AFTER garnering a cumulative rating of 11 million views when it premiered last year, Islamic-themed TV drama series Nur is back with a more intriguing plot.
The story of forbidden love between preacher Ustaz Adam (played by actor Syafiq Kyle) and prostitute Nur (Amyra Rosli) and the hurdles they have to overcome to be together found a place in the hearts of millions of Malaysians when aired during Ramadan last year.
The controversial drama series won a string of awards at last year’s Anugerah Skrin and even swept most of the trophies at last week’s Anugerah DFKL 2019. It has put pressure on director Shahrulezad Mohameddin to ensure that Season 2 will be just as successful or even better than the first.
Season 2 sees several new faces joining the lineup.
They are Azar Azmi, Eyra Hazali and Noryati Taib. The original star-studded lineup includes Datuk Jalaludin Hassan, Fatimah Abu Bakar, Noorkhiriah Ahmad Shapie, Azhan Rani and Raja Atiq.
The story continues with Adam preaching in the streets, and his effort being fully supported by Nur. However, he has attracted the attention of a woman named Juita (Azar), who was Nur’s close friend before she married Adam.
Envious of Nur’s beauty and her new life with Adam, Juita is adamant to take everything away from the former.
Meanwhile, the tahfiz school which Adam runs lacks funds after his brother-in-law Hamadi (Azhan) embezzles money from the school’s coffer and was arrested (as viewers found out in last season’s episode finale).
This season, while waiting for his trial, Hamadi returns to the family without remorse.
“Of course, people would compare Nur 2 with the previous season. But this season, the drama has a fresh outlook, what with Juita being in the picture,” shares Amyra, 27.
She adds that while previously half of the story was about the relationship between Nur and her mother, this time around, her story is more focused on her marriage and how she and Adam face the challenges that come their way.
Syafiq, 26, says that although he is reprising the role of Ustaz Adam, he still finds it challenging as playing the character of a preacher is not like playing a regular character which only needs some improvisation.
“I had to do some research on the ways of a preacher so as to make my acting as convincing as possible. And while Adam is an ustaz, he is still a normal human being who has a mission to bring the lost to the righteous path,” says Syafiq, adding that he will not be upset should Nur 2 does not exceed viewers’ expectations.
“If viewers find that Nur 2 lacks the magic of the original, I will have to accept it. All I know is that I’ve already given my best. My priority as an actor is to deliver the best as required by the script and the director. I believe I’ve put in the effort and have done so sincerely,” he says.
EYE ON A WIDER AUDIENCE
Besides TV3, fans will also be able to enjoy Nur 2 on iflix, Southeast Asia’s leading entertainment service.
Current episodes can be streamed an hour after it is aired on TV.
This is a first-of-its-kind deal between iflix and Primeworks Distribution, and an extension of the companies’ existing licensing partnership.
“Nur’s popularity with TV3 viewers has given us the confidence to partner up with Primeworks. With this partnership, we hope that Nur 2 would reach an even wider audience, allowing fans to watch it on their connected device for free just two hours after an episode is aired on linear TV, or you can simply catch up whenever you want to,” says iflix’s global director of original programming Mark Francis.
“It’s also a great example of how the emergence of OTT (over the top) players like iflix can complement traditional TV and build stronger local franchises,” he adds.
While Nur 2 is currently being aired on TV3 from Monday to Thursday at 10pm, viewers can also watch the Season 1, which is also available on iflix.