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New Straits Times

#SHOWBIZ: Horror, fantasy are teen Puteri Rafasya's picks

SHE stamped her presence in Malaysian cinema by playing a tragic, little girl who becomes a ghost in the well — and Puteri Rafasya Abdul Rauf is just getting started. Puteri Rafasya has been acting for eight years now and director Osman Ali's 'Telaga Suriram' is actually her second movie role. The 14-year-old child starlet made her silver screen debut in 'Seratus' two years ago, and that was an action adventure with 100 cameos and main stars who included Datuk Awie, Adam Shahz, Isyariana Azmi, Fezrul Khan, Alif Satar, Sara Ali, Sharul Kamal and herself. In a recent interview to mark the premiere of 'Telaga Suriram', Puteri Rafasya said: "It's a little creepy to play a ghost in my very first leading role, but that's a role with an impact." Puteri plays 9-year-old Suriram, a dead village girl for 75 per cent of the two-hour horror, and she is an innocent victim of a heinous crime committed by a person with power. "While the thought of playing a dead person does send a bit of chill down my spine, but it was more of a rest and relax moment. "I was, however, mentally alert throughout my 'dead' scenes, always thinking of what the director would order me to do next," said Puteri Rafasya. COMMERCIALS Puteri Rafasya has been acting since she was six, in dramas and television commercials. "My first drama series was 'Ustaz Pink' in 2019, a romantic comedy headline by Nazim Othman and Farah Nabilah. "And then, I had my first Viu drama titled 'Restu' last year." Puteri Rafasya said 'Restu' was great fun, and she played the daughter of a single father played by her favourite actor Datuk Remy Ishak. As his daughter, she helped him find his Miss Right, from four beauties played by Wanna Ali, Elizabeth Tan, Ahirine Ahirudin and Siti Elizad Sharifuddin. "I enjoyed working with Remy, he's very friendly and a gentleman. That's why I always call him Hero Malaya." PAIRED In 'Telaga Suriram', Puteri is delighted to play the daughter of Maya Karin who is often paired with Remy and is her favourite actress alongside Nabila Huda Suhaimi. In fact, Nabila Huda plays her babysitter and best friend and she got to spend a lot of screen time with the daughter of rock legend Datuk Amy of Search. "I admire Nabila for her versatility and the fact that she also began her acting career while still in school. "As for Maya, I love her versatility in acting, singing and hosting television programmes. "I also loved her role as a tragic vampire in the Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam movies." STRICT It is Puteri Rafasya's first time being directed by Osman Ali. While she initially thought he would be a strict man, she was delighted to learn that he was a gentleman who was nice to her throughout their year-long shoots in Perak, Kedah and Perlis. "Osman always made sure I was all right and often reminded the cast and crew to make sure she had enough rest," she said. Puteri Rafasya had a pleasant surprise when she met actress Scha Alyahya's daughter Lara Alaina Awal, 10, who visited the set once. She bonded well with the former 'Muzik Muzik' host who played a tough policewoman, ASP Karmila. Actor Farid Kamil was also a great friend of Puteri Rafasya on the set of the movie, even though he played one of the bad guys. "Unfortunately, I did not get to meet his daughter Aurora, 10, as she seldom visits her parents on location," said Puteri Rafasya. COACH As for Ellie Suriaty Omar, she was a great acting coach who made the job easy for Puteri Rafasya. "Kak Ellie told me to always get into character and not think of the real world outside the set. "Getting into character is the key to becoming a good actress." Puteri Rafasya was born in Kuala Lumpur and is the eldest of three siblings. She is paternally Kelantanese and maternally Penangite. "I love horror movies and would love to star in more of them. "But not as a victim but a survivor who defeats the monsters." FANTASY Puteri Rafasya also loves fantasy movies and animated movies and would love to do voice-over work for local animated movies. "I always love 'Spirited Away' by Ghibli Studios and 'The Lion King' by Disney." Puteri Rafasya however admits that she is rather serious and not a fan of comedies. "Nevertheless, there is no harm acting in comedies as long as my character is serious, yet funny." Puteri Rafasya's dream role is to be a character who can be good and bad at the same time. "Morally ambiguous characters are fascinating, such as Harley Quinn of DC Comics and Jack Sparrow of 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'," she said. FUTURE In future, Puteri Rafasya would love to team up with Nabila, Maya, Remy and Farid in different types of movies, playing characters vastly different from 'Telaga Suriram' and 'Restu'. "Every movie and drama is an adventure for me, and while I may not be physically travelling to different destinations, getting into a brand new role is as good as doing so," she said.