Farhana M Noor: There’d be no wars if women were to rule

SINGAPORE – Suria’s fastest rising star Farhana M Noor is only 24, but she already has a major leading role and two awards under her belt. Also, in a wholly disarming way, she isn’t afraid to shoot from the hip.

Last year’s winner at the Pesta Perdana Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Actor (an award given to the best newcomer) plays Mariam, the main protagonist in Suria’s blockbuster four-episode drama, Bunga Tanjong, which debuts today (March 8).

Set in the ’50s and ’60s in the cabaret known as Bunga Tanjong, which was historically part of the New World amusement park, it is the tragic but ultimately life-affirming story of Mariam and two other cabaret women (played by Nurul Aini and Shiryn Aisiqa) and how they have to cope with the exploitative nature of the entertainment world in their effort to pursue happiness and prosperity.

HISTORY LESSONS AND DANCE CLASSES

Filming for the drama took place over three weeks in Perak, Malaysia, marking Farhana’s first overseas assignment by herself. “It felt long because I missed home ... I missed my grandma,” she admitted.

Her grandmother has memories of Bunga Tanjong, but can only share them brokenly.

“My grandma has dementia,” explained Farhana. “Every time I ask her about it, she will tell me a little bit of the story: Of how, when she was young, people would go to Bunga Tanjong; how cheap the tickets were; and how she would just look from outside because she was too young to enter.

“And then she will start singing the Bunga Tanjong song – I’ve memorised the first part of the song,” she added with a smile.

To play a cabaret girl, Farhana had to go through several full days of dance lessons. “Dancing is okay, but dancing in heels and a corset is madness,” she said.

There is a bright side, “My calf muscles are awesome now. The bottom half of me is all muscular – the top half is still... Even though we trained for very long hours, the rest of the girls made things easier because we were all laughing non-stop.”

But on camera, with crying scenes “from start to end”, the shoots was particularly intense for Farhana, whose character is ill-treated by her father and husband.

“As a woman in that era, she was supposed to get married and have kids. But she wanted to be different. She wanted to have an education and become a writer,” the actress shared.

“In that era, women didn’t have a say,” Farhana added. “All the women who have ended up in Bunga Tanjong have their own story and problems. They are as lost as she is. She learns about their struggles and feels that she’s not alone… They go on with their lives and become stronger. So, to put ourselves in that position ... there are definitely a lot of emotions. Everything is heightened.”

It does not escape this self-professed modern girl how far society has progressed since. According to Farhana, in the post-feminist world we live in now, it’s good being a woman. “There are things that women can do that men can’t. I think women make better leaders than men, because we have compassion. Women are smart and beautiful and have a softer side, so we can understand and feel sorry for people. Probably, if women were to rule, there would not be wars!”

TO ALWAYS BE LEARNING

With success smiling on her, what’s on the horizon for this young actress? “What I know is that I’m always learning. Hopefully in the future I can improve myself and keep doing quality work for the entertainment of audiences,” Farhana said.

As for her career aims, if she could shoot for the stars, she would want to go to Hollywood and act with Leonardo DiCaprio. “If I were to be in (a film like) The Revenant, even as an extra, I would be happy. Can you imagine eating raw liver with Leonardo DiCaprio? It would be an achievement. Even if I have to eat that raw liver after he’s taken a bite, I would still be happy!”

But her realistic goal, she shared, is to work with underprivileged children who might not know how to utilise their creative talents. “When I’m older, I would like to start a group through which I can help kids who never got the opportunity to try out acting,” she said.

“I know that I can do it. But it would take time and experience. I still need to work and learn.”

Catch Bunga Tanjong tonight, 9.30pm on Mediacorp TV Suria.