The comedienne broadens her showbiz career and hosts her very own talk show, writes Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli
IN a male-dominated industry, Jihan Muse managed to become a well-known comedy star in her own right. She was working as a technician when she was placed second in comedy competition Raja Lawak in 2009. Many acting opportunities came her way, prompting her to quit her technician job.
Jihan went on to participate in more comedy competitions such as Maharaja Lawak Mega, and co-host TV programmes including the hit singing competition Gegar Vaganza.
With all of these accomplishments, the 33-year-old certainly deserves a TV show of her own. Astro seems to think likewise; the Pay TV broadcaster presented her with the opportunity to come up with her own programme. “I’ve always wanted to have my own talk show, so this is a dream come true,” says Jihan.
However, she told Groove she isn’t too confident of interviewing celebrity guests on her own just yet. She will be joined in the show by co-hosts: they are singer-actress Amy Mastura, actress Zara Zya and comedian Syuk Joras.
The Astro team also suggested that the programme include a sitcom segment. “I feel more confident with that in because now the programme will be one-of-a-kind in the country,” Jihan says. “Besides, I’ll be working with my friends.”
Although the comedy bit is familiar territory, she realises she’s a novice when it comes to interviewing people. “For example, Rosyam Nor is a veteran and I’ve yet to learn how to correctly speak with someone of his stature. “I can’t just joke around like how I normally do with my fellow comedians,” Jihan explains, adding that working on the show has been a gratifying experience.
THE CONTENT
Airing Thursdays at 9.30pm on Astro Warna and Astro Mustika HD, the 13-episode Jihan Show lasts 30-minutes each episode. Interviewing celebrity guests is only half the challenge for Jihan. The other half is making sure the show is a hit, since it has her name.
“I did tell them to use a different name!” Jihan says indignantly with a laugh. “It’s a huge responsibility, you know.”
Since this is her very own show, she is naturally worried about response from the public. “I suppose facing possible criticism is part of the job. Everyone has different tastes after all.”
Meanwhile, the Jihan Show is Astro Warna’s first programme that is targeted at women, as all 13 episodes will touch on current women-related issues. Jihan had a lengthy discussion with her creative team on the show’s content. Although the sitcom is the more dominant segment, she considers the talk show segment as just as important.
“We refrained from touching on issues where the female gender is the superior one,” Jihan explains.
“Sometimes we explore a woman’s topic from a man’s viewpoint. That’s why we have Syuk and male celebrity guests for their thoughts and comments.”
Jihan stresses that the comedy segment is not a spontaneous sketch but a sitcom, where the cast must follow a script. “We couldn’t strictly follow the guidelines as we tend to ad-lib, but at the same time, we don’t have as much freedom as when we work on comedy sketches.”
That was why she picked Zara and Amy, whom she views as good actresses, as her co-hosts on the show.
“They respected the script, which is a plus point. I wanted artistes who are disciplined and follow the guidelines.”
THE GANG
As the showrunner, Jihan was given the chance to choose her own co-hosts. She was quick to name Zara and Amy. “We’re all petite; I wanted to show viewers that although we look small, we bite!”
Jihan reveals that she chose Amy because she is a huge fan of the singer. “Years ago, I actually paid RM30 to register as a member of her fan club!”
Meanwhile, Zara and Jihan are friends, but they had never worked together previously. “Initially, I wasn’t sure if there would be chemistry onscreen, but thankfully the show turned out great!”
She says Syuk’s comedic performance adds flavour to hers. Syuk’s addition is also to give some gender balance to the female-dominated team. “We have worked together often, and he’s a good friend so the chemistry is undoubtedly there.
“Plus, I got to do the show, so I felt the need to share my blessings with my
good friends.”
On the possibility that her co-stars will overshadow her, Jihan says she isn’t the least bit worried. “I’m steering the ship, but I still need assistance to reach our destination. Teamwork is key.
“If I think my co-stars can perform better than me, or have a better punch line than mine, I’d let them take the spotlight. I don’t like to hog it.”
THE GUESTS
Each episode will feature one or two top local celebrities. Among them are Datuk Rosyam Nor, Fahrin Ahmad, Amar Baharin, Tomok, Aiman Tino and Mark Adam.
“Actually there were other artistes, including my comedian friends, whom I wanted for the show, but they couldn’t commit to our filming schedule.”
The guests are mostly male, and it was intentional so as to balance thedynamics with the co-hosts.
Only two are female, namely Elly Mazlein and Sharifah Shahirah. They were chosen to suit the topics for the respective episodes.
Another guest is Daniel Tyler, better known to Malaysians as Mat Dan, the Brit who speaks fluent Malay with a Terengganu accent. When asked about her experience working with him, Jihan says: “Tak ada masa nak borak (We didn’t have time to chat)!”
The show was recorded in a rush, with two episodes wrapped up per day, so Jihan didn’t have time to mingle with the guests.
“Still, I’m glad that Mat Dan accepted our invitation to be on the show.”
Jihan Show airs Thursdays at 9.30pm on Astro Warna (Channel 132) and Astro Mustika HD (Channel 134).