TRULY THE LADIES' FAVOURITE

WITH strong features offset by a soft-spoken demeanor which, combined with his neatly-cropped hair and stylish attire, Jalaluddin Hassan is a whisper of John Forsythe who played Blake Carrington in the soap series Dynasty.

Although quite frankly, Jalal, as he prefers to be called, is a tame version of Blake Carrington. Nevertheless, Jalal exudes charisma on screen, especially in Idaman, the soap series over ntv7, where he plays the infamously shrewd Datuk Mansor who is also a womaniser.

Talking to Jalal confirms beyond doubt that the smouldering looks and the flirtatious manner in all those TV dramas are real. It's not just a screen persona.

He speaks in a deep voice and modulates it for effect it booms, then trails off softly. He adopts the same style on screen, and some find it a tad too pretentious, although most women find it so appealing.

Whatever the opinion, it is said that Jalal is the best candidate to host ntv7's current favourite game show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the locally-produced version of the popular game show in the United States, England and 14 other countries.

Jalal joins the ranks of other big time celebrities who are hosting this show in their respective countries, such as the legendary Chris Tarrant in the original British version, Regis Philbin in the American production and Amitabh Bachchan who is hosting the Hindi version.

Although in India Amitabh edged Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan to host the show and Jalal beat popular actor Ahmad Tarmimi Siregar, this is definitely not the case of a show being popularised by the host. Rather, it's the other way round.

This aside, Jalal was handpicked by executive producer Megat Mohd Shahrin Mohd Hamdan and his production team because of his good rapport with the contestants.

Forget how he stressed ``WHOO WONCE to be a MillionAIRR" (with the emphasis on ``air'') instead of the usual way of pronouncing the word. This begs the question of whether it's an appropriate or inappropriate trademark for someone so well known.

Never mind if he has been harshly criticised for the mispronounciation. And adopting an exaggerated style which is more suited for stage acting will not affect the show's ratings.

All said, Jalal still has a long way to go in becoming a real pro as a show host. Recently, Jalal got into hot soup when he said something which bordered on racism and used the insulting term ``bangsa asing'' (foreigner) on a non-Malay contestant.

But this, according to Jalal, was unintentional and he has apologised for the mistake.

``It was a case of speaking without thinking, but I am trying my best to stick to the script these days and improvised only when necessary,'' said the Selangor-born actor.

What about the theatrical put-on when he is hosting the show?

``I think that is very much my style. The audience has accepted this and I'm quite happy with the positive feedback,'' said Jalal, who is starring in Idaman 2.

Jalal speaks English hesitantly, switching to bazaar Malay when he wants to be sure he isn't misunderstood.

``I tau I ramai peminat (I know I have a lot of fans). They loved my acting. I get a lot of positive feedback from them through letters and calls,'' raved the macho actor who loves every minute of the adulation and attention coming his way.

This 46-year-old actor, who has starred in more than 100 telemovies and serials, said: ``Acting is a lot easier than hosting game shows because one has to understand the rules and regulations and, at the same time, be able to interact with the contestants and audiences.''

It was veteran Aziz Singah who introduced Jalal to acting. He started off in the popular RTM series Santan Berlada. But it was the drama Dian, directed by Asiah Ariffin, that made many directors paid attention to him.

Jalal has also starred in movies such as Gemilang, Sayang Salmah, Baginda, Jimi Asmara, Johnny Bikin Filem, Merah, Cinta Metropolitan, XX Ray II, Mimpi Moon and the latest, Anaknya Sazali.

He excels in strong, romantic roles which allow him to exude his charm and appeal.

``Frankly, I am not interested in characters who wallow in their problems, even parts that require me to play the same, old romatic guy; it's too cliched. I prefer action roles, something in the mould of police drama Gerak Khas,'' explained Jalal, who in all his 12 years of acting has never been offered such a role.

In fact, this award-winning actor complained he has been typecast too often as the idealist romantic women fall for.

Talking about women, there has always been a constant parade of beautiful women in Jalal's life in the form of his female co-stars.

The most ideal has been Aida Rahim, who is his steady screen partner in more than 10 dramas. Much as the emotions are real on screen, the Jalal-Aida partnership has always been that of a professional one because it's another woman who had stolen his heart. She is Hashimah Haji Mad Ehsan, his wife of 22 years.

Jalal describes his marriage as ``a good one with a lot of space for both parties.''

``As you get older, you look back on your choices and you realise that you need different things at different times of your life. The challenge of being with someone for a long time is to try find a way to change, to evolve and to keep going through the different phases of your life. The most important thing is to keep the door open to the other person and hope that you'll still respect each other.''

According to Jalal, to have a good marriage, one must be prepared to accept the person for what she is instead of changing her.

With eight children, ranging between six and 21 years old, Jalal doesn't regard fatherhood as hampering his dream to be the numero uno actor.

The third of 13 siblings, Jalal is the son of the renown religious personality Datuk Hassan Azhari. Jalal says he has been doing a lot of odd jobs, from being a waiter and a clerk to a teacher before he made acting his career.

The self-taught actor who took lessons from watching movies has had a brilliant resume in acting. His more notable dramas are Kau Merubah Segalanya, MOU, Percintaan, Misteri Bulan Madu, Crank Call, City of the Rich, and Di Mana Langit Dijunjung Di Situ Bumi Dipijak.

From minor roles, he was slowly worked his way up to prominent ones, and the one drama that launched him to stardom was Pengantin Popular.

Jalal showed that acting was his forte when he won the Best Actor Award in 1996 and bagged the Anugerah Pelakon Lelaki Popular for three consecutive years (1996 to 1998).

Jalal is proud of his achievement and confesses that he is bowled over by his new-found fame as a ladies' man and a directors' favourite.

``I think every artiste will go through this phase once. That's what is happening to me, so I make the most of it.''

Ask about his reputation among women, Jalal gave a come hither look and hinted about his so-called notoriety.

``No, I am not a womaniser. Just that women are drawn to me for whatever reasons.''

Perhaps what he is trying to say is he's just like a boy who couldn't say no, though he regards his appeal and his reputation as something of a misfortune.

BY ZIEMAN - PUBLISHED 27/8/2000