AI AI DE LAS ALAS says she’s happy to be back doing comedy on the big screen in “Sons of Nanay Sabel”, after doing serious films like “Area” where she played an aging prostitute and “School Service” where she plays a beggar pretending to be a cripple to get sympathy.
“Kailangan ko ng ganung mga pelikula para sa serious side ng pagiging aktres ko,” she says. “Ibang fulfillment ang ibinibigay niyon sa akin. Pero siempre, sa comedy naman talaga ako nakilala kaya heto, magpapatawa uli ako ‘Sons of Nanay Sabel’, na pang-Mother’s Day presentation ng Viva, just like ‘Tanging Ina’ noon na Mother’s Day rin pinalabas.”
So why was the playdate of “Sons of Nanay Sabel” moved to May 8 instead of the original May 1? “Tumawag kasi sa’kin si Ironman. Kilala mo yun, si Robert Downey Jr? Nakikiusap raw sila ng mga kasamahan niyang superheroes na kung maaari, wag ko muna silang tapatan at banggain dahil one week pa lang sila sa mga sinehan. So, naawa ako. Sino ba naman ako para hindi sila pagbigyan, di ba?”
Does she know who are the other superheroes? She thinks hard and cannot talk for a while. “Naku, o, hindi ko raw alam, halatang nange-etchos lang. Ha ha ha! Hindi ko pa kasi napapanood yung ‘Avengers’, e. Baka bigyan nila ako ng ticket.”
Ai Ai also has a special participation in the GMA primetime soap, “Kara Mia”, playing the role of a tree goddess called Reynara. She has special powers and is the reason why the twins Kara and Mia are separated from each other. “Ang hirap nung role ko, ha. Ang bigat-bigat noong ipinapatong na kung anik-anik sa ulo ko para magmukha akong puno.
"Tumawag nga sa’kin si Meryll Streep, e. Sabi niya, bilib daw siya sa akin kasi siya raw, she doesn’t know how to play a tree. O, di ba? Ha ha ha ha!”
We talked to Ai Ai at her own AiSian Fusion Restaurant at the 4th floor of Ayala Mall Balintawak where she was launched as the endorser of SiomAi King. Dubbed as the Hari ng Siomai, it offers five pieces of siomai in one serving and has five unique variants: Shanghai, Hongkong, Japanese and Chicken Siomai. We sampled all of them and they’re really tasty, with no extenders and reasonably priced.
“Matagal ko ng friend ang owner nito, si Jonathan So,” adds Ai Ai. “He asked me to endorse ko naman daw ang SiomAi King at pumayag ako agad kasi mabait siya sa akin and ang word na SiomAi, di ba may Ai. Saka masarap talaga ang siomai nila, ginagawa kong ulam. Comfort food sa’kin yan, e. So SiomAi King meets the Concert Comedy Queen.
"They started operating only in 2010 but now have more than 1,000 franchises nationwide. Kumuha na rin ako ng apat na sarili kong franchise outlets. Yung first ko will open sa Paso de Blas in Malinta soon. Mura lang ang franchise package nila compared to others. For P280,000 lang, kasama na dun yung food cart, equipment, operating utensils at pati training ng mga magiging tauhan mo. You can contact them online for your own franchise.”