughter is beyond question and comparison.Comedian and director Afdlin Shauki explores this emotion in the sequel to his hit film Papadom. Although the sequel was completed in 2012, it will only open in cinemas on Dec 12. When Afdlin’s Papadom hit the cinemas in 2009, it became a big hit. The story centred on a widower Saadom (Afdlin) who is over-protective of his daughter Mia (Liyana Jasmay). Feeling stifled, she moves to Kuala Lumpur to pursue a course on film-making.
Without her daughter’s knowledge, Saadom gets himself a job as a gardener in the university where she is studying to keep an eye on her. And the doting dad’s new job created the comedy moments for the movie.
Papadom made a huge impact at the 22th Malaysian Film Festival, grabbing the best film award as well as the best actor and best actress awards for Afdlin and Liyana respectively.
In the sequel, Afdlin and Liyana will reprise their roles as father and daughter. This time, Mia is working as one of the crew members at a film set. Through reliable sources, Saadom learns that three men on the set are interested in Mia and are trying to woo her.
He goes undercover as one of the extras on the set to investigate the men. He wants to make sure that only the best candidate gets to wed Mia. Once again, Saadom finds himself challenged and that makes for truly hilarious and chaotic scenes.In an exclusive interview, Afdlin shares his candid views on the film.

*Some sequels are never as successful as the original film. Are you afraid of that with Papadom 2?

“When I made Papadom, many people had doubts of the movie’s success. Our cinemas were flooded with gangster and ghost movies as the critics believed the audience was not keen on films about
family relationships. But Papadom turned out to be a success. I had invited a test audience to watch Papadom 2 and they liked what they saw.There are more conflicts and dramas in Papadom 2. All I can say is to bring lots of tissues to watch this movie.”

*Tell me what kind of a father are you? Are you anything like your character Saadom in Papadom?

“Like Saadom, I am also a workaholic. My children (he has three daughters, age between three and 14) complain that I do not spend enough time with them. But I work hard because I want to give them a better life. Saadom can be overbearing and overprotective and I am the same.
“In future, my daughters’ boyfriends are going to have a tough time dealing with me. I will scrutinise them like an FBI agent (laughs).”

*Do you prefer to be a comedian in front of the camera or working behind the scene as a director?

“No one wants to see an old actor like me on the screen any more (laughs). The audience are more interested in younger faces. So it is better that I move behind the camera as a director. I have no complaints as I enjoy my work. But there will come a time when no one wants to watch the kind films that I direct. Then I will have to change, again. Perhap by then, I will wear the hat of a producer. And if the time comes again when noone wants to see the kind films that I produce, then I will have to stop being a producer and put my mind into doing something else.”

*What is the next film you will be directing?

“I have two film projects currently in my mind. One is called Angkasawan that is set in a futuristic Malaysia – where we will send a second astronaut to space. There will be some comedy elements in the film.
“My next film may be called Jin Tiger, and it’s a black comedy about a gangster who finds faith, religion and wants to reform. But his gang members try to pull him back into a world of crime.”
All your films have comedy elements.

*Do you have any plans to direct a serious film?

“Yes. Next year, I plan to co-direct an English film called Sandakan Tears with a Hollywood director. Most of the cast and crew are going to be from Hollywood and Australia.The film is loosely based on our history of the so-called Sandakan Death Marches. Australian and British soldiers captured by the Japanese during WWII
were shipped to war camps in Sandakan (Sabah).
“They were tortured and given little food and medical care. Some prisoners were even forced to march through the jungle and as they reached the foot of Mount Kinabalu, the Japanese soldiers
shot and killed them.
“I am also the executive producer of the film and we have plans to distribute the movie, internationally. I believe it is story that the world would love to see.”