Author|Post time 3-4-2019 09:39 AMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Okay this is the only article yg aku jumpa via google. Wpun aku tau rakyat msia tidak gemar membaca, tapi aku tepek la jugak. Panjang la nak baca tp at least dpt overview on the whole idea of this series.
#Showbiz: String of devotions
MARCH 1, 2019 @ 4:18PM
BY AREF OMAR
LAST year saw the release of three locally produced web series that offered Malaysians an alternative to the usual dramatic fare on TV. Presented as original series on Viu, they were the dark comedy Salon, legal investigative drama Jibril and police procedural thriller The Bridge.
Keeping with this mode in offering more gritty and unique fare for an urban audience, the Hong Kong-based video streaming service has come up with Devoted.
The 10-episode web series is produced by Serpentiga Films and features a battle of wits and tug of war conflict between two opposing main characters played by Iman Corinne Adrienne and Sharnaaz Ahmad.
When met during a location shoot for the series in the Tun Hussein Onn Memorial in Kuala Lumpur, the two, as well as supporting actors Faizal Hussein and Tehmina Kaoosji, were excited to be working on something different. Described as neo-noir, Devoted is a family thriller with psychological edge and depth.
It focusses on Eva, a career-driven wife and mother, whose world turns upside-down when her husband Rizal and son Mika disappear. She later discovers that they have been recruited by an organisation called Nusantopia, based in a beautiful eco resort built and maintained by its members.
The group’s aim is to create a refuge for the alienated in the modern world and to build a new society based on communal values, with a return to self-sufficiency and a deeper meaning in life. Despite being warned to let the authorities do their job, Eva goes on to infiltrate the organisation and eventually, learns that paradise is not what it seems at all.
RELATABLE ISSUES
“These are modern times and we’re presenting a modern story that people will be able to relate to. It will touch on family dynamics, gender roles and other things that are happening now,” says Corinne, 40.
Her character, Eva, is a career woman more by necessity rather than ambition and is determined to support her family by whatever means. This unfortunately comes at the expense of missing out on quality time with them. “Eva is a strong woman, always in control of her fate in her career but her world unravels when they disappear and she is forced to question her role as parent and spouse,” she explains.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Eva strives to rectify what she sees as her own fault and takes on a proactive approach, stopping at nothing to rescue her loved ones and reclaim the life that they once cherished together.
“She really loves her family and is devoted to them in her own way but fate has thrown her a curve ball, so she has to step up.” The actress and producer had also starred in Salon.
Eva’s unemployed husband Rizal, played by Aqasha, is a casualty of the faltering economy; he loses his self-worth when his wife becomes the sole breadwinner. This in turn leads him to become easily influenced by Nusantopia’s ideology of empowering the male.
After joining the deviant group, where he finds a sense of belonging, an unfolding sequence of events will see him making a choice as to where his true devotion really lies. Corinne says that her onscreen 10-year-old son Mika, played by Gen Darwish, has his own issues to deal with in the upturned household.
“He loves his mother but feels neglected, and clings to his father for support. Yet when he loses his mother, he yearns for her. He’s torn between his loyalty towards his mother and father.”
MASTER MANIPULATOR
The antagonist of the story is Nusantopia’s charismatic founder and leader, Iskandar, who is portrayed by a suave-looking Sharnaaz Ahmad.
“He’s a master manipulator with a silver tongue,” says the 33-year-old actor of his sociopathic cult leader role. Iskandar’s doctrine is centred on an aversion to the hyper-competitive modernising world that he believes emasculates men and leaves women uncared for.
His solution is the enforcement of strict gender roles where men should be alpha males who protect and provide for women, who, in turn, act as their vital supporters.
Nusantopia is his vehicle for gaining power and dominance over society. “He easily sways people to his philosophies and gets them to devote themselves to his cause and organisation, which initially starts off as an alternative movement but later, evolves into a militant uprising.”
As Eva delves deeper into the organisation, she is taken aback to discover her family is happier than they ever were with her. She also begins to fall for Iskandar’s charms and his plans for a New World Order, which is far from the heartless demands of the urban rat race. “But some major events happen and she must then face her demons and save her family,” says Corinne.
ATYPICAL DRAMA
Sharnaaz points out that “this is not our typical Malay drama on TV. It’s a layered storyline with lots of great characters and depth.”
