KUALA LUMPUR: Actress Emma Maembong is no stranger to sad stories, having starred in television dramas with tragic storylines.
She recently enjoyed Pulang, her most anticipated sad movie of 2018, and shed lots of tears in the process.
Emma said she was invited by fellow actor Azrel Ismail to view the blockbuster based on the true story of sailor Othman Alias who worked on merchant ships for almost two decades and died in the United Kingdom.
“It’s one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve seen on the big screen. This tear-jerker really worked on me in scenes involving Remy (Ishak) and Puteri Aishah, the loving couple who were separated for years, and their son whom Azrel
plays,” said Emma in a news report yesterday.
Emma, or Fatimah Ismail, 26, praised director Kabir Bhatia for his excellent storytelling and cinematography, and described Pulang as a masterpiece that she would be remembering for a long time.
“It’s a story of family values, and that appeals to me most. The ensemble cast did a stellar job and special effects made some of the main scenes look so real.”
Emma encouraged all actors to watch Pulang since it carried positive messages about the importance of honouring one’s parents.
Pulang, a production of Primeworks Studios, is a heavy drama set in 1940s Malaya, and based on the story of its chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar’s grandfather Othman (Remy), who finds work on board a British
merchant ship and promises to return home to his wife Thom Abbas (Puteri Aishah) and their son Omar (Azrel).
When Omar goes to university in the United Kingdom, he reunites with his father in Liverpool, and four decades later, Omar’s son Ahmad (Erwin Dawson) promises his ailing grandmother that he will find Othman’s grave.
The two-hour film drives home the message that no journey is complete without a homecoming.
Still showing in cinemas, the script is co-written by Mira Mustaffa and Ahmad Izham.