A POOR ACTOR OFF THE SCREEN

HANI Mohsin's strong points as an actor would probably be his intelligence and seriousness in his approach. Behind the guarded persona and sophisticated style on screen, there is a painstaking worker and a keen mind at work.

The fact that he is not accessible to the media and regards personal things as private and confidential doesn't make the task of getting acquainted with the man any easier. In short, warming up to Hani would probably take longer than you imagined.

But one quality comes through when talking to Hani, he is a poor actor off screen.

``A lot of people have told me that I am quite different off screen. The truth is that's the real me. Not many people know the real me because I am quite wary about people. Basically, I am not so trusting,'' said Hani who holds an Advance Diploma in Business Administration from Universiti Institute Teknologi Mara.

Hani learned the bitter way about trust when his actions were misconstrued by the media.

In the mid-1990s, he got to act in an international movie Beyond Rangoon. He played a soldier who betrayed the army and in order to escape he had to disguise as a monk. For the role, Hani had to shave bald and wear a robe.

Hani accepted the role for the simple reason it was merely an extension of his professional endeavour. But what he did not expect was being criticised by a religious group which deemed his act as ``inappropriate and un-Islamic.'' He was accused of being an apostate and made to apologise and repent.

Not knowing how to react, Hani stayed away from the media, only to be labelled as ``not media savvy.''

But after a while, all the hype over the monk role died down because people became more open minded and accepted that it was part of acting.

This aside, being handpicked to appear in Beyond Rangoon spoke volumes for his acting ability. Try telling him this and he would cite many reasons why he thinks he hasn't made it to the mark.

``I am not really a fine actor. People noticed me probably because I am committed to my work. When you are committed to whatever you do, chances are you will excel,'' said the former Military College Kuala Kangsar student.

According to Hani, it took him a number of years to discover his screen persona. He discovered this by chance when he got involved in some commercials.

``I've always had this passion for commercials. Even when I was a young boy, what really fascinated me most about the TV is the ads. I've always appreciated the message presented by the ads it's interesting, educational and informative.''

After appearing in commercials, Hani was challenged to take a step further, to find his niche as an actor. He first appeared as a villain in drama Tapak Gemilang directed by Rahman Adam.

This was the turning point in his acting career. Hani simply got better as he matured.

Unfortunately, his earlier works were quite unforgettable. He hardly benefitted from movies such as Operasi Cegah Jenayah, Hanny and Nadia but then again as Hani puts it ``you have to start somewhere.''

It was movies like Ringgit Kasorgga, Jimi Asmara and Beyond Rangoon that gave him the extra edge over other actors. With more than 60 TV dramas to his name like Darah Setitik, Buaya, Gigolo and Tapak Gemilang, Hani charted his acting career in a steady way.

However, being an assertive person, Hani finds a strong need to venture into other challenging areas. In 1993, Mohsin set up Imagine Pictures, a company which produces and distributes local dramas.

During the first year of operation, Imagine Pictures churned out the all-time favourite Pukul Dua Petang, Aida Shada and Boneka. Eventually, Hani could not resist trying his hands at directing. In 1998 he co-directed the 15-episode Assalamualaikum YB which stars Ridzuan Hashim and Yassin Haji Hamid.

The drama serial received good ratings and ntv7 commissioned him to do another 27-episode drama of the same genre. It was YB Alaf Baru and stars Arash Mohd. The change of lead character received mixed response from viewers. Hani felt we have to be receptive about such ideas.

``If we can have different actors playing James Bond, Batman and Superman, similarly any actor can play Yang Berhormat. We are selling the concept, not the actors.''

On his new stint as a director, Hani said, ``It was like realising a dream, something which I had wanted to do since 1988. Everyone goes through phases of life. I had this urge to progress and directing is just another stage.''

As a director, Hani has his own style.

``Each actor has his own characteristics. There shouldn't be any duplication in the characters. When you are a director, you are totally committed the first person to come, the last to leave. You have to be physically and mentally tuned. The message is conveyed subconsciously.''

During editing, Hani said he makes sure each scene has its own strength, highlighting the cutting point and the music which has to be original.

His forte is light dramas.

``It's easy for viewers to understand such dramas. It's easily acceptable especially the things we see in our daily life.''

He tried including the humour element in YB Alaf Baru and Assalamualaikum.

``I told the scriptwriter what I wanted. I want to portray the Yang Berhormat's (politician) traits which are just that of another human being someone who is so close to his people.''

Whatever his perception of an exemplary politician, among the common feedback Hani received was the drama tried to depict an almost ideal politician and it's not realistic.

``But that's the whole idea of filmmaking. It is a world of make believe. As a person, I look at all angles. TV is just another medium to tell a story. We must educate the viewers. I like my characters to be serious but humorous. I don't like any tense situation in my dramas,'' said the 35-year-old actor who also does voice-overs and jingles.

Now that he is an actor, producer and director, Hani said he is more understanding of the problem faced by the director, especially.

``The No Violent, Horror and Sex (VHS) ruling is really a struggle to put up with. But we should not always blame the system. We should be able to handle the situation wisely. We should also view the rule as not guidelines but challenges.''

On a different note, Hani said the VHS ruling is quite imposing.

``I understand the sex element but not the violent and horror part. As a creative person licensed to exhibit our creativity, these are the two areas where we can exercise our creative skills and bring about special effects. It's time we open up and not look down on our people's ability.''

Soon, Hani will start shooting a humour-based drama serial Teruna 3 which revolves around three guys a Malay, an Indian and a Chinese who have different reasons for heading for the city. An incident happens, and they find themselves thrown together and become friends.

Apart from directing, Hani now lectures in production management at Akademi TV3. He is enjoying his new-found career and doesn't mind making a slow transition from actor/director to lecturer if the need arises.

Well, for someone who comes from a creative background and abides by Albert Einstein's philosophy that imagination is more important than knowledge, Hani has certainly come a long way from his acting days.

BY ZIEMAN - PUBLISHED 10/9/2000