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This year’s Hari Raya commercial from Astro is a love letter from Rohana Abdullah to her foster mother,  Chee Hoi Lan, a retired kindergarten teacher.

It invites the audience to consider that when we 'Bukalah Hati' or keep an open heart, we will be surprised by the 'wonderful’ that finds its way into our hearts and minds. 

This touching true story began in the year 2000 when Chee Hoi Lan was asked to care for a Muslim baby girl. Despite being of a different race and religion, she opened her heart and diligently raised the baby, Rohana Abdullah, as a Muslim.

Her incredible sacrifice was given national recognition in 2022 when she was awarded 'Ikon Ibu Sejati Keluarga Malaysia' at the Maulidur Rasul 1444 Hijrah national celebrations. Remarkably, making her the only non-Muslim recipient for this 2022 award by Malaysian Islamic authorities.     

Rohana, now 23 years old, is an undergraduate in Universiti Teknikal Malaysia, Malacca. Initially she was reluctant for her life story to be shared so publicly to protect the privacy of her now 83 year old foster mum whom she affectionately calls Lao Shi (which means teacher in Mandarin).

However, after much reassurance, Rohana and Chee Hoi Lan agreed to let their story be shared by Astro as a way to inspire more people to appreciate the importance of living life with an open heart.  

Talon’s creative director, Erman Basiron, pointed out that life for the average Malaysian in the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic has been challenging. He believes that an uplifting story that helps restore our faith in the goodness of our fellow Malaysians is a morale boost that the public could use right now.

Tammy Toh, Astro’s director of brand communications and sustainability said that when she first heard the inspiring story, she felt that it was one that deserved to be shared on a bigger scale so that it could touch the hearts and minds of many more in society. She added that it is Astro’s ongoing social initiative to use its multiple platforms to entertain, enlighten and empower society with content that celebrates positive values which Malaysians should stand for.

Talon Creative worked with D Moving Pictures and closely collaborated with Dick Chua who undertook the challenge of directorial duties. He immortalised onscreen the emotions necessary for this sincere story to be well told.

Though the story was made for the Hari Raya 2023 festive season, the message to “keep an open heart so that something wonderful can find its way in” is an aspiration that can be kept close to heart by everyone for all times.