As we had the World Premiere for Not My Mother's Baking last weekend, it felt so surreal to have my face and Chef Siti Mastura on the big screen.
This movie is for everyone of every race, authentically Singaporean in every way. It is beyond being about me and Chef Siti. What makes it so real and full of heart was that the entire script was from our hearts.
I have never been part of a production where I could adlib entirely, and that’s why this is something I’m very proud of. We could express our faith (insyaAllah, astaghfirullah etc), why pork is so taboo to us that even just saying the word BABI feels like a sin. Our Chinese friends could speak about how they felt about our weddings, circumcision, Islam etc. It created a healthy discussion for everything we wonder about but were told to not speak of once upon a time.
For anyone who has felt out of place or told to take off your hijab, own your identity and be unapologetic about it. Percaya yang segala rezeki datang dari Dia.
For anyone who is in love with someone of the another race, it’s most likely that any parental objection you face is because of fear and ignorance more than anything else. Many parents left the movie teary eyed, because they could empathise with the fear of ‘losing’ a child. But eventually, no matter the colour of your skin, any parent ultimately wants only the best for you.
For the family member who feels trapped or suffocated by who your celebrity parent / other half / child is, your identity is not limited solely to who they are. You are free to be whoever you want to be, and forget about ‘what people might say’. For the longest time, I hated who my mother was because I felt like I had to be quiet and just uphold her good name. I learnt that I could still do that by being absolutely myself in my own way.
I was once told that my life was ‘too much’ because I was becoming exactly like my mum when I entered showbiz. It broke me, but ultimately I wanted to own my truth and reality. I have never looked back since and gotten better friends and a partner in my life.
Thank you to the people who believed in us, gave us a chance, worked with us despite the many limitations we face and making our dreams a reality ❤️
