Dr Siti Hasmah's love story and sacrifices to be made into movie

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 -- The love story and sacrifices over six decades of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, will be filmed in a love biopic called, ‘Hasmah-Bila Deh Bertemu Det’.

To be produced by Tune Production, it will feature Farah Nadia Azinal Abidin better known as Nad as Siti Hasmah while actor Hasnul Rahmat  will play the role of Dr Mahathir.

Managing director Hafiz Rozlan said the film would kick off its 65-day filming in March, which will include locations in Perak, Kedah, Singapore, Kobe (Japan) and New York and is expected to be released by the end of next year.

He said the film is based on the true story of Dr Siti Hasmah since young to her schooling days and every scene would be filmed without any added twists or turns from the actual scenario.

"The film is a biopic and a love story of Dr Siti Hasmah, the grief, the bittersweet and the obstacles she has gone through as the wife of the prime minister," said Hafiz at the pre-launch ceremony of the film which was officiated by the Communications and Multimedia Deputy Minister, Eddin Syazlee Shith here today.

Hafiz said he has yet to name the film director as he is still in the process of evaluating the most qualified and best candidates.

“The writing of the script is now in progress and is expected to be ready by the end of this month. We will double check with Dr Siti Hasmah herself to ensure its authenticity.

"Apart from making Dr Siti Hasmah’s biography as the main reference, we will also ask her to share with us incidents with Dr Mahathir which are not in the book," he said.

Meanwhile, Nad who had been dreaming to work in a biopic could not believe the offer to play a national icon landed on her lap.

“To prepare for this character I have been attending violin classes for over a month and have also watched Tun (Dr Siti Hasmah) interview videos as well as read her biography. I will be meeting her in person soon to get to know her better,” she said.

Eddin Syazlee said the film should not only be viewed in the context of its content that elevates woman's sacrifices as a wife of a leader but also as a treasure and legacy to the country.

“If films that revolve around ‘First Lady’ like ‘Jackie’ (United States), Evita (Argentina) and Habibie and Ainun (Indonesia) could be successfully made, I believe 'Hasmah-Bila Deh Bertemu Det’ would be well-received domestically and internationally too,” he said.

-- BERNAMA