Young and talented Sharifah Amani has starred in several local screen hits. While fans can look forward to many more after Raya, writes SHUIB TAIB, none are as yet her dream roles.

ALTHOUGH she has acted in so many movies, award-winning actress Sharifah Amani (Nani) has yet to land her dream role.

Needless to say, the characters she has been playing thus far are meaty and challenging, but Nani thinks her best role is still out there.

‘I believe that if you want your perfect role, you have to write your own script.’

Nani hopes to play a serial killer someday. But one thing is pretty clear, Nani hasn’t played the ‘beautiful girl’ yet.
‘You know, roles for tall, lanky and sexy starlets. As someone said, these are Fasha Sanda’s and Fazura’s territory.

But having said that, some parts of me say, that’s okay, girl.

‘I don’t need those roles and I always get the smart girl roles anyway. If I were to do that kind of role in the future, I think I would play something like Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, because it’s not easy to play stupid,’ explained Nani.

Nani, who has several projects to complete after Raya, is looking forward to working with Aziz M.Osman, Badarudin Azmi, Saiful Apek and Fasha Sanda, her co-stars in the upcoming Cicak-Man 2.

In the movie, Nani plays Iman, a blind girl who is also the landlady’s daughter.

Then, there is 1957: Hati Malaya which will also be released after Raya. Nani will find this challenging as she will play two characters.

Her role in the present time is as Ani, while in the past, she is Aishah. Ani is an UiTM student who studies about Merdeka with friends to come out with a book. While doing so, they get sucked into the past. That’s when she becomes Aishah.

‘Aishah is a seamstress. Those days ladies would gather at tailor shops to talk about politics while the guys would go to coffee-shops to do that. So Aishah’s shop becomes one of the ladies’ lepak grounds, if you like, and the shop is situated next to the coffee shop owned by Kavitha Sidhu.

‘Every now and then, politicians would drop in. The movie revolves around two prominent characters, Tunku and Onn. These are very challenging characters because whoever plays them must get them right. That means from the way Tunku walks, talks, etc. And they can’t change the facts or the audience will be insulted.

‘My character is fictional, so it is flexible,’ explained Nani whose new hairdo makes her look rather spiffy.

Nani, who will also appear in Muallaf in which she acts with her sister Sharifah Aleysha, was elated to hear that the movie has been passed by the censorship board. It is expected to be screened early next year.

“In Muallaf, ‘Ani, my character is very interesting. Though young, she has gone through a lot of trauma in her life. But she doesn’t hold grudges and leaves it all to God. God and her sister are two of the most important influences in her life,’ explained Nani.

If her character Orked in Sepet is considered to be similar to Nani in real life, what about Ani?

‘In some ways I’m quite cynical. Ani is an optimist. Ani is the kind who accepts whatever life throws at her, good or bad. The two sisters then meet a guy named Brian who leads a topsy-turvy life. He fights with his mother all the time and went through something terrible in the past.

‘I think Yasmin (Ahmad) is trying to show how two people who have had a terrible past handle themselves. Basically, what happens if you leave it up to God or if you keep it to yourself. I admit I’m not the kind of person who just can let go, forgive and forget. It’s not easy, I’m human.

‘So to play this character who has had her head shaven and beaten up is interesting. My hair was long, black and silky.

‘It takes a while to grow back. In the film, she didn’t get a nice clean shave, she got nicked. Brian has it worse but I’m not telling,’ explained Nani.

Nani adds that it was so much fun playing Ani that when shooting took place in Ipoh, she became ‘Ani’ almost immediately.

‘So much so that when things go wrong, I don’t pull my hair. I just accepted it, as Ani would. It felt kind of nice, actually,’ said Nani.

What is it like to play alongside your sister Aleysha?

‘To live with them is already very difficult. My sisters are very different from one another. Sometimes, we ask, who are your parents, ah? No seriously, I’m very, very proud of Aleysha. Leysha (her nickname) is playing herself actually.

‘When Yasmin wrote the character, she was thinking about Leysha. I think she got the best out of her. In the movie, Leysha plays Ana. Her mother is a theologist who studies religion. This is why Ani is affected by Islam, God and all. They read the Bible and the Quran and she would quote from them. Her character is so cool.

‘Ani is the kind of person I would love to be — very calm, very forgiving, very loving, unconditionally. I definitely want to be her friend. As for Leysha, before the movie, she wanted to be a vet, but after doing the movie, she now wants to be a theologist. That is the kind of impact it has left,’ said Nani, whose screen hits include Sepet, Gubra, Cinta, Mukhsin, Puaka Tebing Biru, Gol & Gincu, Possess, Mimpi Moon and Selubung.

Has she seen Muallaf?

‘Yes. I’m my worse critic and I don’t like any of the films I’m in. I think I’m the worst actress ever. But when Mama said ‘I didn’t see Orked in there anywhere’, I thought Alhamdullillah! The thing is, I was so scared Orked would ‘come out”. Thank God she didn’t,’ said Nani.