#SHOWBIZ: Osman's tragic tale of 'girl in the well' finally hits cinemas

New Straits Times

05-05-2025

ACCLAIMED director Osman Ali took three years to complete 'Telaga Suriram', largely because of the Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the government between 2020 and 2022.
At the recent preview of 'Telaga Suriram' in Dadi Cinema, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur in Jalan Bukit Bintang, Osman said that his cast and crew took a six-month break, so filming was only wrapped up in a year.
"It was very tricky; the actors and actresses could not alter their appearances too much, so everybody watched their weight and looks.
"And as for the titular character Suriram, I had a substitute for her in certain scenes where she appears as a ghost.
"The brilliant young star, Puteri Rafasya, grew considerably over the months so she could not be Suriram in all her appearances, alive or as a ghost."
GOPENG
Osman also said that the characters of Maimon played by Nabila Huda Suhaimi and Rohaya played by Maya Karin were multi-faceted and "deep", and their emotional scenes underwent many takes.
The film's rating is 16, and Osman avoided sensitive scenes all the way.
"I did a lot of self-censorship, I minimised violence and did not show any suggestive scenes, only suggestive dialogue."
Osman filmed the RM3 million 'Telaga Suriram' in three locations namely Kodiang in Kedah, Kangar in Perlis and Gopeng in Perak.
He said: "I chose to have missing children as the theme of the movie because they often become the focus of the community, and this has been going on for ages.
"Although most cases are solved by the authorities, there are also a few that remain mysteries."
Osman added that according to folklore, many old wells are haunted and are believed to take human lives especially children who wander away from their homes and get lost.
"So, I thought it would be very interesting to produce a story that combines mystical elements with beliefs that have been passed down."
MYSTERY
Produced by Odissi Creative Sdn Bhd, 'Telaga Suriram' is about 9-year-old Suriram whose disappearance becomes a ghost story to her fellow villagers.
Her mother Rohaya (Maya) and father Sopiyan (Indonesian actor Fauzi Baadilla) frantically search for her, and with the help of their headman's son Zakir (Farid Kamil) and the no-nonsense district police chief ASP Karmila (Scha Alyahya), they finally discover that she drowned in an isolated well.
Rohaya falls into deep depression, and suspects that her late daughter's mute babysitter Maimon (Nabila Huda) killed her.
Meanwhile, Maimon's mother and village midwife Khadijah (Ellie Suriaty Omar) strongly protests her daughter's innocence and tries to convince the villagers that Suriram's tragic death could have been the work of people close to her as well as those "in high places".
The film's producer Yus Yusop said: "The film, which we produced in 2022, underwent a meticulous process from script to post-production. That is why it took three years to complete, and I'm happy with the end result."
EMOTIONAL POWERHOUSE
Scha said that 'Telaga Suriram' was her first collaboration with Osman.
"Ellie was our acting coach and I thank her for helping me play the tough, no-nonsense Karmila," she said.
Puteri Rafasya, who plays Suriram, is excited to be a major character for the first time.
"I love this movie because it carries important lessons about family, friendship and vengeance," she said.
Nabila Huda said that the movie was an emotional powerhouse all the way.
"It is one of my most taxing movies and my character Maimon suffered a lot.
"She was literally thrown into the lake, trapped in a crashed car, caged and pelted with mud and rocks, pushed into the mud, beaten with sticks and kicked to the ground."
Maya said that the biggest challenge everyone had was to go in and out of their characters.
"No thanks to the pandemic and the MCO, filming started and stopped before resuming, and it was a tricky process for everyone.
"As for Fauzi, he is a great actor and played his character to perfection, the only good guy amongst the men in the story."
Farid said that he was playing a crooked politician for the first time, and it is a stark contrast from playing an upright one in a prominent Malaysian leader's biopic two years ago.
"The most unusual thing we encountered during filming was the presence of fearsome tigers!
"A couple of them were spotted in the jungle close to our filming location, and everyone had to keep quiet and not go near them," he said.
Ellie said that 'Telaga Suriram' marked her first starring role in an Osman movie.