After nearly two years of absence from both big and small screens, actress Nur Fazura returns in a starring role opposite Remy Ishak in the Glen Goei and Gavin Yap-helmed horror movie "Dendam Pontianak". The actress, who previously played a langsuir named Cik Lang in "Kami Histeria", this time plays a Pontianak named Mina. She said that she was intrigued by the directors' idea to make a Malay horror movie with a different concept. She also admitted that she is more selective when it comes to accepting acting offers for upcoming projects. Read on to find out more of what Fazura shared with Cinema Online during our little chat with her recently.
Cinema Online: What are your thoughts on Chinese directors making a Malay horror movie?
Fazura: I admire Glen a lot because he wants to present the story of Pontianak in a different way. The Pontianak character in this movie is not the same as the ones usually seen in other horror movies. What's special in the movie, Mina herself will talk about what happened to her and that is what attracted my attention. When Glen offered me a choice between playing Remy's [character's] wife or Pontianak, I chose Pontianak. Was it hard for you to play Mina? It actually wasn't hard for me to play the character since I've always loved strong female characters like the ones I played before. Currently, we don't see a lot of movies focusing on strong female characters, so there's nothing wrong with portraying women as heroes. Mina is a strong woman and strives to get back what's hers when a promise made to her was not fulfilled. In order to play the character, did you refer to other movies? I did not refer to other movies because I wanted to create something new. I wanted to create the character based on my own interpretation and the details that Glen provided me with. Did you encounter any mysterious occurrence during the filming of the movie? There was an incident when we were on a dinner break during the filming in Hulu Langat. A crew member asked me to look behind me, there was a woman dressed the same as me, wearing a white kebaya and batik, on the balcony of an empty house. "Her" hair was long, covering "her" face, and "she" was standing facing me. Throughout the filming, there were also crew members who heard "her" footsteps walking through the bushes. I never experienced any disturbance while filming "Kami Histeria". Maybe "she" came to see me playing "her" character. Even though I was scared because it was my first time seeing a supernatural entity, Alhamdulillah the feeling didn't linger when I was home. My husband (Fattah Amin) also told me to read ayat Kursi. How was it like working with Remy Ishak? One thing that I admired about Remy, he would ask for permission before touching me in any romantic scene. I was surprised because not all actors do so. Remy's way made me respect him. I hope that other actors can follow his example. What are you working on next? At the moment, I am not attached to any projects after "Dendam Pontianak" because I'm still waiting for a good script. Like I said, I want to act in movies that highlight strong female characters because I'm tired of playing oppressed women who are involved in love triangles. That's not what I want to do because to me, women are very strong. I think that there's no need to often appear in movies or on TV if the storylines lack quality. I still receive a lot of acting offers but I haven't found a good script like what I wanted. I have also been offered an Indonesian horror movie but I had to decline to focus on "Dendam Pontianak". On the music front, I am working on my second album, which includes two English songs that I recorded in Los Angeles. I also want to work with several composers from Indonesia. "Dendam Pontianak", also starring Remy Ishak, Hisyam Hamid, Namron, Shenty Feliziana, Nadia Aqilah and Wan Hanafi Su, is now showing in cinemas.