Erma Fatima’s beloved village entrepreneur Mak Cun goes Bollywood in her second theatre outing, writes Dennis Chua.
WHEN small town Kodiang’s enterprising single mum features on the stage of Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur, she delivers non-stop laughter, with important lessons, for 150 minutes.
Mak Cun, director and actress Erma Fatima’s popular TV character, made a colourful return to the stage last Thursday night in her second theatrical adventure, Mak Cun D’Walei.
As the name suggests, the businesswoman (played by Erma herself) who vows to put the Malaysian cottage industry on the world map, heads for India to market her newfound passion, spice.
D’Walei (which means “big-hearted” in Hindi) describes Mak Cun’s honesty in championing local products and aspiring to introduce them to India. Bollywood is never far away from her mind — as soon as the curtains open, she appears colourfully dressed in Northern Indian clothes, singing and dancing alongside female dancers selling a range of spices.
Applause from the audience — and then reality sets in, revealing the dance to be a dream.
Fortunately, our heroine does get to go to India, with her Bollywood-obsessed younger sister Manisah (Datin Seri Umie Aida) tagging along. When business at her food stall is down, village headman Pak Akob (Datuk Rahim Razali) suggests that Mak Cun launch her own brand of curry powder and go global with it.
Not all paths are paved with gold, however. The sisters find Mumbai a far cry from its Bollywood image. They are surrounded by noisy peddlers pursuing them along the railway station platform. Luckily, Manisah encounters Bollywoodish Rahul (Pakistani actor Saim Ali in his Malaysian debut), while Mak Cun bumps into his roly-poly elder brother Manoj (Abam), who can speak a sprinkling of Malay. The Indians convince the Malaysians that they are the spice merchants they are looking for but little do Manisah and Mak Cun know that Rahul and Manoj are conmen.
Erma and Istana Budaya have done a great job dressing the stage Bollywood-style for Mak Cun’s trip. The Istana Budaya dancers are joined by 20 dancers from India.
They also deserve a big hand for designing a realistic backdrop for Mak Cun’s hometown, Kodiang — a breathtaking scene of Kedah’s green paddy fields amidst rolling limestone hills. Erma and Umie have a commendable grasp of Hindi while interacting with Saim, and the same can be said about Abam, who hardly knew a word of the language before Erma taught him.
Saim is eye candy, and he has good chemistry with Umie. The same goes for Abam and Erma, especially when Mak Cun prods Manoj’s belly.
Erma’s Mak Cun is less of an “activist” this time around but she still gets several important lessons across to fans. These include avoiding “sweet talk” from strangers, being considerate towards hosts, avoiding unnecessary complaints and daring to expand one’s business despite the challenges.
Of Mak Cun’s family members and neighbours in Kodiang, Balkisyh Semundur Khan steals the show as her tomboyish daughter, Saidatul. She is superb when she dodges visiting celebrity Nur Fathia Latiff’s (played by the actress herself) nasty assistant to get an autograph, and her dance with Erma, Umie and the other visiting celebrity, Amy of Search, is hilarious.
It is refreshing to see Nur Fathia and Amy play themselves in a world of fictitious characters created by Erma’s imagination. While they are not the “baddies”, Mak Cun initially sees them as such -- outsiders who use their star power to attract Kodiang’s village bazaar customers away from existing vendors.
Nur Fathia depicts herself as a diva, while Amy sings his heart out with Kerja Gila and Aku Dah Bosan. The second song is a duet with Erma, which she intentionally sings out of tune.
Kudos to music director Edry Abdul Halim for getting 10 local and 10 Bollywood tunes suited for each scene. The best among them are the themes from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Bobby and Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, Yuna’s Terukir Di Bintang and Search’s hits.
Mak Cun’s second stage outing is more entertaining than her first because of its colourful theme and the actors’ showmanship.
While she still “preaches”, Mak Cun has a lot to learn and reveals that she is human after all.
Mak Cun D’Walei
WHERE: Istana Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur
WHEN: Until Nov 13; 8.30pm
TICKETS: RM36-RM256.
CALL: 03-4026 5558