Complex love tale inspires cast

The three stars of HyppTV’s Sedingin Cinta Antasya relish the challenges of bringing the drama to life, writes Tahir Alhamzah

“I fell in love with it, and my role, immediately after reading the script,” says Tasha of her titular character.

Earlier this year on TV3, she was the lead in another drama, Prior to that, the 30-year-old, whose real name is Natasha Sheila Abdul Razak, had taken a couple of years off from acting in drama series, appearing in a few telemovies instead.

“I took two years to rest and look back at my past performances so that I’d be able to come back with a new approach,” says Tasha, who admits that playing Antasya was a daunting task.

“However, as it is a tragic drama, I found that the pressure from playing the character paved the way to act naturally,” she adds.

HEAVY DRAMA

Both Nas T and Talha say that the dramatic plot was attractive enough for them to accept the challenges that came with it.

For 33-year-old Nas T, his supporting role as Najwan, Antasya’s close friend from her village, was a refreshing departure from the baddie roles he had played.

“No doubt, being involved in heavy drama can be quite a task.

But when you’ve a great team, it’s a worthwhile experience,” says Nas T, whose actual name is Nas Muammar Zar Nasruddin.

Although he’s been acting since 2001, this drama is his first with Tasha.

“Initially, I didn’t know what to expect working with her. But soon I found it easy to work with Tasha,” adds Nas T, who

Nas T, Tasha Shilla and

Talha Harith. explored a lot of body language to show the closeness of his character to Tasha.

For Talha, many of his peers seem to think that the drama is perfect for him.

“My character Jefri is Syarfan’s best friend. He is also the person whom Syarfan shares his problems with.

“While he listens to Syarfan’s problems, Jefri keeps his to himself,” says the Johor Baru-born 28-year-old.

But like the other two, Talha says he enjoyed being on set with the supportive cast and a director he was comfortable with.

“It’s up to you to colour your character,” adds Talha, who holds a diploma in theatre from the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (Aswara).