After making her feature debut with the dark crime thriller Motif in 2019, director Nadiah Hamzah wanted her next film to be more fun and light. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she found herself revisiting romantic comedies from the 90s and early 2000s—like all of us, stuck at home. 

“It made me realise that female characters were so progressive back then,” she says. “I thought, ‘Why can't we do that now? Why isn't anybody doing something fun like this?’ Then I thought, ‘If nobody's going to do it, I'll take a shot.’”

Set against the pressures of Malaysian celebrity culture, Kata Hati follows Ayra Natasha, a rising actress whose image begins to unravel after a public scandal. She unexpectedly finds comfort in Imran Firdaus, an e-hailing driver who exists completely outside the world of fame. 

The film stars Nia Atasha, Yusof Hashim and Fazziq Muqris alongside Scha Alyahya, Taqim Zaki and Norreen Iman. Blending romance, comedy, and even action, Kata Hati arrives in cinemas this June, at a time when Malaysian screens are dominated by horror and action films.

We caught up with Nadiah and Yusof to talk about progressive female characters, sensitive male leads, and why romance still matters.

ESQUIRE MALAYSIA: Kata Hati is actually billed as an action-romantic comedy, so I wanted to ask you why.

NADIAH HAMZAH: There’s very little faith in female directors across the board. You can count on your fingers how many female directors have films shown in local cinemas. Even for big tent-pole action films, where the budgets range from about six to eight million, studios aren’t going to call a girl to direct them. They would rather trust someone like a janitor, a writer, or an editor if he’s a man. 

Even a woman with a strong body of work wouldn’t get the job. Nobody’s going to ask me to make an action film, so I’m going to do it myself. What’s happening in Hollywood, the push for female directors, is not really reflecting back here [in Malaysia]. It’s going to take a while, but I think we’re getting there.

ESQ: How long did the development process take?

NH: I started in 2020, but raising financing is one of the biggest things in making a film. It took a really long time because I needed to find the right funders or someone to actually say yes.

I went around town and shopped the script to everybody. For Motif, it was eight to nine rounds of this. I thought it would be easier with a rom-com. It’s light, funny, and less pressure, but it took around 13 rounds. 13 is an unlucky number, but for me, it was lucky because the 13th person I met said, “Okay, let’s go!” 

ESQ: What were you looking for in Yusof, and what made you feel like he was right for the role of Imran Firdaus?

NH: When I was writing the script with the team, I didn’t really have a specific look in my mind for Imran. It was more of a blur. Obviously, you’d expect to cast someone who looks and acts a certain way, but I found Yusof through a really extensive casting process. 

We were going through all these names with my producers, and I wasn’t convinced. I saw so many good-looking boys, and Yusof was just a kid. Then, I did a deep dive into him. I've seen so many things he’s been in, but they were supporting roles. 

When we cast Nia Atasha as the lead, we brought her in to do a chemistry read with all these guys. I was losing hope. Then my producer, Mo [Muhammad Bahir], said that we had to wait for this Ucop [Yusof] kid: “He’s going to knock our socks off.” I said, “We’ll see.” 

Yusof was the second last of the day, and when he came in, it was like water. He just fit into the shoes of the character. It was so fluid, organic, and natural. It didn’t feel forced.

“Yusof just fit into the shoes of the character. It was so fluid, organic, and natural. It didn’t feel forced.” - Nadiah Hamzah

ESQ: Speaking of Nia, who plays Ayra Natasha, how did you two build a natural chemistry that feels believable?

YUSOF HASHIM: We’ve known each other for quite a long time because I did a few projects with her, but we never had a chance to bond or get to know each other. During the casting, Nia was giving her best. The chemistry just clicked immediately.

ESQ: Nadiah, how did you help hone their characters’ romance? 

NH: I didn’t do much. I knew they had kind of worked together. I was really grateful for that, because that was my biggest fear going into a romantic comedy, where the two leads don’t have chemistry.

ESQ: That's so important in romance. You have to have that spark from the moment you see them during the meet-cute.

NH: Exactly. You want to root for them, right? If not, who are you rooting for? 

ESQ: The female characters in this film are more modern. But locally, they’re often written as an accessory to the male actors. How did you make sure Nia was always seen as the leading lady? 

NH: I feel like female representation in Malaysian cinema is regressing, not progressing. Producers or people with money don’t believe leading women can actually carry a film.

"I feel like female representation in Malaysian cinema is regressing, not progressing. Producers or people with money don’t believe leading women can actually carry a film." - Nadiah Hamzah

I was really adamant about putting forth a very strong female character as the lead. She might fall into certain tropes, because when you watch a rom-com, you expect certain things to happen in a certain way. 

The decisions Ayra makes can be different. They’re bolder and more aligned with the “woke” generation nowadays. I always think about this in relation to my two girls. When they watch things, what are they seeing? If girls are always being diminished, it becomes hard to find role models. 

ESQ: Even the male characters are a bit “woke”, as you say. How did you make sure they weren’t written as the typical heterosexual, overly aggressive kind of men?

NH: I feel like there’s a space for men who are a bit more sensitive. From a female gaze, that’s what women look for in men nowadays. We want them to be strong and protective, but also sensitive to our needs. By giving roles like this to Yusof, I hope it sets a new benchmark.

ESQ: Imran is a grab e-hailing driver. Yusof, you’re not playing the typical romantic lead here. How did you approach playing that kind of character?

YH: I got that kind of role quite often back then, even before we shot Kata Hati. But the sequence and the story were quite different, which made me interested in being part of this. 

