3 Nov – Lisa Surihani who won the Best Actress award on the 26th Malaysian Film Festival award ceremony held last Saturday, claimed that her victory is not hers alone, but the collective effort from all parties in the production. "This is not a one man show, it is all thanks to Bernard and the team from "Istanbul, Aku Datang", if it wasn't for them, I would not have made it this far," commented the actress at Tunku Puan Chik Tuanku Muhammad auditorium, Negeri Sembilan on 1 November 2014 where the main awards ceremony was held. The actress stated that her victory was not expected and she had thought that Ummi Nazeera from "Penanggal" would have won the award instead. Lisa also mentioned that her character in "Istanbul, Aku Datang" is not an easy role to play as it is very different from her own personality. "I am not like that. This is very different from my personality. I admitted to Bernard that it is not easy playing this role, because the character's emotion is like a roller-coaster ride," said Lisa.
She also added, "I am grateful that I am able to work with a team that is willing to share their knowledge with me since I am still learning." Moreover, Lisa admitted that she is someone who places importance on her personal acting workshop, "I think it is important for us to have acting workshops before we enter a set. This is so we can understand the character deeper." "So, this is really their win, I guess you can say that I am just a representative. I believe that it is all thanks to them who had moulded my character for "Istanbul, Aku Datang"," stressed the actress once again. "Istanbul, Aku Datang" won two awards at the event; Best Actress through Lisa Surihani and Best Original Theme Song entitled "Aku Datang", by Tomok.