The Star : 1 October 2010

Morbid mirth

By FIONA HO
entertainment@thestar.com.my

Ntv7’s latest offering, Crossings, is a horror-comedy series that follows the life of an average Joe who can see dead people.

BOB Boroi is a loser.

A run-of-the-mill copywriter in an advertising agency, Bob is constantly heckled by his demanding boss, bullied by his colleagues and manipulated by the bitchy office beauty.

He meets a freak accident one day and nearly dies. The incident leaves him with the ability to see dead people in his reflection.

Played by writer and producer-turned-actor Zakizamani Osman (Zaki), Bob is the all-too-familiar zero-turns-hero protagonist on Ntv7’s latest horror-comedy series, Crossings.

Motley crew: Crossings’ (from left) Prakash Murugiah, Ruzana Ibrahim, Xavier Fong, Zakizamani Osman, Dira Abu Zahar, Nina Sharil Khan and Hansen Lee.

The 13-episode dark comedy follows the life of Bob as he learns to accept his newfound ability, helping lost souls he encounters find peace in the process.

He later befriends tomboyish Katie (Dira Abu Zahar), a street-smart filmmaker who joins his agency. In an attempt to get rid of Bob’s first ghost, the duo stumbles upon Danny (Hansen Lee), a boyish geek who invents contraptions to detect the supernatural.

In their quest to help the spirits that Bob sees, the threesome gets into numerous comic situations.

While Zaki, who is poised and eloquent in person, seems nothing like the bumbling character he plays, the first-time actor says he can identify with loser Bob.

“We all start out as losers,” says Zaki, who has worked in advertising himself. “Crossings is about an average guy going through extraordinary events. You don’t need superpowers to be super. You just need super willpower to pull through.”

The charming 35-year-old adds: “Bob and I are both trying to make something out of our lives. I think we can all relate to Bob.”

Meanwhile, Xavier Fong, 25, who plays Bob’s effeminate but nasty colleague Anthony, makes an interesting disclaimer: “Even though I play a softie in the show, I’m actually straight!”

Fong, who sports some very “colourful” costumes on the set, is joined by Ruzana Ibrahim as his beautiful but manipulative co-worker/BFF Brenda. The pair takes pleasure in bullying Bob at work. Brenda takes advantage of Bob because she knows he has a crush on her.

Also present at last week’s press event at PJ Live Arts in Jaya One, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, to present the show was the director-producer Prakash Murugiah, of Kash Pictures.

“Not all ghosts in the show are ‘local’ ghosts,” he says.

He is, however, quick to add that there will not be any vampires on the series despite the Twilight phenomenon that has made vampires the coolest dark creatures on screen.

“There is something more interesting than vampires,” Prakash says with a sly smile. “You’ll just have to watch the show.”

The series described by Prakash as a “1Malaysia show” due to its racially diverse cast also stars Nina Sharil Khan as Bob’s hot-headed lady boss, Miss Merlin.

Local personalities like Alan Yun, Prem of FlyFM, Craig Fong, Indy Nadarajah, Ako Mustapha, Chew Kin Wah, James Lim, Julia Ziegler and Mustapha Kamal take turns to guest star in Crossings.

Crossings airs on Ntv7 every Friday at 8.30pm starting today.