KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — The story of a mother’s unwavering sacrifice and determination to protect her children was the key reason Indonesian actress Aghniny Haque agreed to star in the Malaysian psychological horror film Khadam.

Aghniny said the film’s central themes of maternal love and sacrifice resonated deeply with her and struck an emotional chord.

The story also reminded her of her own mother’s sacrifices while raising her.

As such, she did not hesitate to accept the role, viewing it as a tribute to the most important person in her life.

Making her Malaysian film debut, Aghniny said Khadam’s exploration of motherhood closely reflects her own upbringing by a single mother.

“I see Khadam as a different kind of horror film. It is not a horror movie that relies solely on jump scares, but one that is driven by a strong storyline touching on motherhood,” she told Bernama after a special media screening of the film here recently.

Elaborating on her role, Aghniny said portraying Melor, a mute mother of two, allowed her to explore new dimensions in her acting career.

“This character means a great deal to me because I learned and grew so much through the experience. It felt like a master class in acting because I had to convey emotions without relying on dialogue. This role really taught me so many things,” she said.

To prepare for the role, Aghniny underwent a month of intensive training in Indonesia, including learning a specially developed sign language created for the film. She later joined rehearsals and script-reading sessions with the production team in Malaysia.

The actress, who has previously appeared in Indonesian horror films, described working with a Malaysian production as a unique experience, noting that the longer filming schedule gave actors more time to immerse themselves in their characters.

Set in the 1950s, Khadam tells the story of Melor as she struggles to protect her family from a hereditary saka — a supernatural ancestral curse — that gradually begins to consume their lives.

Produced by Red Communications and Komet Productions, the film also stars Datuk Remy Ishak, Siti Khadijah Halim, Zarra Zhaff, Karl El and Jun Lojong. It is set to open in cinemas nationwide today.

Meanwhile, director Shamyl Othman said the idea for the film originated from screenwriter Fariza Azlina Isahak, who wanted to explore Malay beliefs and folklore surrounding saka through a perspective that feels more relatable to everyday life.

“The writer conducted extensive research, speaking with villagers and religious scholars about saka before developing the script. We wanted to portray what our ancestors went through when faced with the burden of inheriting such a curse,” he said.

Shamyl added that Khadam goes beyond the conventional horror film, immersing the audience into the characters’ emotions and the choices they make. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Bursa Malaysia opened slightly lower today with the key index slipping 0.06 per cent even as investors continued to participate in the broader market despite lingering concerns over the West Asia conflict.

At 9.07 am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) erased 1.15 points to 1,678.37 from Monday’s close of 1,679.52.

The index opened 8.41 points higher at 1,687.93.

Market breadth was positive, as gainers led losers 202 to 133, while 266 counters were unchanged, 2,074 untraded, and 13 suspended.

Turnover stood at 347.09 million shares worth RM100.95 million.

In a research note, Malacca Securities said it expects Wall Street to stage a rebound with US President Donald Trump’s demand for a ceasefire in the West Asia conflict.

“A rebound on Wall Street may spill over to the local bourse today. Meanwhile, with the ringgit weakening towards the 4.07 level against the US dollar, we expect buying interest to be sustained in export-oriented sectors such as gloves. Top Glove and Hartalega are pending breakouts,” it said.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said Monday’s event may have turned on the risk-off button. Hence, expect a consolidation to emerge. The index may trend between the 1,675-1,690 range today.

Among heavyweights, Maybank erased six sen to RM10.64, Public Bank added two sen to RM4.80, Tenaga advanced four sen to RM14.24, CIMB Group was four sen lower at RM7.35, and IHH Healthcare removed seven sen to RM8.53.

Among the active stocks, Hong Seng Consolidated gained half-a-sen to 1.5 sen, Tanco lost 19 sen to 93 sen, TFP Solutions improved 1.5 sen to seven sen, GIIB and Land and General were both flat at 46 sen and 16 sen, respectively.

As for the top gainers, Nestle was RM1.3 higher at RM93.0, Malaysian Pacific Industries improved 60 sen to RM46.10, Petronas Dagangan and Vitrox added 16 sen each to RM18.76 and RM6.90, respectively. 

Among the top losers, United Plantations was 26 sen lower at RM31.74, FACB Industries was 19 sen lower at RM1.66, Hong Leong Bank was eight sen lower at RM20.88, and IHH Healthcare slipped seven sen to RM8.53.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index fell 2.84 points to 12,467.24, while the FBM Top 100 Index eased 9.06 points to 12,306.43, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index edged up 8.29 points to 12,451.33.

The FBM Mid 70 Index gave up 16.02 points to 17,994.37, and the FBM ACE Index edged up 29.99 points to 4,678.37.

By sector, the Financial Services Index shrank 28.77 points to 19,531.71, while the Industrial Products and Services Index eased 0.08 of a point to 196.93, the Energy Index slid 3.92 points to 787.02, and the Plantation Index trimmed 22.27 points to 8,703.13. — Bernama

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Pejasar posted a photo:

The ‘80s were a great decade for cinema, and not just a popular one. Although it can sometimes be conflated that it was the decade that brought the end to the “New Hollywood” era because it saw a rise in studios trying to make blockbuster franchises, it's impressive to see how many legendary directors began their careers over this ten year span.