Famed actress Nabila Huda had finally won her first award at the 28th Malaysian Film Festival (FFM28) held recently. The actress who was ecstatic to receive the recognition said that her accomplishment is dedicated to her family who had put up with her all this while, especially her rock star dad, Amy Search. Having dabbled in the industry since she was 16, Nabila who is the eldest child in the family began making her name in the acting world via antagonist roles through TV series. She then moved on to films with some of her famous ones being, "Rock", "Akhirat", "Bohsia: Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam", "Pisau Cukur", "Duhai Si Pari-pari", "Bohsia 2; Jalan Kembali", and "Munafik" for which she won Best Actress. "Munafik" also collected four other awards at the prestigious FFM 28 for Best Director, Best National Film, Best Editing and Best Sound Mixing. Here's what the actress had to say when Cinema Online caught her at the festival. Cinema Online: How do you feel now that you finally have an FFM award? Nabila Huda: I know you hear people say this all the time, but I really didn't expect this. I never would've thought that I would win this award; I thought it would be Maya Karin because she was nominated for two films. And I also don't get nominated a lot, even in dramas, so when I won this, I truly didn't expect it.
What do you think is the selling point of your role as Maria in "Munafik"? I don't know really, maybe it was because the character is a heavy one, and the role is not easy to play, even for me. It took me three days to shoot a scene and I used up a lot of energy and effort to the point that I didn't get enough sleep. It's not just me, even the director and the technical crew had worked so hard for each scene, as they are all crucial. Since you have won this award, would you say that horror would be your preferred genre for future films? I never choose the genre when accepting a job. Although I am known for shooting serious genre films, for horror films, this is the first time that I actually got to play an important role that is not a ghost. So the experience was really different with "Munafik". Did you dedicate this achievement for your husband who cried when you accepted the award? He's a bit too much, isn't he? [laughs] This achievement is for my dad and my family who have supported me all the way throughout my journey. As I have been acting since I was 16, I have finally grown and I can tell my dad that I made it. I really want him to be proud and happy!
Would you want to explore and try different roles in the future? Of course, I love trying different kinds of characters. I think that I'm very lucky because I always get great scripts and get to work with great directors and teams. So for this year's FFM 28, I am very thankful to everyone who was involved in this film. Like some of the other actors out there, will your acting fee also increase with this win? Of course, not! Those who know me well would know that I never cared about the money and I only look at the script, especially if it's a good script. I wouldn't mind if the pay is low because most of the producers here already know my rate. There's no use in setting a high price if the acting is not on par with what they want.