Happiness is being home with your loved ones during the festive season, and this year, 988 wants you to come home to A House Of Happiness, the radio station’s very first full-length feature film.
Starring veteran Hong Kong actor Richard Ng and Ipoh-born Hong Kong-based actress Mimi Chu, the story revolves around two senior citizens and their loved ones.
Uncle Shui (Ng) is a cranky fellow suffering from dementia and Aunt Ha (Chu) is his long-suffering caregiver.
The only things the old man remembers are that his wife Summer is deceased and his son Liong Gor works in the city.
Ha later decides to run away as Shui keeps giving her a hard time.
Without Ha by his side, Shui falls for Fang (Louisa Chong) who reminds him of Summer.
Unfortunately, Fang is only after Shui’s wealth. The neighbours seek help from Ha’s son Leong (988 DJ Chan Fong) to persuade her to return.
The film also stars Malaysian actors Steve Yap, Miau Lim, Thian Siew Kim, Ong Tee Chuan, and 988 deejays Cheryl Lee, Sam Mak, Hau Min, Anson Kow, Jason Poon, Cassey Soo, Cynthia Tan, Sean Lee, Piao Min and Danny One.
Star2 caught up with the deejays, who shared the most amusing experiences they went through while filming their first film project.
DJ Cheryl, who co-hosts two shows with Poon, plays a gas tank delivery woman named Loh Sei Fung.
Liong Gor (DJ Chan Fong) meets the gas delivery woman Loh Sei Fung (DJ Cheryl).
“Personality-wise, she is quite similar to me, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to portray her. For instance, I don’t usually have to lug gas tanks.
“I also wouldn’t run away from home, but Sei Fung will. Simply put, portraying her allowed me to experience a lot of new things,” said Cheryl, who also sang theme song Bu Bian (Unchanging).
“In one scene, I had to lift a 20kg gas cylinder. For the sake of realism, we used a new tank, meaning it wasn’t empty.
“All the other actors had to be on standby while I lifted the tank and did the scene.
“After doing that, my arm and shoulder were out of commission for three days!” Cheryl shared about her challenging scene.
DJ Hau Min plays Summer, the younger version of Chu’s character Aunt Ha. “She is the leading man’s dream girl, with a straight-talking personality, and a love for sugar cane.
Ong Tee Chuan (left) and DJ Hau Min play a pair of young lovers in flashback scenes.
“I just play the romantic parts, since I only appear in the flashbacks. That is why every time I appear, everything feels sweet and looks beautiful,” mused Hau Min, who penned the lyrics to another of the film’s songs, Hui Jia Tuan Yuan (Reunion).
Most of her scenes were with TV actor Ong. “It was a very amusing shoot, as he speaks Cantonese with a strange accent. Since his voice is dubbed during post-production, what we heard on set was someone who is speaking Cantonese but sounds like Thai.
“I tried my best to help correct his pronunciation so that we wouldn’t keep laughing when the cameras were rolling!” she recalled.
Hau Min said her funniest scene was also the most unexpected, and involved farm animals.
“There was a romantic scene which has us riding a motorbike during a date. We were supposed to wrap filming that day, but that scene eventually took a few more days,” she recalled.
“Initially, it was the drone that gave us problems.
“Then some cows started to wander into the stretch of road where we were filming. We had to do multiple retakes as the cows kept chasing us off the road!”
Danny One (right) plays an actor who is hired to keep ice-cream vendor Shui (Richard Ng) occupied.
Besides being a 988 deejay, Danny One is also a popular musician.
He composed Hui Jia Tuan Yuan, and also provides some comic relief in his supporting role. “I think comedy suits me well. That is why this role is a natural fit for me,” Danny said.
In the film, he plays an actor who has been hired to keep Shui occupied in order to put a plan in motion.
During CNY, Danny prefers to stay home and spend quality time with his family.
“CNY is a celebration of reunion and love. So, for me, A House Of Happiness makes a good watch as it demonstrates the meaning of family and compassion,” said the 37-year-old entertainer.
The soundtrack of the movie can be found in 988’s latest CNY album A House Of Happiness 2018.
The album is also available online and on major music streaming platforms.
