Amelia Henderson's new series, Cik Ayu Mee Sanggul is a heart-warming love story that is out of the ordinary
AMELIA Henderson has been picture perfect since her pre-teen days modelling for several television advertisements in the 2000s.
Her sweet disposition and photogenic nature landed her a first major starring role as kind-hearted fairy Tinkerbell in a musical adaptation of British author J.M. Barrie's children's novel Peter Pan, staged at Istana Budaya in 2007.
A scene-stealer as the witty little fairy who made young orphan Peter fly, she is once again weaving her "magic" to bring joy to young Uwais in the real world, courtesy of her first drama series since the lockdown began.
Amelia, 25, is playing little Uwais' "fairy godmother" of sorts in Cik Ayu Mee Sanggul, a 16-episode romantic comedy produced by Suhan Movies & Trading Sdn Bhd.
Boasting a star-studded cast that also includes Aqasha Rosli, Aryan Adzrin, Aznah Hamid, Mahmud Ali Bashah, Cat Farish and Datuk Rosyam Nor, it is currently airing on Astro Ria.
YOUNG WIDOW
In a recent online interview, Amelia said that her character, the protagonist Ayu, is a young widow who always dresses in splendid kebaya outfits and thinks positively, no matter how hard things get.
"She is incredibly positive, always looking at the bright side of life," said Amelia.
An orphaned girl, Ayu is mistreated by her relatives before being rescued by the kind Tuan Baharom, played by the series' executive producer Rosyam.
"She became his wife, but sadly he died of an illness not long after their marriage.
"Nevertheless, she learnt a lot of life's lessons from him during their brief time together, and makes full use of these to make friends and thrive as a businesswoman," said Amelia, whose first Malay drama was Suhan's Pengantin 100 Hari in 2014.
LOVE AFTER MARRIAGE
The attractive young widow inherits her husband's fortune and soon sets up a mee sanggul restaurant, which is frequently patronised by a middle-aged single father Akhtar (Aqasha) and his cheerful young son Uwais (Aryan).
Amelia said: "Akhtar doesn't want anything to do with women, since he went through a painful divorce.
"However, since Ayu adores Uwais and cares for him like a mother, Akhtar reluctantly decides to marry her, even though he does not love her."
As the story unfolds, Ayu strives her best to win Akhtar's affection, and she gradually softens his heart.
"He slowly begins to respect her, as she is honest, straightforward, positive and compassionate. Most of all she truly cares for Uwais, and helps Akhtar improve his parenting skills," said Amelia.
40 KEBAYA OUTFITS
The romantic comedy is scripted by Nieza Nahar and directed by Idora Abdul Rahman.
Amelia marks her first starring role with Suhan regular Aqasha and the company's founder Rosyam, and has also created a personal record by wearing 40 kebaya outfits throughout the series.
"Wow! This is so cool! I'm hardly a kebaya person but Ayu has really made me appreciate them," said Amelia.
"They are very versatile attires, and best of all, they are truly Malaysian, a timeless heritage for all of us to cherish."
Putting on a kebaya and styling her hair in a classic 1960s look complete with a sanggul took half an hour, but Amelia felt that it was worth the wait.
"I must say, I became a modern-day Kebaya Fairy, granting little Uwais all his wishes in life!
"I just adore Aryan, because he's adorable, huggable and most of all, a natural young actor."
WORKING WITH TOP STARS
Amelia admitted that she was initially nervous working with Aqasha and Rosyam, as they had vast experience as actors compared to her.
"Fortunately, they were very friendly gentlemen who made things easy for a newcomer like me.
"Aqasha and I discussed every scene properly, likewise Rosyam and I," she said.
Aqasha, 39, described his character Akhtar as a "serious, but funny" man.
"An unhappy marriage led him to become sceptical of beautiful women, especially divorcees. However, when Ayu came into his life and charmed his son, he reluctantly chose to 'adopt' her as Uwais' 'new mum' and the only way to do so was to marry her," he said.
Aqasha likened the love story of Akhtar and Ayu to that of Captain Georg Von Trapp and his children's governess Maria Kutschera in the iconic musical film The Sound Of Music.
"In that film, a cheerful and positive-thinking governess is employed by a stern and humourless army officer, a single father, to look after his children.
"She bonds beautifully with the children, and in the process, wins over their uptight father's heart, and finally becomes their new mother," said Aqasha.
He added that Cik Ayu Mee Sanggul was somewhat similar, but set in modern-day Kuala Lumpur, and a lot more light-hearted.
SAME WAVELENGTH
Aqasha admitted that despite working together for the first time, he and Amelia got along great on the set.
"We have the same wavelength! I guess that is because both of us love romantic comedies and happy endings, as well as stories that celebrate the beauty of everyday life.
"I admit I can be a bit temperamental like Akhtar, but like Ayu, I believe that each of us is different and it is important to respect each person's preferences and choices," he said.
Describing Amelia as "wonderfully talented, committed and professional", Aqasha said that it was not easy being Ayu, but she carried her role brilliantly.
"In my honest opinion, Ayu is a role tailor-made for Amelia," he said.
FATHER FIGURE
Rosyam's character Tuan Baharom is a father figure in Ayu's life.
"Even though he is a lot older than her, Tuan Baharom loves Ayu dearly and wants her to have a bright future. Idora has done a great job bringing each character to life, and what I love most about this story is that Ayu looks for her man and not vice versa," he said.
Filming took place in Rawang in December last year and was completed in 73 days.
HEALTHIER CAT
Cat Farish, who plays Akhtar's kind uncle Hamzah, thanked Suhan for roping him into the romantic comedy.
"This is the first time I'm in a drama series with my new, slender figure," he said.
In 2019, Cat, 46, underwent bariatric surgery to combat a litany of illnesses related to weight problems over the years.
"It was a conscious decision, with full support of my loved ones, and I thank God I went for it," said Cat, who is a founding member of the hip-hop group Ruffedge.
FILM WITH LOUIS KOO
Rosyam is currently improving his mastery of information technology, especially digital technology, by producing content for his company's Suhan Channel on YouTube.
"I have two international films in the pipeline, one made in Singapore and another made in Hong Kong with Louis Koo as the main star," he said, adding that he was also appearing on Skop Productions' online crime drama series Gerak Khas Undercover.