Writer: Fanaqi N.

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Watch this if you liked: “Gerimis Mengundang” and “Hanya Aku Cinta Kau Seorang”

Lately, there have been more and more celebrities who are embracing Islam as their faith. Considering their glamorous lifestyle, one can only imagine their difficulty in making the transition as they must now devote their time to their religious studies. They must also adapt to an image that is totally different from the one they show to the public as a celebrity. All the while, they are facing indirect pressure from members of the society, critics and fans by being constantly under watch; therefore they cannot make any mistakes to spoil their "new" image in the eyes of the public.

Director Azhari Zain decides to illustrate this concept of artists converting themselves to Allah SWT with a bittersweet romance about a famous celebrity who falls in love with an ordinary Muslim girl.

In "Salam Cinta", Metrowealth's 63rd film, audiences will be able to see the strong chemistry between local heartthrob Kamal Adli and Diana Amir. Furthermore, the supporting actors Syuk Balas, Razak Ahmad, Mon Ryanti and Wan Alsyahilly have all shown brilliant acting of their characters respectively.

Honestly, before watching the movie, the reviewer predicted that Azhari Zain's directorial feature would consist of a slow story and some "laugh out loud" moments. Some even said a story like that should be shown on television instead of screening it in the cinemas. But it looks like "Salam Cinta" has proved us all wrong.

The film starts off by presenting us with the early stages of Amirul's career as an actor, where his life revolves around luxury, glamour, socializing and ladies. Later, the actor receives the offer to play a religious man, which is a role that he and his agent Shuib have been fighting for. From here, the duo approaches Haji Rahman, the so-called saviour of Amirul's career in order to obtain advice in embodying his new character. In the scene where the two meets Haji, Zain has utilized the characters Amirul and Shuib effectively to give us a great laugh.

Like what we have seen in reality, "Salam Cinta" leads us to see how various people bring trouble to popular celebrities by digging up their past and scandals when the latter is enjoying popularity and reputation among the public eye. You will feel Amirul's heart-breaking moment when his girlfriend Nadia brings forth sensational and ugly news on Amirul's crush Laila through the media. Zain did a great job in arranging the storylines to let you feel the heat especially when it comes to the scenes where Laila is being "attacked" by the reporters.

Kamal's rich acting experiences in comedy dramas such as "Apa Celok Tok" has helped him to improve his personal performance on the screen, which was previously described as unconvincing and stiff. His spontaneous type of acting in the movie is proof that the young man is ready to take his movie career to another level. Watching Diana playing Laila is as if looking at Diana's real personality in reality. She knows how to play her scenes around with a lot of emotions and tears.

Overall, "Salam Cinta", a piece that was shot around Kuala Lumpur and Morib, Selangor has the complete package and potential to be the locals' choice for September. Even though the movie does not deliver 100 per cent 'halal' content as there are a few scenes showing Amirul getting cozy with some actresses, it still provides a script that balances the glamorous aspects and Islamic issues. Most importantly the film is a lesson for us to learn the concept of fully converting to a religion and how we accept our weakness in a relationship with God's blessing.

Cinema Online, 14 September 2012