Noreen Ashikin Abdul Rahim, or more popularly known as Reen Rahim, started carving a name for herself in the entertainment world since 2011, after winning the third season of reality show "Pilih Kasih" and it wasn't long before she was picked by drama producers to star in her first drama series, 2012's "Aku Tak Percaya Cinta". Ever since then, Reen's popularity continued growing and she received more acting offers from producers and directors. Most recently, Reen can be seen in the Raya movie called "Syif Malam Raya", which started airing on the on-demand channel, Astro First, since 21 May. It was well-received, making RM1.6 million in just four days. The movie, directed by Professor Dato' Dr. A Razak Mohaideen, follows Zaid and Hisyam who are not saddened by the fact that their leave applications for Raya have been rejected due to them being tasked to deliver a body to Ipoh on Raya night. While on the way, they give a lift to Mira and Yoh who are returning to their village for Raya, but strange things then begin to happen. Aside from Reen, the movie also stars many popular comedians such as Atu and Shariff from Zero, Ropie, Saiful Apek, Danial Lawak Solo, Azlee Senario, Emelda Rosemila, Nadia Brian, Sheila Mambo and YouTube celebrities, Yoe Pare, Asif Suhaimi and Syahmi Sazly. Cinema Online recently had the opportunity to interview the talented actress, who shared with us her experience filming the horror comedy. Read on below for our interview with Reen Rahim.
Cinema Online: Can you tell us about your character in "Syif Malam Raya"? Reen: In this movie, I play the character Mira, who is also the older sister of Yoh, played by YouTube celebrity Yoe Parey. Mira is someone who is very protective of her younger brother. What made you want to be part of this movie? One of the reasons why I agreed to star in the movie is its director, Razak Mohaideen. I grew up with comedies directed by Razak Mohaideen, such as "Anak Mami", so I did not want to miss this chance to be involved in a comedy movie helmed by this great director because I previously acted in a Razak Mohaideen movie, "Soulmate Hingga Jannah", but it was not a comedy. Since more than 50% of the cast are comedy actors, was the filming process tough for you? Not at all. I was very happy on set throughout the filming and did not feel pressured at all because I was always laughing when I was with them. Even though they are "otai" (a Malay slang for anyone who is an expert in a certain field) in the comedy world, but they are very humble and generously share their knowledge with all the actors. It made the atmosphere on set very harmonious. Every actor has his or her own challenges in portraying a role, so what were the challenges that you faced during filming? Honestly, I did not face any challenges during filming because all the cast, director and production crew were very committed. I also had no trouble portraying my character because I would make sure to rehearse and discuss with the director and cast before we begin shooting. Any comment regarding "Syif Malam Raya", which was supposed to be released in cinemas but then shifted to Astro First? I was actually quite sad when I learned that the movie will not have a theatrical release as cinemas nationwide have been temporarily closed due to the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO). Since the movie's theme is Hari Raya, I think producers had to make the decision to screen the movie on another platform and not delay its release like other movies. Nevertheless, I am hoping that the movie will be able to attract viewers to start watching Hari Raya-themed movies again, which have not been produced for quite some time. Are you working on anything else? I have two more movies that are still waiting for release dates, which is horror movie "Town Mall" and the other one is "Omerta". However, for new projects post-Hari Raya, I can't reveal any of them yet because all the projects have to be postponed due to CMCO. So I'll have to wait before I can make any announcement regarding my new projects. (Photo source: Reen Rahim's Instagram)