Riding the ‘waves’
The cast of ‘Pulang’ tell Dennis Chua the challenges they faced during filming
ACTOR Remy Ishak may have “sailors’ genes” but he hardly knows how to “roll with the waves”. The 36-year-old admits that playing a sailor in the film Pulang was a challenge for a landlubber like him. “We hardly went out to sea — all the scenes where my character Othman worked on a ship were filmed in Kuala Lumpur, in a field in Taman Setiawangsa!” the Melaka-born actor revealed during a recent interview in Kuala Lumpur.
Remy’s challenge was imagining himself face-to-face with gigantic waves and tossing and turning on board his ship in a severe thunderstorm.
“Since I’ve never been to sea, I had to improvise a lot. The director had me watch some films involving ship crews and I learnt to ride the waves, trial and error.
“That meant a lot of rolling around on the grass,” said Remy, whose grand uncle was a sailor who settled in Liverpool, like his character Othman.
To make himself feel like a sailor, Remy spent two hours a day for a week rowing a boat off Pantai Penarik in Setiu, Terengganu.
“That worked wonders getting me into the mind of Othman. I learnt to imagine the sea around me every day.”
As for the dialogue with his co-star Puteri Aishah, who plays Othman’s wife Thom, Remy said he had no problem with it since they were “as Melakan as their characters”.
“We’re fortunate that our characters speak standard Bahasa Malaysia, as Melakans do, so we just played ourselves.”
FOUR HOURS OF MAKE-UP
Puteri Aishah, 22, almost had the fright of her life when a crocodile swam close to the boat that she was in.
“I’m terribly frightened of these reptiles. Thank goodness the crew didn’t tell me there was one in the river where my boat was,” she said, adding that she heard a splash.
Aishah was then filming a scene in which Thom got on a boat to look for her husband.
“I was with my fellow actor Naza Manas, who plays a family friend, when I heard that strange sound.
“The production crew told me it was only a monitor lizard,” she said.
“Nevertheless, I got jittery as such lizards are menacing too.
“Thank God I only learnt of the scary truth once I got my feet on the other side of the river.”
Pulang marks Aishah’s first non-fiction role, as well as her first period drama.
“It was a major challenge playing Thom, since she grows old and I had to go through four hours of make-up.
“In addition, I had to imitate the voice of an elderly woman, and it was difficult since I’ve got a school-girlish voice.”
Aishah said breaking down was a challenge, as she often played cheerful 20-somethings on TV.
“Thus far, I’ve never encountered sad moments, so the director told me to think of some sad movies and TV dramas. It helped a little,” she said.
PRETEND TO COOK
Alvin Wong, who plays Othman’s fellow sailor Lum, had fun learning the Negri Sembilan Malay dialect known as Nogori.
“I’m fortunate Remy and Aishah helped me out. They hail in part from Negri Sembilan. It’s got lots of ‘o’ sounds and quite easy to master,” he said.
While Wong’s character doubles as a cook on his ship, in reality, he can only make himself a simple breakfast.
“The director had some real-life cooks guide me with a wok. It was fun pretending to cook but it’ll be a long time before I master any dish.”
During one World War II scene, Wong had a “sticky” experience, being covered in fake blood.
“The blood gave me the creeps. I was totally uncomfortable with it. However, conversing with Remy and pretending that we were on the run from the Japanese kept my mind focused.”
Wong identifies with Lum, because he is the most light-hearted character.
“He’s a faithful friend of Othman who sticks with him. They escape the terror meted out by the Japanese in 1940s Malaya, and make their way to Liverpool, where they start life afresh.”
Singaporean actor Erwin Dawson, 29, wasted no time auditioning for the role of Othman’s grandson Ahmad.
“This story clicked with me instantly since it’s about a son who goes to look for his father,” he said.
“My father left Singapore for New Zealand when I was one. When I was 18, I set off on a journey to look for him and found him in Brisbane, Australia. We still keep in touch!”
Pulang’s message is cherishing the sacrifices of your parents and grandparents, and celebrating the Bangsa Malaysia spirit.
Ahmad Izham Omar
THREE GENERATIONS
Director Kabir Bhatia said Pulang was his return to epic romance, his favourite film genre.
“It’s also my reunion with Remy, who last worked with me in Nur Kasih five years ago. At first I didn’t want to cast him in the role but he auditioned and really looked the part of Othman,” he said.
Kabir spent 46 days shooting Pulang in Setiu and Kuala Lumpur, and his crew worked 16 hours a day.
“It’s a first non-fiction story for me. My biggest challenge was to come up with the ship scenes which utilised CGI.
“Basecamp VFX supplied us with innovative special effects, and that truly brought Othman’s adventure to life.”
Kabir and Remy read up extensively on Malay sailors in the 1940s, and spent hours speaking to producer Primeworks Studios’ chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar, and his father Omar Othman, who is the son of the real Othman.
“Our research made us realise very few sailors worked on the deck of their ships. As for costumes, they dressed in casual clothes, 1940s fashion.”
“Pulang’s script is once again written by Kabir’s ex-wife Mira Mustafa. They worked together in Cinta and Nur Kasih.
“We’re still good friends, and it takes Mira to come up with scripts that bring life to each character.
“As for the theme song, I roped in composer Aubrey Suwito whose beautiful number Layarlah Kembali is performed spectacularly by Dayang Nurfaizah, with lyrics by Ad Samad,” he said.
“This song truly captures Thom’s and Omar’s longing to be reunited with Othman.”
Ahmad Izham said that Pulang’s storyline was “80 per cent fact”, true to his father’s and grandfather’s reunion in the UK.
“My father and grandfather were reunited in Liverpool in 1966 when my father was studying in Ealing University, London. My turn to go there came in 2008, and that’s when I visited my grandfather’s grave,” he said.
Ahmad Izham added that Remy and Aishah were ideally cast as Othman and Thom, and his father shed tears watching them in action.
“While it is a love story that spans three generations, Pulang’s message is cherishing the sacrifices of your parents and grandparents, and celebrating the Bangsa Malaysia spirit.”
Besides Remy, Aishah, Wong and Erwin, Pulang stars Azrel Ismail (Omar), Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan (older Omar), Juliana Evans (Aaliyah) and Sherry Al-Jeffri (older Thom).