Not afraid to be controversial
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Not afraid to be controversial


Cinnamon catching up with "Jiwa Taiko" director Osman Ali.

Everyone knows that you cannot please them all and that is the situation that we have been told that local director Osman Ali is facing at the moment as a result of his latest social drama, "Jiwa Taiko", starring Remy Ishak and Diana Dianelle, which deals with gangsterism and sex. As a film director, Osman Ali has been making cinematic history with his works, which includes the controversial "Bukak Api", a story of transvestites in Kuala Lumpur and the critically acclaimed romance drama "Ombak Rindu". Cinema Online went to catch up with the "Ombak Rindu" director at the fusion food restaurant KungFu Paradise in Paradigm Mall recently to find out what is with all the controversy.

Q: Can you tell us more about the story of "Jiwa Taiko"?
Osman Ali: This film is about the lives of youths and the social problems that they are facing. In this film, we are not trying to assert the problems of social issues for the sake of it, but the consequences of very open relationships. We wanted send a message to the audience. "Jiwa Taiko" has the patterns of an action drama where I incorporated the elements of Silat as the main pillar of the fight scenes. Other than that, I also wanted to focus on the value of love and care among friends and a bit of drama. As a whole, this film tells the story of a group of people that spend their time in the community called Wira Cinta.

Q: As a director, what were the challenges you faced?
Osman Ali: It was not easy to ensure that the plot and action were coherent. I had to make sure that the narrative and the visuals were precisely taken because it is very difficult to record the fight scenes. Plus, this is also my first action film.

Q: There were several scenes in the film that had been censored but what was visualised still had a lot of excessive sensual elements present. What is your comment on that?
Osman Ali: What I was trying to show in the film is not just for the sake of showing raunchy scenes in the film, but to give the audiences a clearer picture of what is happening in certain groups of people in Malaysia that has never been exposed till now. Also, what I've shown on film is not as bad as reality. As a filmmaker, I feel that it is my responsibility to convey a moral message to the audience.

Q: What do you think about your being labelled as a 'daring' director after the controversial issues from "Ombak Rindu"?
Osman Ali: [Smiles] Truthfully, everything that happened was according to the storyline, I am not intentionally seeking for publicity by having those controversial scenes in "Ombak Rindu", and now "Jiwa Taiko". If you look at it, "Ombak Rindu" was about a woman who is prostituted and sold by her stepfather. What I incorporated in my film was in context. Another example is my movie "Cun". I tried to demonstrate the kampung values through a different perspective. For "Jiwa Taiko", it's about youths who are social misfits that were sent to a rehabilitation centre. If only audiences would pay attention to what I'm trying to deliver, those scenes probably wouldn't be deemed controversial.

Q: If there were some were to criticize your choice of the leads as inappropriate, how would you respond?
Osman Ali: There was a reson that I chose Remy Ishak and Diana Danielle. Trisya, who is played by Diana, is an urban girl who gets mixed up with theft in Kuala Lumpur while Firman, who is played by Remy is a vigilante kampung boy who was arrested by the police. It is my opinion that these two characters were suited for Remy and Diana.

Q: Were the fight scenes in the movie performed by stunt doubles or the actors themselves?
Osman Ali: This is one of the factors of why I appreciate my cast. They have put in a lot of hard work and given their fullest commitment to this movie, even though it was interrupted by some financial troubles at first. All of the action scenes in "Jiwa Taiko" are performed by the actors themselves.

Q: Did you reference other films while you were directing "Jiwa Taiko"?
Osman Ali:
I had done some research on the Japanese film "Crows Zero". I took some ideas for my camera angles and action scenes in "Jiwa Taiko" from them.

Q: How did you feel about the audiences' reactions for the screening of "Jiwa Taiko"?
Osman Ali:
I felt angry when I get negative comments about the film, but at the same time I was amazed by the conclusions they managed to draw from watching this film. Of course, I am always hopeful about receiving positive and constructive comments.

Q: What are your hopes for "Jiwa Taiko"?
Osman Ali:
I hope that all audiences, especially local ones, would give their support to my film while it is still showing. Despite the small budget, I feel that I have given audiences something different than other films. Don't forget to watch it!

Q: Thank you for your time.
Osman Ali:
You're welcome.


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