From Burlesk King to Sisid Boy

Since he was introduced in Burlesk King (1999) where he played the title role as a macho dancer looking for his long-lost mother, Rodel Velayo has starred in several other films (Mapagbigay, Aray and Kangkong), all of which did well at the box office.

"I consider myself very lucky to have been launched in a movie like Burlesk King which was exhibited in prestigious international film festivals like those in Chicago, Toronto and the Berlin. Its rights were also bought by various foreign distributors and it has been shown in art houses in the USA and Europe."

His role was very challenging and he got positive comments for his performance, particularly for his touching reunion scene with his mother (played by Elizabeth Oropesa), an aging prostie who was offering him her services.

Now, he gets another challenging role in Seiko Films’ Sisid, directed by Joey Romero, who won acclaim for such films as Vampira (starring Maricel Soriano) and The Marikina Files.

"It’s as difficult as my role in Burlesk King," he says. "I play an orphan whose parents died in the sinking of the M/V Doña Paz. I became a streetkid who sniffs rugby in street corners, until the owner of a gambling house (played by Nanding Josef) adopted me. I became his errand boy and he lends me to his friend (Archie Ventosa) to be the driver of Archie’s colegiala daughter (Assunta de Rossi).

"Assunta is alienated from her father, who is addicted to gambling. She finds a friend in me and we end up as lovers. But when her father tries to escape with her to Canada because he cannot pay his gambling debts to my foster father, (Nanding) forces me to kidnap Assunta for ransom. I had no choice but to comply. Both Nanding and Archie die in the shootout that follows. Assunta feels betrayed and jumps into the Pasig River. I spend five years in jail for kidnapping her."

The story of Fidel (Rodel) and Rio (Assunta) is told from the point of view of a videographer, Nonoy (Raymond Bagatsing), who is making a documentary about the unique job of an aquabelle, Lily, a stripper in a club called Boracay who does her act while swimming underwater inside a huge aquarium. Lily looks exactly Rio.

"When I come out of prison, I see Lily by chance and I insist that she is Rio, whose body was never found," continues Rodel. "This is the riddle in the movie: Are Rio and Lily the same person or are they totally different from each other? There is a twist in the ending I’m sure the viewers will enjoy."

Those who have seen Sisid in its press preview are shocked by the steamy love scenes between Assunta and Rodel in the movie, and also between Assunta and Raymond.

"Game si Assunta," says rodel. "Very cooperative. Direk Joey is very happy with her because she does what is required of her without any complaint."

How come there are stories that Assunta felt betrayed by her full frontal nudity scene in the movie?

"I think it’s her manager, Manny Valera, who complained. But when the scene was shot, Assunta did it like a real pro. Both Raymond and I were also nude on our love scenes with her, but there was no malice. Trabaho lang. We’re so happy that the sexy scenes are shown uncut because they’re all within naman the context of the story, including the underwater scenes where Assunta swims topless.

"May magandang message ang movie about true love and the unending search for it. Fidel keeps on searching for Rio until he finds her again. Si Nonoy naman, he’s been hurt before so he is afraid of commitment, but in the end, he realizes that he has found true love in Lily and cannot let her go."

Aside from Sisid, Rodel has also completed Tikim, a movie about jueteng and the greed for money, directed by Jose Javier Reyes. "This is another good project," he says. "I’m paired with Barbara Milano and Leonardo Litton is also in the cast."