A family’s anguish
A parent’s worst fears are realised on this week’s episode of FRONTPAGE.
THE ultimate fear of parents is the crux of this week’s episode of FRONTPAGE, titled Gone Baby Gone.
A 10-year-old girl is abducted and the kidnappers demand a ransom of RM250,000.
While in the process of raising the cash, the middle-class family find themselves in a bind as some family members opt to have the police involved while others choose not to, for fear of endangering the girl.
Actors Shamsul Cairil (left) and Hani Khausar play anxious parents who ponder their next
move after receiving ransom demands for the return of their child.
Actor Shamsul Cairil plays the girl’s father and he heads the family fund-raising endeavour. When the family fails to raise the sum demanded, the girl’s aunt turns to The Echo for assistance.
Being a father himself, Shamsul found the subject matter very close to his heart.
“I have three children and like any other parent, there is always the fear that it might happen to me. These things can happen to anyone at any time,” said the 39-year-old.
It wasn’t only Shamsul who took the subject matter seriously as his co-stars too were emotionally affected. “Everyone took the issue seriously because we are all aware that no one is exempt from a tragedy like this,” he added.
FRONTPAGE’s viewership has been steadily on the incline and Shamsul feels that it all comes down to good writing and directing.
“I’ve never come across any bad reviews of (director) Kabir’s works. I just hope he gets a more significant budget so that the production value can be enhanced,” said Shamsul, whose acting credits include Kasih Suci, Sutera Maya and the comedy Rita & Raihan.
The key to FRONTPAGE’s success though, has been its ability to tackle relevant and current issues.
“These issues relate to people on a very human level. While it clearly has a Malaysian feel, most of the issues are very global in nature,” added the Bagan Serai, Perak, native.
Being a newspaper reader himself, Shamsul finds himself drawn to the happenings in the nation.
“As an example, I think The Star can be quite open at times compared with other newspapers. But again, there are pros and cons to everything with some reports coming off as harsh as well,” said the jovial Shamsul.
In this episode, when reporter Nerina becomes suspicious of something amiss, she confronts the aunt of the kidnapped girl, who confesses the truth. Out of sympathy, Nerina runs the story anyway and earns the family the required amount through donations. But in the end, she faces a predicament.
When her editors smell a rat and question her, Nerina contemplates revealing the truth. However, as she is about to do so, the young girl’s aunt appears and lies to her editors to spare the journalist embarrassment and her job.
FRONTPAGE is shown on Ntv7 on Sundays at 10pm.
