The latest 8TV drama series opens a new discussion on the realm of dead, writes Loong Wai Ting
HAVE you ever wonder what happens when a person dies? Will he or she be reincarnated into a new being with a new personality?
The idea of rebirth is present in many ancient cultures and religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism and mentioned in the writings of ancient philosophers like Pythagoras, Plato and Socrates.
Sometimes reincarnation also touches on the supernatural realm. Some see it as a mythical concept, with spirits travelling between worlds.
The latest 8TV drama, Unchained Fate, opens up a new discussion on the realm of dead through the experiences of a funeral director.
In this supernatural, sci-fi-themed series, three youngsters must work together in order to stop evil forces from destroying the world. They have three magic crystals which give their owners incredible abilities.
The Red Phoenix Stone enables its owner to communicate with the “other world”, the Yellow Tiger Crystal gives its wearer immense power and the last crystal, Blue Dragon Stone, has the ability to control time.
The 13-episode series is shot mostly in and around Klang Valley. Its cast includes former Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant second runner-up Lenna Lim, former 8TV host Rickman Chia, Jack Tan (the othe half of the popular singing duo Thomas And Jack), Allan Toh, Rabbit Chen and Agnes Wong. The series also stars Mandy Chen, Kopi Lim and Tan Hau Yen.
For Lim, playing her first action-oriented role proved to be too much to handle for the usually quiet and reserved beauty.
“Sometimes it makes me wonder why I put myself through this hardship?” says the 28-year-old Pahang-born with a laugh.
To prepare for her role, Lim underwent vigorous training in basic martial arts and stunts.
“I was pushed against walls and learnt how to take hit after hit. There were also a lot of wirework stunts. It’s an interesting job but I may need to re-think the options if I’m offered another action role,” she says with a laugh.
In the series, Lim plays Xiyi, who is adopted by Ke Wei (Rabbit Chen) after her parents’ death. Xiyi is curious about her biological parents but her enquiries are often met with silence. It isn’t until she meets with Master Loong that the mystery of her origin slowly unravels. Like her mother, Xiyi also works as a funeral director.
“Playing a funeral director is not easy because the job requires a lot of attention to details and compassion. I spent a lot time doing research in order to understand the profession better. It’s very interesting and challenging at the same time,” says Lim, who admits she felt a little confused after reading the script for the first time.
She says: “The idea was quite new to me and I found it hard to grasp the themes behind each incident. It was only after we started filming that I able to understand the director’s and scriptwriter’s intentions.”
Tan, otherwise known as Ah Zhe among his fans, says he enjoyed working with Lim. The series marked their first time working together. “I first met her when we filmed the teaser together. We share a common passion in sports, particularly cycling. She’s a cool person and doesn’t talk much on the set,” says Ah Zhe.
In the series, the boyish actor, who is also a skilled car drifter in real life, gets to show off his drifting and fighting skills. But because of his injury, Ah Zhe had to skip some of the training.
“I have a back problem which requires me to rest a lot. I can perform some of the basic kicks and punches but had to skip the more physically-demanding stunts,” he says.
Unchained Fate airs Fridays at 8.30pm on 8TV. Details at www.tonton.com.my.