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| ALFRED VARGAS with leading ladies SHAINA MAGDAYAO & IZA CALZADO |
ALFRED VARGAS is the congressman of QC’s 5th district but he has not forgotten his showbiz roots. He has completed two new movies, “Kaputol” with Cherie Gil that just had its world premiere at the recent Bangalore International Filmfest in India, and “Tagpuan” with Iza Calzado and Shaina Magdayao that is now an official entry in the coming Summer Metro-Manila Filmfest from April 11 to 21.
“I’m proud and happy na parehong maganda ang feedback sa dalawang movies na nagawa ko,” he says. “Sa India, very positive ang feedback ng mga nanood. They really like ‘Kaputol’ which touched on martial law and its socio-political message.
"Dito naman sa ‘Tagpuan’, it’s an honor na mapahanay sa lineup ng iba pang entries na mostly quality films and starring respected actors like Nora Aunor, Phillip Salvador, Dingdong Dantes, Michael de Mesa at marami pang iba.
“I’m so delighted na napasama kami sa walong official entries gayong mahigit two dozens daw ang pinagpiliang movies na lumahok. I want to thank the screening committee for giving us the chance na mapabilang sa festival na ito na very impressive ang lineup of entries kaya sobrang saya ko talaga.”
In “Tagpuan”, Alfred plays Allan, a successful businessman who’s separated from his wife, Iza Calzado as Agnes. Then he meets Shaina Magdayao as Tanya in Hongkong and they have an affair. The three of them would later be all together in New York where their tangled relationships will figure in a complicated finale.
“It’s a love story but not the usual romcom about young people,” Alfred adds. “The characters here are more mature adults, in their 30s, so mas complex ang personal stories nila. A
"ng ganda ng pagkasulat ni Ricky Lee sa script and it’s refreshing to do a more serious material like this about intricate relationships. It’s a good learning experience and also very fulfilling for me as an actor.”
How important are the sexy love scenes he did with both Iza and Shaina in “Tagpuan”?
“Very important as they are an integral part of the film. But the movie is not just about sex. Kakaiba ito for me, kasi yung character ko, kakaunti ang dialogue. What I go through, mostly internal.
"Ang dami niyang pinagdaanan na liko-liko and the character’s transformation because of the angst he went through is very challenging. It’s very exciting to portray him on screen.”
How is it working with Iza and Shaina? “Ang sarap nilang kasama kasi very supportive pareho at pareho ring napakagaling, both committed to their respective roles. We talked a lot about our roles and how we’ll do our scenes before the camera.
"Sa panahon ngayon, andaming ginagawa ng mga tao, andaming nangyayari, but in the end, the movie shows na kung ano ang klase ng itinanim mong relationships, yun din mismo ang aanihin mo. Hopefully, maraming makaka-relate sa sitwasyon ng mga character dito and what they’re going through.”
Quezon City is the host of the first Summer Metro Filmfest and there will be a Parade of Stars on April 4 showcasing the floats of all the film entries.
It will start at Welcome Rotonda and end at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Several traffic enforcers will be assigned along Quezon Avenue to make sure the traffic will not be disrupted.
