‘Ma’am Chief: Shakedown in Seoul’ puts cops in a positive light

CEBU, Philippines — The last time Melai Cantiveros led a movie was in 2011’s “The Adventures of Pureza: Queen of the Riles” with her then-boyfriend, now-husband Jason Francisco.

Since then, she’s regularly played the best buddy of the protagonist, such as in “The Exorsis” and “The Entitled”, both starring Alex Gonzaga. She also shared top-billing with her “Magandang Buhay” co-hosts Jolina Magdangal and Karla Estrada (before she left the morning show and was replaced by Regine Velasquez-Alcasid) in 2021’s “Momshies! Ang Soul Mo’y Akin.”

Cantiveros could hardly believe it when she was offered the title role in “Ma’am Chief: Shakedown in Seoul.”

“Until now, I don’t know what Pulp Studios saw in me. Can I just go?” she remarked in a mix of Tagalog and Bisaya, eliciting bursts of laughter from her co-stars, during a press conference at Noble Cebu Hotel before a promo show at SM City Cebu.

In “Ma’am Chief”, out in cinemas today, Cantiveros is police officer Selda Kaptan who goes undercover as a tour guide in South Korea to arrest a fugitive.  As a K-pop and K-drama fan, it’s not all work for Selda as she gets to go around the country and see her favorite Korean celebrities shown in the trailer. Lee Seung-gi, Do Ji-han, Yuju and band Rolling Quartz make an appearance in this rare crossover between the Philippines and Korea.

Directed by Koreanophile vlogger Kring Kim, this is the feature debut of Pulp Studios, whose parent company is known to organize concerts all over the country.

“I didn’t want to take on a project where I felt pressured because life is too short to be stressed over work,” Cantiveros said. “But when I saw the way [Kim and Pulp’s Happee Sy-Go] presented the film to me, that’s where I was positive and I didn’t feel any pressure with this project. I didn’t feel like this was just work. I can see that they are fun to work with so why not?”

The film’s producers have said the lead role was tailor-made for the comedienne from General Santos City. “If Melai didn’t agree, the movie wouldn’t push through,” said Bernadette Allyson-Estrada who is friends with Sy-Go and is part of the cast as Tita Gretch. “While we were trying to contact Melai, we tried to think of other actresses but we couldn’t think of anyone else.”

Jennica Garcia, who plays Selda’s best friend and fellow cop Joy, praised Cantiveros’ performance. “Melai is smart. It takes a wise person to be a good actor and Melai is one. You will see that she is really not just a host,” said the actress, who co-hosts PIE Channel’s “Ur Da Boss”, as well as the two-week-long noontime show “It’s Your Lucky Day!” with Cantiveros.

Also in the film are Sela Guia as Jenny, Enzo Almario as Polly, Dustine Mayores as Prince, and Manel Sevidal as Ella Mae who are with Tita Gretch as tourists under the guidance of Selda.

Sevidal prepared by watching vlogs of the director to get a better idea of how her character as a talent manager operates.

“I feel close with the fandoms of my artists and I really appreciate how fans support their favorite artists. I placed myself in their shoes and how they would support their idols,” she said.

Allyson-Estrada identified with her character easily. “I play a super rich tita where money is no object, but she is not matapobre. She is nice, lovable, and generous. The whole character is so very me because I am a strong K-drama fan,” she said.

Garcia said she exerted the same effort in preparing for this comedy film  as she does for her drama projects. “It’s the same with how I prepare with any other role. I read the script and checked what emotions I should pull out from real life. With my character, it was three: mistrust, betrayal, and redemption. So I was playing with those emotions and focused on them,” the “Dirty Linen” star said.

Through her relatable character, Cantiveros wanted to show the fun side of members of the police force. “I had to solve my problems as Selda because at stake are my friendships, as well as my life as a K-pop fan and a policewoman. I hope viewers will see how loud and proud she is that she is a policewoman and a K-pop fan at the same time,” she said.

Garcia hopes “Ma’am Chief” will encourage young audiences to become police officers. “I hope it inspires the youth to take up Criminology because there are not a lot of enrolees along with Agricultural courses since a lot from the province want to find jobs in Manila and people don’t have a lot of trust towards the police these days,” she said.

“Even if there are news about police misbehavior, I hope people will see that not all of them are bad. They can pursue this course so they can help our country,” she added.

While shooting in South Korea, Cantiveros was impressed by the work ethic of the Korean crew.

“Diligence runs in the Korean blood. If you are the only one not working as hard as the others, you will feel ashamed,” she observed. “We only worked for eight hours. Time is important for them so they put a lot of effort in their work and set an example to their colleagues.”

On what she wishes audiences take away from the film, Cantiveros said, “Stress is becoming too common in our lives these days. When you watch the movie, you will realize that life is simple. Why do we need to complicate our lives further?” — (FREEMAN)