A win for special Malaysians
Nad Zainal picked up Best Drama Actress for playing an autistic person, and Jay Iswazir shined as a handicapped actor, writes
ACTRESS Nad Zainal prepares for every role meticulously, be it film or television. In order to play an autistic young woman Fatonah Azali in the 2017 telemovie of the same name, she had her husband Muhammad Faliq Amirudin stay away from her for three weeks, as she needed time and space to get into her challenging role.
“I read up about autism, and mingled with the staff of Autism Cafe in Puchong. Gradually observing how these gifted people work and communicate, I transformed myself into Fatonah,” said Nad, who won Best Drama Actress for Fatonah Azali at Anugerah Skrin 2018 (ASK2018) last Friday.
“I didn’t want my husband to worry about me, as I had to act strangely and he isn’t used to seeing me like this,” she said, adding that it was her most challenging role to date.
“Nevertheless I allowed him to follow me on Instagram, and he checked on my progress weekly, giving me the thumbs up all the way.”
Nad, 27, said Fatonah was not only autistic, but suffered abuse at the hands of her mother played by Zarina Zainuddin.
“Being a special child, and a long-suffering one was the most difficult part. I had to make myself feel the pain without expressing it in words,” she said, thanking director Shuhaimi Lua for casting her.
Nad said winning her first Best Drama Actress in ASK2018 was a great incentive to take on heavier roles, especially those on the big screen.
Best Drama Actor Jay Iswazir Ismail, 36, dedicated his victory for the telemovie Aku Nazmi to young actors who were “big in talent, yet small in looks”.
“My mentor Datuk Rosyam Nor deserves my biggest thanks. It was he who discovered me in Pilih Kasih andencouraged me to work hard and shine,” he said.
“Even though I graduated from this show, it has been difficult for me to become a leading man, largely because I don’t have the looks. Yet I persevered and finally struck gold!”
Jay, whose next film is Polis Evo 2, plays real-life actor Nazmi Kamarulzaman who suffers from cerebral palsy, yet strived to make a name for himself in telemovies, dramas and films for a decade.
“I spent a lot of time with Nazmi, observing his movements and mannerisms. He was friendly, generous and appreciative, and despite it being a biopic, he gave me a lot of freedom to improvise,” he said.
Amyra Rosli, 27, described her Best Drama Series Actress win for Nur as a breakthrough.
The TV3 drama about a young religious teacher who helps a prostitute mend her ways, also won Best Drama Series and earned its main actor Syafiq Kyle Best Drama Series Actor.
“Initially, I was a little nervous taking on the role of a prostitute who is guided back to the straight path. But our director Shahrulezad Mohameddin explained that Nur was not about prostitution but redemption, so I said ‘yes’ to the title character,” shesaid.
Amyra thanked Shahrulezad for helping her take on more challenging roles, and her co-star Syafiq who played a kind-hearted and patient teacher.
“Syafiq and I are great friends offscreen, that’s why we have good chemistry on the set,” said Amyra, who hopes to star in more romantic comedies later.
Syafiq, 26, said playing an ustaz (religious teacher) was refreshing, as he had often been cast as the boy-next-door. “Two great roles I’ve had this year are in Nur and the romantic horror Langsuir — viewers don’t get to see me as an urban yuppie for achange!”
Shahrulezad said Nur was groundbreaking because it exposed the ugly side of religious teachers. “Some of them are devils in disguise, there are many monsters who pretend to be angels.”
Veteran actress Fauziah Nawi and popular baddie actor Fauzi Nawawi were delighted, yet amused to win Best Drama Supporting Actress and Best Drama Supporting Actor.
Fauziah, who played Datuk Rosyam Nor’s long-suffering mother in ASK2018’s Best Drama Pendosa Ingin Ke Syurga ,said Fauzi was often mistaken as her younger brother as a result of the “closeness” of their names.
“Better still, we both hail from Ipoh! I want to thank my producer Rosyam and director Rashid Sibir for coming up with a beautiful but tragic story. I’ve worked with Rosyam in many telemovies and he comes up with superb, human interest dramas.”
Fauzi, who won for his role as a prisoner in Qalbu said: “I’ve the utmost respect for Ibu Fauziah, she’s a mentor and friend who has taught me a lot about acting. Qalbu had a great ensemble cast, which was headed by the brilliant Faizal Hussein and Fasha Sandha.”
He added that playing a prisoner was a dream role, as it was his first drama where jailbirds were shown in a sympathetic light. “Not all people in jail are monsters, this is
I read up about autism, and mingled with the staff of Autism Cafe in Puchong
Nad Zainal
Producer Rosyam of Suhan Movies said Pendosa was a “painful, yet realistic story” about a man who accidentally married his long-lost daughter, and became remorseful for his act.
“It may sound like a Greek tragedy, but it is a realistic tale loaded with issues of public interest, such as neglecting one’s family, materialism and jealousy which destroys lives,” he said, adding that Fauziah was one of his greatest friends and collaborators.
Pendosa also earned Rashid Sibir Best Drama Director.
Best Film Actor Shaheizy Sam said playing a cancer patient in Pinjamkan Hatiku was not only a challenge, but a scary one as well. “The experience of preparing for the role showed me how cruel a disease the Big C