Also, it felt completely different from who I am as a person. That is what made me want to take it on as a challenge. Imran is very reserved and introverted, but I had to step into a frontline position as the main lead.

“The character of Imran felt completely different from who I am as a person. That is what made me want to take it on as a challenge.” - Yusof Hashim

What I did was really listen to the director. I understood that Nadiah had a very clear vision of who Imran is, so I kept asking her about him. I learned about the character along the way.

ESQ: Did you have any specific influences for the role and the story itself? Were there any rom-coms that you pulled from? 

NH: One reference is Notting Hill (1999) for sure. When I pitched it, I said that Kata Hati was the Malaysian version of Notting Hill. Everybody was like, “But there’s no Malaysian version of Julia Roberts.” 

I was like, “Have you met Sleepy Llama [Nia Atasha]?”

Then there’s Femina (1994) by Aziz M. Osman. It’s a film from the late 90s starring Erma Fatima and Susan Lankester. They play two women who lead a female magazine. It’s supposed to be very empowering. They tell each other, “You’re not supposed to fall for anybody. We hate men.” But then, Susan Lankester’s character ends up sleeping with somebody’s husband. It was so good, and I thought, “In the 90s, you could do this?”

ESQ: Would you say that the 90s were a reference point for you? 

NH: For sure, because the women were so progressive. And now, the female characters in Malaysian cinema are having their lights dimmed. They're just side characters, the wives, the moms, the damsels in distress. They're sexy chicks for sex appeal, and that's it. Then you kill them off.

ESQ: How do you see Kata Hati fitting into the current Malaysian film landscape?

NH: I would say that Kata Hati is like a breath of fresh air. We’re just giving something different. 

Someone in the industry told me that this year is going to be like a “Malay slaughterhouse”. Every local film that’s coming out is going to be really good. But, if you look at the slate, it’s action, horror, action, horror. 

My friend, Zahir Omar, made Mikael: Pemburu Dua Alam, so that’s something fresh. It’s supernatural action, not just horror, so it’s more genre-bending. I also recently watched a film called Libang Libu, it’s so good. 

Some of my friends are making films, and I really applaud their efforts. Razaisyam Rashid is coming up with Tarung: Unforgiven, Shamyl Othman with Khadam, and Zulkarnain Azhar with Polong. All these action and horror films are really good. 

ESQ: What do you hope audiences take away from this film?

YH: I hope Imran can represent all Malaysian guys out there because the look is really local, and Nadiah was always making fun of it. 

NH: We intentionally put a moustache on Yusof and Fazziq Muqris, who plays Zayn Mikhail. It’s like the battle of the moustaches. 

YH: I hope they will feel butterflies when they come out of the cinema. It’s been so long since we’ve had any rom-coms. Most of them are action movies. We’re done with the intensity. I hope that the audience will feel love. 

NH: We want to bring love and romance back into the cinema. I’m already stressed out with the problems of the world. For two hours, you just want to forget and look for an escape. I think our film will be that, just warm and fuzzy. 

If you want to know how to win a superstar’s heart, you should come and watch this film. If you’re a normal guy, you can fall in love with a star.

ESQ: I mean, every local guy dreams about these celebrities. They see them on Instagram and think, “I want to meet them.” But when they actually meet them, they’re like, “Oh…”

NH: Exactly! These guys are like, “She’s too out of my league.” Even Imran is very reserved. So, for all the men who feel like some women are out of their league, this character will give them hope. Just shoot your shot and be sensitive to a woman's needs. 

ESQ: Yusuf, this is your first leading role. What other acting projects do you have lined up next? 

YH: This is my debut as a hero. I’ve also got an offer for a leading role in a military action film called Jangkar. Testosterone everywhere. We just finished filming in Kuching and will continue in Selangor. That’s what I’m currently working on right now.

Nadiah Hamzah's Pocket Cinema

Director Nadiah Hamzah names four films and a TV show that have stayed with her throughout her career.

Batman (1989), Tim Burton

I was born and raised in Penang, and at the time, the cinemas were in big stadiums. It's my earliest cinema-going experience because I remember my dad bringing my siblings and me. It was dirty with popcorn, and people were making out at the back. My dad was like, "No, don't look at them." 

Farewell China (1990), Clara Law

This film was life-changing for me. It's about a Chinese migrant in New York, and there's Maggie Cheung in it. I remember watching it as a child, being really affected and influenced by life in New York. 

Sex and the City (1998), Darren Star

After that, watching all six seasons of Sex and the City made me think I had to be in New York.

Perempuan Melayu Terakhir (The Last Malay Woman) (1999), Erma Fatima

This film is top-tier for me, one of the biggest influences in my career. There was a female masturbation scene in a local film, but it was done in the most alluring, sexy, subtle way. Erma Fatima did it with such grace and in the most tasteful manner possible. I thought, “How can you celebrate female sexuality and desire like that on screen?”

Arrival (2016), Denis Villeneuve

I really want to do a lo-fi sci-fi movie (not in space where people wear space suits). I like it grounded in reality. Interstellar is somewhat the same story, but Arrival is in a different realm altogether. I feel like that is more my style.

Kata Hati

Language: Malay with Malay and English subtitles

Duration: 110 minutes

Directed by: Nadiah Hamzah

Written by: Nadiah Hamzah, Keeta Brennan, Honey Ahmad

Produced by: Nadia Hamzah, Muhammad Bahir, Juliana Foo 

Starring: Nia Atasha, Yusof Hashim, Fazziq Muqris, Scha Alyahya, Taqim Zaki, Norreen Iman, Razib Salimin, Nina Kho

Production: Wayangworks Sdn. Bhd., Filmscape Sdn. Bhd