By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, March 5: Sarawakian actress Datin Natasha Charmaine is among four leading roles for the new Malaysian film “Imam” alongside Malaysian music industry ‘sifu’ Dato M Nasir, veteran actor Faizal Hussein and actress Vanidah Imran.
The 31-year-old Kuching-born beauty who started off her career in the entertainment industry as a host for Bintang Kecil RTM in 2010, said she was offered the role after her fellow Sarawakian artists had recommended her to the film director Mior Hashim Manap.
“I thank them (her friends) for introducing me (to Mior).
“He (Mior) literally did a review on few of my previous works so alhamdulillah, they saw my talent. This is very rare and they offered (the role), and thank God now I’m here,” she told reporters at the exclusive screening of ‘Imam’ at Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), CityOne Megamall here last night.
The “Imam” film is adapted from the late national laureate Datuk Abdullah Hussain’s novel of the same name. It has started premiering in cinemas since March 2.
The film tells the story of Haji Midad (M Nasir), a reformed-minded religious teacher, who is opposed by some of his conservative peers that accused him of spreading false teachings.
Natasha played Siti Nur Aisyah, the wife of Haji Midad in the movie.
She shared that landing the role is something that she never expected, pointing out that she still has the feelings of anxiety and fear while being on set. Nevertheless, she is happy that she was able to gain a new experience and learn a lot.
Asked on her views on Sarawak’s entertainment industry, she believed that Sarawakians who have a knack for acting and other forms of arts, should take up any given opportunity and never give up in promoting their talents.
“Now that Sarawak already have its own TV station, take the opportunity to do so. Wherever you are, in every corner of Sarawak, please fly down or drive down or cycle or walk to Kuching. If there’s any opportunity to do it, then go ahead and do it.
“But then again now, when you talk about platform, it is not the same like when I started back then. Now you have Instagram, TikTok and so on. You just have to find the right content that can influence people healthily and then you will be there.
“The root of success also goes back to your own talent and on how you do it. You cannot do this solely for ‘glam’ (fame). You can do it but it will not last you for long. But again, it comes back to someone’s fortune so we never know. Like me, it takes me forever. I might look pretty but why am I still not there? Thus, it’s always up to someone’s fate,” she added.
The “Imam” would be Natasha’s second movie after playing Julia in “Janet: Sumpah Terlarang” (2021).
Natasha would also act in the upcoming drama series titled “Budak Hostel Otaknya Sewel” adapted from Hasrul Rizwan’s novel of the same name, alongside Malaysian actors Azhan Rani and Sharnaaz Ahmad. The drama series would be aired in Astro Ria. – DayakDaily
