The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
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| Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:29 AM PDT A real-life couple bravely took on the challenge of playing a pair of star-crossed lovers in Untuk 3 Hari. IT WAS a dream come true for director-actor-musician Rashidi Ishak to act alongside his award-winning actress wife, Vanidah Imran, on the big screen. Their first and only onscreen work before this was in the TV drama Athirah in 1999, when they first met and fell in love; he proposed to her two weeks later! The pair married in 2000 and are blessed with two children – Mikhail Aimran, 11, and Maryam Rashika, who is eight. After waiting for so long, Rashidi, or Shidi as he is more popular known among family and fans, finally gets to star opposite his beautiful wife in a big screen feature, Untuk 3 Hari. The couple plays ill-fated lovers in the film directed by actor Afdlin Shauki. Based on a popular novel of the same name by Ahadiat Akasyah (of the famed Lagenda Budak Setan film and novel), Untuk 3 Hari tells the story of longtime lovers Zafrin (Shidi) and Ujie (Vanidah) who agree to arranged marriages with their respective future spouses Juwita (Ayu Raudaha) and Amri (Afdlin) to please their families. They had planned to file for divorce after three days of marriage. However, in those three days, one of them starts to realise that they are both playing with God's will and maintaining their marital bond may not be so bad if they just tried. So, what will happen to the original pact between Zafrin and Ujie? Watch the film to find out how Afdlin weaves the stories together and subtly manipulates the viewers' emotions with laughter and tears. Shidi and Vanidah, or simply Vee, both said that they are really excited, yet nervous, to watch Untuk 3 Hari, which opens nationwide tomorrow. Shidi, for instance, couldn't contain his delight. "Truth to be told, I was extremely excited when Afdlin approached me to play Zafrin in the movie. I have been waiting for this moment (to act with his wife) for so long," gushed Shidi in an interview after the movie preview in Kuala Lumpur recently. "I never told this to Vee before (that I really wanted to act with her in a movie). But now she knows," he said with a laugh. Shidi continued: "Actually, we have been waiting for the right script to come along so we can work together in a project ... having said that, I also wanted to deliver what the director wanted of me in Zafrin." In Untuk 3 Hari, Zafrin puts in view the dilemmas faced by a young man. He's the only child in a wealthy family and he has been obeying his mother's wishes all his life. He broke off his relationships with several girls at his mother's insistance, until finally, he meets Ujie. Unfortunately, Zafrin is too afraid to tell his mother about his feelings for Ujie and decides that it is easier to just to go along with the family's wish for him to marry Juwita, a girl of his mother's choice. He then hatches a plan to divorce Juwita after three days. "This is a good movie," said Shidi, who recently directed Hari Raya telemovie entitled Mimpi Sabrina. "And with Afdlin at the helm as director, I put a high standard on my acting because I didn't want to disappoint him," he added. If the news to act as Zafrin excited Shidi, it was a complete surprise for Vee. "The news that Shidi will act as my hero in the movie came as a complete surprise to me," recalled Vee. "I was aware of the movie two years ago, before filming started last year, and Afdlin told me that he would get in touch with me once everything was confirmed. But the fact that Shidi would be playing my boyfriend Zafrin in the movie, now that was really a surprise," said Vee who won the best actress award for her role in Red Kebaya in the 20th Malaysian Film Festival (2007). "You know, our film industry is small and I don't think many directors would dare to gamble it all by getting a real husband-and-wife team to play the leading roles in a movie. (Plus), we are not that young anymore. I guess it shows that Afdlin is a one-of-a-kind director. "Working with Afdlin has always been a thrilling experience for me because he knows what he wants and is always looking to showcase the different sides of actors in his movies. We have to be alert and ready at all time because we wouldn't know what Afdlin will ask us to do next. He is spontaneous on the set," shared Vee. She added that after being informed of the project, she went out to buy the book to familiarise herself with the story and characters. "Yes, I did buy the book and read it twice but I didn't expect to play Ujie. In the book, Ujie is described as tall, fair and very organised. In other words, the opposite of me in every way!" When asked whether it was hard to play a romantic couple in a film with your own spouse, Shidi said that they had to put some sort of "limit" on their characters. "In real life, we have been husband and wife for 12 years, but in the movie we are still in the 'boyfriend-girlfriend' phase, so we have to put certain limits to our characters like their emotions, closeness and stuff like that," said Shidi. Vee couldn't agree more. "We have to be careful at all times; we shouldn't, and couldn't, be too comfortable with each other." Vee and Shidi have been known to be very supportive of each other's career. Despite their busy schedules, Shidi and Vee are both now pursuing their studies. "It was hard to find time in between acting and directing to go to class, but I did it," said Shidi who graduated with a degree in communication from Universiti Putra Malaysia last year. Shidi's graduation inspired Vee to take up a degree course in language and teaching at the Open University Malaysia – she is currently in her third semester. "I have a few more semesters to go and at the moment Shidi is shopping for the right university to do his MBA," said Vee. She revealed that they decided to pursue their studies because they wanted to be a good example to their young children. The film and entertainment industry is a fickle-minded one. Hence, seeing Vee and Shidi still thriving in the scene and happily married to one another after 12 years is indeed a pleasure. What is their secret? "We don't have any secrets. I can only say this for myself – I've been in love with Vee every single day since I saw her 12 years ago. Honestly, each time I see her my heart flutters. "She is such a wonderful person to be with and I'm the luckiest man to share my life with her," Shidi admitted. Everybody now, awwww .... Untuk 3 Hari is screened in cinemas beginning Sept 20. |
| Oscar nominations set for January 10 Posted: 19 Sep 2012 12:15 AM PDT LOS ANGELES: Nominees for this year's Oscars awards will be revealed in Los Angeles on January 10, five days earlier than had been announced, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday. "In an effort to provide members and the public a longer period of time to see the nominated films, the Academy will reveal the 85th Academy Awards nominations on January 10, five days earlier than previously announced," it said in a statement. The Academy Awards - honoring the best movies, performances and technical film achievements of the year - are scheduled to be held on February 24 at the Dolby Theatre, where the ceremony has been held for a decade. Some 6,000 members of the academy will cast their ballots - online for the first time this year - starting December 17.-AFP |
| Joan Collins, Robert Wagner to Guest Star on 'Happily Divorced' Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:48 PM PDT LOS ANGELES: Fran Drescher is getting some new company for the third season of her TV Land series "Happily Divorced." "Dynasty" star Joan Collins and "It Takes a Thief" star Robert Wagner have signed on to guest star on the sitcom, TV Land said Tuesday. Singer Cyndi Lauper and "Entourage" actress Debi Mazar also will be aboard for the upcoming season, which begins production Oct. 1 for a Nov. 28 premiere date. Collins will play a fictionalized version of herself, who takes Peter - the gay ex-husband of Drescher's character Fran Lovett - into her employ as an assistant. Wagner, meanwhile, will play the father of Elliot, Fran's first love and on-off relationship interest. Lauper comes aboard as the daughter of Fran's mother, Dori Newman (played by Rita Moreno). Mazar will play a potential new roommate for one of the Lovetts.] "The Karate Kid" star Ralph Macchio is also returning to the series as a guest. Previous guest stars on "Happily Divorced" include Dan Aykroyd, Rosie O'Donnell, Morgan Fairchild and John Schneider.-Reuters |
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