Onds behind the cameras

Osman Ali’s new cinematic romance stars two actors from Singapore who have found a huge fanbase here, writes

hit which starred Aaron and Maya Karin. Aaron agrees that his leading roles in both films are not very different.

For Osman had all of the cast members attend a three-week acting workshop by actress and acting coach Ellie Suriaty. “In retrospect, I think I could have done a better job in I think that is why Osman insisted that the cast attend this workshop, which enabled us to dive deeper into our respective roles.

“And if we were able to give a convincing portrayal, he would be able to focus more on other aspects of the film like cinematography, for example.”

Apparently the workshop has done wonders. “We lived and breathed our characters so deeply that when we arrived on set, we were ready for the cameras,” says Aaron. “There was no awkwardness and no more rehearsals.”

Izara, 24, who had the toughest job of delivering the film’s heart-wrenching drama element, agrees. “By the time we completed the workshop, it was like Salina had taken over my body. It was that effective.”

As Aaron and Izara’s on-screen chemistry is key, the workshop was a great help.

“I see Izara as my junior,” says Aaron. “She is more than 14 years younger, so I had doubts about our on-screen romance at first. To my surprise, she blew me away with her strong emotions and did justice to Salina. She’s definitely proven to be one of the more talented sparring partners I’ve ever had,” says Aaron.

EMOTIONAL TRIAL

Izara is just as thankful to have a co-star like Aaron who worked well with her throughout the experience.

Even though the workshop had made things easier, the biggest challenge for the actress was to fully embody an entirely different personality.

“Salina and I are like night and day!” says Izara, laughing. “Being a village girl, she is very soft-hearted, kind, modest and polite.

“I come from a village too, but I’m rough and tough. I definitely don’t talk softly like she does! That was a little tricky to deliver.”

Another challenge she faced was filming the emotional scenes where she had to cry buckets. “We had to film many of those, so I had to cry non-stop.”

It got to the point where she couldn’t produce any more tears, making the whole experience emotionally and physically draining.

When asked if she would also resign to her fate if she were in Salina’s position, Izara laughingly claims: “No way! I’d leave the man in a heartbeat! Salina’s very naive so that’s the path she chooses to take. It was this dissimilarity between us that made me to want to play her.”

In spite of that, the actress thinks that Salina is relatable and her life story will certainly tug at audiences’ heartstrings.

EAGER TO LEARN

While Aaron and Hisyam did not share many scenes together in ,itwasa fulfilling experience for Hisyam to be able to act with an actor he respects.

They also had the chance to work together again earlier this year in the yet-to-be-aired telemovie starring Amyra Rosli.

“We are friends in real life. Even our wives are good friends and meet up sometimes,” says Aaron. “But since Zul and Taufik are rivals (in we had to put our friendship on hold to embody our respective characters,” Hisyam adds jokingly. Hisyam admits that when he worked on

he was still a newbie in the Malaysian entertainment industry. At the time, he was filming one of his first Malaysian TV drama series.

is my first feature film, and Osman showed me how acting for the big screen is totally different from acting in a drama series. You have to show more emotions in films to pull in the audience.”

He adds that Osman perceived Zulkifli as a gentle and calm individual, even though deep down he’s burning with anger after unknowingly letting Salina slip through his fingers. “If it were up to me, I’d unleash my anger and beat Taufik to a pulp, but Osman didn’t want that. The challenge for me was to keep my emotions under control and project internal suffering.”

Hisyam also loved working with Osman who is a very detailed director. “Besides having a great eye when it comes to cinematography, he is also clear about what he wants to achieve, making it easier for us to execute the scenes.”

Hisyam admits to feeling nervous since the film was shot in 2015 — he did not have much acting experience at the time. “I’m pretty sure I’m a much better actor now. I wish I could have given a more convincing portrayal as Zulkifli,” he says, laughing. “I hope audiences will enjoy watching this film.”

SEXY AND DARING

Osman dares to challenge the norm in local filmmaking by including many intimate scenes. One involves a “lovers’ scuffle” between Taufik and Salina in the bedroom.

“It was an intense scene and I hope it wasn’t cut because it marks a vital turn of events in Taufik and Salina’s relationship,” says Aaron. That particular scene was the hardest to film for Izara. “Without the workshop, I don’t think we would’ve been able to believably execute it,” she says.

However, the more daring attempts in the film involved Aaron and Soo, where they had to be physically intimate and appear comfortable in doing so. The actor seemed more comfortable with the task but Soo, 31, would have run into trouble if not for the workshop.

“I’m nothing like Isabella in real life! I’m such a geek, so I needed all the help I could get!” says Soo, adding that she had referenced Angelina Jolie, who is sexy yet classy.

Besides being seductive, Isabella smokes, drinks and sleeps with different men. “She totally destroys my image,” says Soo jokingly.

Aaron only has praises for Soo. “Oh, she really went all out and was extremely flirtatious!” he says, laughing. “But when we went off camera, she was back to her intelligent self.”

Soo adds jokingly: “Aaron’s wife Diyana told me to just do it, but all of us maintained a level of professionalism, of course. And we tried to do each scene in one take to make it seem more natural.”

Despite being the antagonist, there is depth in Isabella’s personality that the audience will learn later, explains Soo.

“It’s a role that I’ve dreamt of playing — one that is important to the story but not many actresses dare to play.” The Ph.D holder isn’t afraid of the feedback she might receive but instead looks forward to it.

“As an actress, I feel that I should take on such challenges and face criticism head on. That’s how I can learn.”