AFTER the successful run of Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam last year, director Shuhaimi Baba is back with a sequel. Almost all the cast members are back along with the same production team.  

Shuhaimi Baba

Shuhaimi believes this film is much better than the first one as her cast and crew are already familiar with each other and worked twice as hard. Naturally her expectations of the film are also high. 

“People are still talking about the first film and furthermore we should always hope for the best. We are positive because the film delves into legend and folklore which is part of our culture,” she explains.  

Actress Maya Karin adds: “Everything is up a notch for the second film. I’m very confident with this movie.” 

Actor Rosyam Nor who plays one of the supporting cast says: “The cast and crew are all professionals and that level of commitment brought together a great team. This comes across in the film.” 

Two months prior to the shoot which took them to places like Selangor, Malacca and Wono Sobo in Indonesia, the cast rehearsed with the help of acting and dance teachers. 

Actors Rosyam and Rusdi Ramli had to learn the kuda kepang dance and Rosyam confessed to having a bit of a difficult time learning the routine as he cannot dance.  

Shuhami says: “Choreographer Zarida Malik and her male dancers trained Rosyam and Rusdi. They had never danced before but they had to do it because one of the most crucial scenes sees them dancing. I was a bit of a slave driver, but in the end they realised it helped them in playing their characters.” 

The second movie kicks off with Maria leading a quiet life under the care of a kuda kepang master. However, the pontianak is still not satisfied with her revenge and now wants her life back. The spirit of Meriam returns to possess Maria.  

To make sure that she had all the facts about the traditional dance right, Shuhaimi did some in depth research on the kuda kepang which is practised in Johor, and went as far as Indonesia to trace its origins.  

“I realised that the kuda kepang version we have is far removed from the one in Jogja. The music, the movements and the dance are all very different. I had to find the middle ground from what we have and Jogja’s version. I also had to learn and observe how the dancers go into a trance.” 

Based on folklore, the kuda kepang dancers can fly. And according to Shuhaimi, it was tough getting the special effects right for this scene. 

Asmadi (Rosyam Nor) and Maria (MayaKarin) realise they will never be rid ofMeriam’s disturbed spirit in PontianakHarum Sundal Malam II.

What about weird goings-on? 

Shuhaimi says: “We were about to shoot a scene in the jungle but Maya hadn’t turned up. When I called the office, Ida Nerina who answered the phone said that Maya had just left and was on her way to the shoot. And then minutes later, I get a call from Maya saying that her car had broke down and she would be at the office as soon as possible. We don’t know who that woman was at the office. Of course, we never told Maya about this.” 

Maya says: “The other girls had some problems too, like lights going on and off in the changing rooms and the presence of certain smells in the car. The crew saw something in Malacca – something like long hair in a tree. We were shooting in the jungle so it shouldn’t be too surprising. But luckily nothing weird happened to me.” 

For more deatils, visit www.pontianak hsm2.com. With a beautiful and easy to navigate homepage, fans can download and even e-mail the director. You can also check out the new theme song titled Ku Seru sung by Misha Omar, with music arrangements by Ajai and lyrics by Habsah Hassan and Shuhaimi. – Mumtaj Begum 

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