Kerana Karina

1st ever made-for-web drama, Kerana Karina (KK). The made-for-web drama, consisting of 20 four-minute episodes, was produced in partnership with Grand Brillance Sdn Bhd, the nation’s premier film production company.

KK revolves around Karina, a successful recording artiste who becomes an overnight pop princess with her debut album. In the process of recording her second album, Karina feels the pressure of holding on to her throne with ridiculously high expectations from her label and the media abuzz with predictions of a bigger hit. Her world goes into a frenzy when her album producer turns out to be her ex-flame from a failed relationship which had a great impact on her. Faced with the return of an unwanted past and the pressures from the media and her recording label, Karina and her entourage of managers, friends and hanger-ons try to make sense of what’s good and bad for her career.

Each episode of KK was developed to cleverly incorporate a provoking beginning, a climax and a gripping cliffhanger in just merely four minutes. The series looks set to keep viewers glued to their monitors and in anticipation of the next episode. Besides an appealing storyline riddled with twists and turns, KK’s strength lies in its powerhouse cast consisting of the best and brightest talents which have become household names in the entertainment industry today.

History–making Kerana Karina features rising star, Marsha Londoh playing the lead, Karina. The star-studded line-up includes award-winning actress Sazzy Falak, local heartthrob Zizan Nin, former Miss Malaysia Elaine Daly, thespian Chelsia Ng, model-cum-actor Alan Yun, ntv7’s Audition winner Razally Husin and making his acting debut, music maestro, Roslan Aziz.

The series is helmed by up-coming director Aidilfitri Mohamed Yunos, who effectively directed the stellar cast of the 20-episode drama in just ten days during the recent fasting month.

KK was the brainchild of its Executive Producer, Michael D’Oliveiro, who also leads the original video contents on GUA. Interestingly, the story was written by Alt Media Sdn Bhd’s General Manager of Lifestyle Portals himself, M. Zulkifli Abd Jalil. M. Zulkifli has been dabbling with lyric writing, co-authored a book, helmed the editorial of a prominent men’s magazine as well as a local tabloid, and thus is no stranger to content creation.

In fact, M.Zulkifli also wrote the lyrics to the theme song of KK, Yang Mana, which was composed and produced by seasoned songwriter, Azmeer. Yang Mana, sung by Marsha Londoh, will be part of Kerana Karina’s creative promotional strategy. The single can be heard over the radio airwaves from 1st November onwards and will also be available for download only on GUA.

At the launch cum press conference held today at the elegant Empress Café, the press was given a preview of KK’s trailer and the theme song, Yang Mana. The main cast as well as the steadfast forces behind the production of KK was present to field questions from the press.

“With a simple yet engaging storyline and a talented cast, we believe Kerana Karina will be a hit with GUA members as well as those who simply love their dramas. The short form format will also give the viewers a different but exciting experience,” says M.Zulkifli.

All 20 episodes of KK will be available for fans to download in December exclusively on GUA. GUA also has plans to release KK in a DVD format based on the response received from its inaugural season. A second season is also in talks.

“This is something that’s never been done before and we see tremendous opportunity to exploit drama content over the internet. I believe with the right cast and story, we’ll have a captive audience. Working with Grand Brilliance as a partner has also helped us put together a great ensemble of talent, both in front of and behind the camera,” added Michael D’Oliveiro.

GUA also took the opportunity to launch KK’s micro site. The micro site is dedicated and packed with cast’s bios and discography, a colourful behind the scenes’ photo gallery of KK’s 10-day shoot, a contest based on the series for fans to get a chance to win amazing prizes as well as a forum for fans to discuss and exchange views about the drama series.