He adds: “The acting is subtle and nuanced, with no overreacting. And it’s got a great storyline. That’s why I was very excited to work on this project.”
Actress Tehmina Kaoosji, 34, agrees, saying it was a joy and a challenge to take on a role in the web series. “I play Kay, Iskandar’s terrifying, ruthless and brutal henchwoman,” referring to her badass role.
She heads the women’s programme at Nusantopia, which trains female members on how to be the best wife and helpmate to their male partners.
“But she had plans of her own and it’s going to be exciting for viewers to find out what happens as the story progresses,” says the KL-based TV host and media personality of Persian and Chinese descent.
Devoted also features Faizal Hussein as former high-flying police officer Musa. His overzealous pursuit of Nusantopia leads him to neglect his wife and daughter and to overlook the personal risks to his family, which leads to a tragic end. Musa blames himself and quits the force but his personal quest to uncover the secrets of Nusantopia continues.
“My character,” says the 51-year-old award-winning actor, “also has an emotional connection to Eva since she was his former flame. The name of the show, Devoted, has many meanings and implications. For Musa, the question of who he is devoted to arises. His family? His job? The truth?”
Faizal adds that he feels very grateful to be able to star in a show like this, which gives him the opportunity to up his acting game and to get physical as well. “There are a few action scenes and that was fun to do. After all, age is just a number.” The actor who also appears in the latest season of popular US-UK action series, Strike Back.
NEW WORKFLOW
Faizal discloses that the working process on Strike Back was similar to Devoted in that they feature multiple directors during the course of filming.
“With Devoted, we have four directors, with Tony Pietra Arjuna heading the team. So they helm different episodes and this provides variations to the overall production while keeping to the main vision set by Tony. The four also help to speed up the shooting process and save time since we can be working simultaneously on different units.
“It’s a different way of working compared to the typical local drama productions,” he says.
The actor explains that the way the show is shot is also “fresh” by local standards. “Viewers will not know initially if my character is actually a good guy or the villain. There will be flashback scenes and the narrative moves forwards and back, so it’s an interesting way of telling the story.”
Corinne and Sharnaaz agree that Devoted presents a new vision in storytelling that ups the benchmark.
“This is something new for me to do,” says Sharnaaz, “and the production is trying to put in more quality, like the works from Singapore or Thailand. The story is strong and not straightforward.”
Corinne adds that one of the production’s inspirations while developing the story was Michael Mann’s Heat from the 1990s, which starred Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. “We took inspiration from the neo-noir genre, where every character is strong and has depth. The roles have ambiguity and are at times subtle and indirect. So the banter between Iskandar and Eva has a lot of elements of new-noir. I don’t think there has ever been a neo-noir thriller before in Malaysia. I’m really grateful that Viu gave us this opportunity to do a series like this.”
The initial story was written for a feature film but got turned into a web mini series after Viu came on board. It’s been a labour of love for Corinne, who has worked on it for the last four years. The 10 hour-long episodes will feature many strong female supporting roles and cameos by talented women.
Says Corinne, “We managed to get fabulous people like Nadiah Aqilah, Fazlina Ahmad Daud, Sarah Ali and Alicia Amin. We pushed for strong women roles and we want to change things. We also hope that this story, which is about love and family, will be able to travel and that people around the world will take notice.”
She adds: “We are experiencing an awakening now. With quite a number of local productions appearing on streaming services that have global potential, I’m upbeat about more local productions making an impact overseas.”
Author|Post time 3-4-2019 07:04 PMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
haiku replied at 2-4-2019 02:49 PM
Hopefully ramai yg menonton.
To TT, someone from production team suruh cakap TQ sebab buka threa ...
Ko cuba tanya someone from the production team, knp tak buat press conference mcm dorang buat for salon/jibril/bridge. Aku x nampak media bg publisiti langsung kecuali kat artikel di nst tu. Camno orang nak tau khennn..
Post time 11-4-2019 01:09 AMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
awal2 dulu rasanya susan lankester ada up kat ig pasal devoted. tengok main character sharnaaz terus mcm turn off. sbb tak minat lakonan dia. ni dah baca sinopsis ni, rasa cam ok la. nak tengok. hehe
Post time 2-4-2019 12:28 PM
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