Finally, a title role for Ai Ai

If Ai Ai delas Alas were a temptress, who do you think would fall under her spell?

Monday to Saturday we see her on ABS-CBN’s noontime show, Magandang Tanghali Bayan. Every Wednesday night, she’s the lady temptress to the likes of teen idols Marvin Agustin, Dominic Ochoa and Vhong Navarro on ABS-CBN’s Whattamen. Saturday nights she’s Venus on ABS-CBN’s Arriba Arriba! Sunday nights at 8 she’s on ABC 5’s Sing-Galing. Then there’s the usual TV ad for Bayantel’s lowest rate promo with two foreigner-papas going gaga over her.

And it seems like it’s always raining men over Ai Ai’s public life. In most of her one-woman shows that had always filled up the seats of Music Museum, Folk Arts Theater and the Araneta Coliseum, she’s the obsession of Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales and the rest of the Hunks.

Besides the sitcoms she had appeared in and had helped much in the ratings game, she had appeared in several box office hits like Separada and Booba.

But behind the camera, being a single mother is a major role she has mastered, being both a devoted mother and father to 10-year-old Sancho Vito, 8-year-old Shaun Nicolo and 6-year-old Sophia Andrea.

Such devotion may be the reason why blessings come her way in abundance.

The most recent of this is her solo movie with Star Cinema under the direction of soap opera guru, Wenn Deramas (Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan), and the script written by the hitmaker herself, Mel del Rosario.

"Tanging Ina ang working title, after Tanging Yaman. Comedy drama ito, first solo movie ko after 13 years in the business," quips Ai Ai one afternoon at a public market in La Loma, where the first scenes of Tanging Ina are being shot. "Excited nga ako kasi napaka-challenging. Biruin mo naman, first shooting day pa lang pinagbuhat na ako kaagad ng anim na hollow blocks."

And to think, Ai Ai considers Tanging Ina a blessing from above "... na sesementuhan ang career ko."

Call it almost a biographical movie because Ai Ai plays a single mother, only this time, to 12 good-looking kids, all of whom she sired from four equally good-looking husbands. "Isa sa mga asawa ko si Aga Muhlach," she reveals. "Una siyang pumayag kasi personal kong kinausap. Sabi ko first solo film ko at napapayag ko naman s’ya sa lambing ko. Me kissing scene pa nga kami eh."

Marvin Agustin plays the firstborn and some confirmed actors are Serena Dalrymple, Carlo Aquino, Heart Evangelista, Shaina Magdayao, Nikki Valdez and many child actors.

But how did the story concept manage to arrive at the idea of someone like Ai Ai having four good-looking husbands?

"Mga tatlong araw lang namang hindi natulog ’yung scriptwriter," says Ai Ai and for an appetizer, she further explains her role. "Isang babae na lumaki sa perya. Hindi n’ya maintindihan kung bakit gusto s’ya ng mga lalaki. May nanghula sa kanya nung bata pa s’ya na malas ang kwatro. Ikaapat na anak sa first husband namatay yung asawa."

The curse repeated with another husband so that everytime she gives birth to her fourth child, that husband dies. "At nagagalit ako sa mga doctor kung kambal ang pinapanganak ko kasi napapabilis ang pagkamatay ng asawa ko."

She is left without a choice but to look for any job to feed the children then another partner comes into the picture. "Kaya naging dose mga anak ko."

Director Wenn Deramas explains, "Meron s’yang mga ‘what if’ situations habang ginagawa n’ya ang mga bagay-bagay sa kanyang buhay."

But unlike in her role in the sitcoms and stand-up comedy shows, in Tanging Ina, "walang batukan. Wholesome to, pero me kabastusan din."

Director Wenn agrees, "Magaling si Ai Ai sa live concert scene. Me puso pero di mawawala kay Ai Ai ang hinahanap ng tao. Siya lang nakaka-carry ng wholesome na may kabastusan. Ibang klase kaya nga Tanging Ina, naiiba s’yang klaseng ina. Very Ai Ai. S’ya mismo."