Arayyy! girls Ana and Nini: Two of a kind

It’s the first time for Ana Capri and Nini Jacinto to work together in Director Don Escudero’s latest film, Arayyy!, whose title was derived from the hit song by Mae Rivera. The film is about prostitution and Ana says their roles reflect their situation in real life.

"Mind you, I don’t mean we’re prostitutes in real life," she quickly qualifies. "What I mean is that in the film, I play the jaded call girl who is a veteran when it comes to the oldest profession. Nini is the neophyte. At the start of the story, she is a waitress in the restaurant where Manny Castañeda, a pimp, meets me and other call girls to give us our respective assignments for the night. Later on, when her mom gets sick and is confined in a hospital, she decides to accept Manny’s offer to join his stable of prosties. Pero puro with hearts of gold naman kami rito, ‘no?"

"And that’s also what happened to us in real life," Nini continues. "When Ana started her acting career, nalinya agad siya sa bold flicks. In my case, I started as a sweet star who sings regularly on That’s Entertainment. When the show folded up, I appeared in some films as leading lady to action stars. But my mom, whose dream was to be a movie star herself, felt nothing was happening to my career, so when the offer came from Boss Robbie Tan to build me up as a sexy star in last year’s Burlesk King, we decided to accept it. Since then, I also did Talong, Gigil, and Mapagbigay."

Arayyy! is Ana’s first assignment with Seiko.

"I was surprised when I got a call from Boss Robbie. We were together last February in the Berlin Filmfest where their Burlesk King was shown. My film with Direk Joey Reyes, Toro, was also shown there. Modesty aside, a lot of European critics raved about my acting in that film as a drug-addicted torera or live sex show worker who wants to get back the child I gave up for adoption some years ago. Boss Robbie himself told me many foreigners who saw Toro were later asking about me: ‘Who is that actress?’ Siempre, I’m very much flattered. Boss Robbie told me he’ll get me for a future project but I didn’t take it seriously.

"I thought he’s just kidding me, but it turned out to be true. I also enjoyed working with Direk Don and my leading man, Leonardo. As a director, Direk Don gives you a lot of leeway to interpret the material. He wants you to be comfortable. I have several nude scenes in the film while I’m entertaining my clients. Some of them are funny, like when I fake orgasm to satisfy a customer or when one of them suddenly suffers from a heart attack and I panic as I look for his medicines in his clutch bag.

"My most dramatic scenes are with Leonardo. First is when I had an abortion and he confronted me in the hospital about it. The second is when I get home and see him with all his bags packed. He tells me he has chosen to live in Hong Kong with his rich gay lover. I try to put up a very brave front and even ask him to return his apartment keys to me. But deep inside, I’m hurting badly. The redeeming factor in my character is that I sell my body for my grandmother (played by Rustica Carpio) who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s disease."

Those who have seen Arayyy! in its press preview tell Nini she must have undergone a breast augmentation operation because her bumpers seem to be more prominent in this film than in her previous ones.

"Excuse me! Dati nang malaki ’yan, but this is the first time I wear tight outfits with plunging necklines, that’s why they look bigger on screen. No silicone implants for me, please!"

In the film, Nini has two leading men. Rodel Velayo plays the man she really loves, but he is so poor like her so she tells him to just forget her. She chooses to be the kept woman of a married man, Simon Ibarra, whose wife, Jackie Castillejo, later attacks her in public, leading to tragic consequences.

"It’s a challenging role that offers me the chance to do several heavy drama scenes, like when my mom discovers I am no longer a waitress but a call girl and throws me out of our house. Another difficult scene is when Rodel bids me farewell because he is about to leave for abroad to work as overseas worker. I decide to give my body to him as some sort of goodbye present. It’s our love story that offers hope and redemption in the film. After my affair with Simon ends on a very sad note, I turn my back on prostitution and find work as telephone operator. Rodel returns home from abroad and we reconcile."

"In my case," says Ana, "Leonardo also returns home from Hong Kong after his gay lover gets tired of him. We also reconcile, but we continue to be prostitutes. Both Direk Don and I were very much surprised by Leonardo in the movie. I’ve worked with other bold actors before but they’re not as uninhibited as him. Wala talagang kiyeme when it comes to disrobing before the camera. And he is not conscious at all in letting it all hang out even if there are several other people on the set. And he definitely shows a lot of promise as drama actor."

Producer Robbie Tan is optimistic Arayyy! will be a hit with foreign film distributors, just like his Burlerk King which has been sold to various countries in Europe and the Americas.

"Even now, so many international film festival directors are also requesting to see it," he says.