POPULAR actress Fasha Sandha Hassan may often be associated with the word "hot" but she is not one to film "steamy" scenes on the big screen.
Fasha, 40, said that her "steamy" scene with actor Afieq Shazwan in the iQIYI drama series 'Rampas Cintaku 2' early this year did not result in them being scantily dressed and in bed together.
MORE SUBTLE
"As Malaysian and Asian actors and actresses, we do not do what Hollywood actors and actresses do.
"It is true that in the West, some filmmakers make actors and actresses go all out in such scenes, but we have cultural sensitivities to respect, and as a result our filmmakers make things more subtle," said Fasha in a recent Zoom interview to promote her latest drama series 'Malang Si Puteri' which premiered on Astro Ria on March 11.
INFIDELITY
Fasha said that during her "steamy" scenes with Afieq, both of them had their clothes on all the time.
"Scenes like this have to be shown, because they are pivotal in dramas about infidelity. Our characters' infidelity drives the story, so they have to be shown as such."
UNLUCKY WOMAN
In the 50-episode 'Malang Si Puteri', Fasha Sandha plays the titular heroine, a persistently unlucky woman.
"Puteri is an honest-to-goodness woman who is unfortunately, a loser in love, and always has relationships with the wrong man.
"In her home village, neighbours look down on her because her mother used to be a nightclub dancer.
"To escape from such abuse, she goes to the big city and falls for a man named Johan who turns out to be a pimp.
"Johan then 'sells' her to a con artist named Amran, before she is rescued by a religious teacher named Fattah," said Fasha.
KIND-HEARTED
Throughout her "misadventures", Puteri crosses paths with her childhood friend Sulaiman who is handicapped, but kind-hearted.
Little does she know that Sulaiman is the one man who truly loves her, despite his physical and mental deficiencies, and she learns too late that he is Mr Right.
SAME TEAM
'Malang Si Puteri' is produced by Radius One, scripted by producer Shahrulezad Mohameddin and directed by Uchee Fukada.
Fasha hopes that her new drama series will repeat the success of her earlier drama series 'Dendam Seorang Isteri' in 2022.
"It's the same dream team behind Malang Si Puteri. I am confident that my new drama will also be a blast," said Fasha.
PORT DICKSON
Fasha said that it was filmed between September 2023 and February in Port Dickson, Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur and Batu Pahat.
"The cinematography is world class, and our strong and experienced ensemble cast worked great together. I am confident of its success," she said.
ROLLER COASTER
Besides Fasha, 'Malang Si Puteri' also stars Wan Raja, Malek McCrone, Raja Azura, Aidit Noh and Hafreez Adam.
Fasha admitted that it was challenging playing Puteri, as the heroine's journey was a "physical and emotional roller coaster".
"I had to constantly revisit the past episode to make sure that my acting was consistent.
"It is important to make the character consistent for viewers to believe in her," she said.
MAINTAIN MOOD
Fasha said that Puteri was "not new" to her, as she had played other unlucky women in the past.
"However, none have been as unlucky as Puteri, and this is perhaps the longest drama series about such a character," she said, thanking Uchee for helping her "maintain her mood" throughout the six-month shoot.
SPECIAL CHILD
Fasha paid tribute to her co-star Hafreez, who plays Sulaiman, as a promising young star.
"Hafreez is natural on the set. He is spontaneous, knows how to get into his character and best of all, he can make me happy or sad," she said, describing Sulaiman as a special child with a heart of gold.
LET LOOSE
Fasha found getting in and out of Puteri's character a big challenge.
"It was rather stressful. To let loose, I had to go for a holiday with my family, and come back to the set later.
"And in between all this, I had to get into other characters on a couple of other drama sets, and these characters were vastly different from Puteri," said Fasha.
SHINE AS MUCH
Hafreez said that he was honoured to work with Fasha and Raja Azura for the first time, and had always admired them from afar.
"Both of them, especially Fasha, guided me a lot on the set. Fasha is one perfectionist who makes sure that the characters whom she interacts with shine as much as her own character," he said.
'Malang Si Puteri' is screened from 6pm to 7pm from Mondays to Fridays.