Cinema Online was lucky enough to catch up with Singaporean actor Aaron Aziz on the set of Ahmad Idham's upcoming film, "Tembus". The "Lari" actor will star with Luna Maya and Nur Fazura in the film and we asked him what was it like to star with two beautiful women, his long-time collaborator Ahmad Idham and his opinions on the "KL Gangster 2" piracy scandal. Cinema Online's interview with Aaron Aziz was conducted at WW Hotel on 3 September 2013. Hey Aaron, when it comes to this film, what do you think is the biggest problem? I have no problem with the cast and the story is also good. Just that, my last film with Idham was full-on action so this time it is more to heavy drama. The challenge in this film, I think, is due to the film being a drama, so character development is an issue. Like in TV dramas we have multiple episodes to develop characters but in film we have a limited amount of time to develop believable characters. And unlike TV dramas, we have only one shot to prove to the viewers. We also have to be fast-paced or the viewers would be bored. But there are fight scenes in the film right? Yes, there is, but not that much. There are no fighters in this film. Idham said he does not want to sell the action in this film; he wanted to sell the drama. Tell us more about your character, Hari? Hari appears to be a good husband and a gentleman, but in truth he has a secret and when that secret is exposed, he is forced to tell his wife what he had done. Now that worsens his relationship with his wife. Actually, he already has a problem with his wife, but the whole time he has been patient as he knows his position or standing in that family is not as good as his wife. It's more like his wife is the boss of the family. The responsibility as a father and mother is taken on by Hari as his wife is the breadwinner in the family. What is it like to work with Luna Maya and how did you build chemistry with her? Well when I first met Maya, Idham came to me and said that Luna told him that in Indonesia, a week before the shooting, they should have a group meeting to get to know each other so he told me to go over and get to know her. So yeah, I do talk to her when I have the chance. Anyway, I am trained so that even if I don't know who I am acting with, there is no problem. I don't feel like I have to take the steps to talk and get to know everyone to feel comfortable but I did do that so Luna felt more comfortable. As far as I know, Luna is okay. She does not act like a diva, she is cool and relaxed. I was afraid about getting rough with her during acting but she's cool. She's not like other actors and actresses that will start complaining.
So what is it like working with Idham? Well, he is very easy-going. There are no barriers between him and his actors. He is also flexible and very understanding. I have known him for quite a while so I know what kind of person he is and what kind of vision he has. Basically, I understand him, so I'm not worried. So what is your shooting schedule like now? It is not that packed, it is more like I am doing it one at a time. Actually, after Raya holidays, I was supposed to be involved in "Adam Dan Hawa" but it got postponed to next year. Then, coincidentally, Idham made me an offer. Do you intend to direct a project in the near future and if so, would it be a drama or a film? Well if god wills it, a film next year. I first have to gather some wealth to invest in my own project. If god wills it, I could start in early 2014. Could you comment on the KL Gangster issue? Well, perhaps there is some benefit to the film. With all this publicity, you will never know. You know when the Hollywood films get pirated before they hit the local cinemas and when it does screen, there would still be lots of people who go to watch at the cinemas anyway. Maybe all this bad publicity will attract people to watch the film because no matter how good the pirated copy is, you won't get the same quality as the real thing. However, I do hope the authorities will do something as if this drags on too long, it could generate millions of ringgit in losses. It is like someone taking your work and selling it somewhere else.