‘Dayangku' team heading to Brunei
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Datuk Karim Bujang, with Brunei and Sabah producers, as well as actors and actresses starring in the joint-venture telemovie 'Dayangku'. The production team is on its way to Brunei to film the remaining scenes

The joint-venture telemovie production "Dayangku" between Brunei's Phab Production and Sabah's Jaawat Pelangi Sendirian Berhad wrapped its filming in the land below the wind yesterday.

The whole production team is now on its way to Brunei Darussalam to film the remaining scenes, said Pg Hj Abu Bakar bin Pg DP HJ Mohammad, the executive producer of Phab Production in a telephone interview yesterday.

Some three local artists - Pg Hj Abu Bakar, Afina Willy Edwin and Pg Hjh Rokiah Pg Hj Abdullah - were in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah to participate in the joint-production telemovie which, when completed will be shown on Astro Television Channel as well as being sold on VCDs.

Malaysian leading artiste Diana Raffar also starred in the telemovie, directed by Azhar Mohd Yusof.

Local actress Afina will take the role of Dayangku Anum while Pg Hj Abu Bakar will assume the role as her father and Pg Hjh Rokiah, the mother.

Pg Hj Abu Bakar said the Brunei artistes felt very much welcomed in Sabah, especially when filming scenes in locations where there are large number of Brunei-Malay concentrations such as Sipitang and Weston.

"We captured scenes in such locations because it was a telemovie about a Bruneian who ran away to Sabah because of a family feud over inheritance.

"But we did not expect to be warmly greeted and the telemovie also received full support from the Brunei-Malays in Sipitang and Weston. The population helped us and the production team in any way they could," he said.

The launching of the production was done last January 4 in Kota Kinabalu, officiated by Datuk Karim Bujang, the Assistant Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment in Sabah.

In his address, the minister praised the effort of the Brunei and Sabah production houses and regarded it as complementing the tasks of both nations in promoting tourism as well as introducing culture, language, way-of-life and lifestyle of the population to the world.

At the launch, a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) was signed by Pg Hj Abu Bakar and Sabah's Jaawat Pelangi Executive Chairman Encik Onn Ariffin.

The event was also attended by Sabah Member of Parliament Senator Datuk Hajah Dayangku Mahani Tun Pengiran Haji Ahmad Raffae, Special Affairs Director, Malaysian Ministry of Information Datuk Seri Panglima Hasbollah Hj Taha, MAS Sabah Manager, Encik Sobri, and Finas Sabah Director Deddy M Borhan as well as actors and actresses for the said production.

The story line revolves around Pengiran Matusin who escaped to Sabah decades ago to avoid confrontation over inheritance. Pg Badar, his elder brother had been questioning his rights, penned down by their father, Pengiran Rauf just before his death.

After being threatened by the brother, Pg Matusin ran away to Sabah assuming the name Pak Awang. He ventured from places to places as an entertainer reciting syair.

Dayangku Mayang (Afina) who is visiting Sabah with her parents hears the traditional syair recital of Pak Awang - Bujang Si Gandam - and coaxes him into telling his life story.

At long last, Pak Awang reveals his ancestry, which he has kept it secret over the last 30 years.

Out of sheer coincidence, the mother of Dayangku Anum played by Pg Hjh Rokiah was actually a former sweetheart of Pak Awang when he was known as Pg Matusin while in Brunei Darussalam.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin