Ijab Kabut reviewed – a middling romantic comedy

WEDDINGS (or more accurately receptions) are expensive and elaborate affairs. Organising one requires planning ahead almost a year in advance in order to secure the right venue, photographer, caterers, make-up artists and all the other logistical conundrums that come with the territory. Ijab Kabut, the fourth Malaysian Viu original title, revolves around this particular challenge that most couples face.  

Deanna (Azira Shafinaz) and Athira (Ezzaty Abdullah) are cousins that grew up having a competitive relationship with one another. Both are eager for their grandmother’s love and attention, would constantly try to one-up each other, whether in academic performance, sports, their culinary abilities or in pulling off their dream weddings.

Deanna, on the verge of her wedding ceremony, that she has spent months preparing for, gets broken up with. Not wanting to disappoint her family and let all the effort she has put go to waste, decides to proceed with the wedding. But now she is left with the dilemma of finding a suitable groom.  

The premise, on paper atleast, reads ‘wacky’ (as described in its press release) and promising enough to warrant its development into a ten-episode series. Two episodes have been released so far, and the experience has been... serviceable.

The characters (and the performances) are neither appealing nor entirely dull, the dialogues are utilitarian, and production quality decent enough to keep you from switching channels. While the scenes come across hastily sketched, the brief 30-minute per episode runtime keeps it from becoming insufferable. That is me being generous given that not all the episodes have been released yet. 

The basic ingredient for every romantic comedy is the chemistry and charisma of its actors, and it is too soon to tell whether Azira Shafinaz will be able to pull off the requirements of the role alongside her male co-stars, Fadlan Hazim and Iedil Dzuhrie Alaudin. They each respectively play the roles of Khai, Deanna’s wedding planner and Mat, a runner/secretary at her music label. A love triangle between the three of them has been teased and alluded to by the end of second episode. 

It remains to be seen whether Deanna will eventually subvert the expectations that has been placed on her shoulders, in keeping to the idea of a lavish wedding, or the insular, parochial attitudes of her grandmother, the matriarch of the family, who treats her granddaughters as broodmares and that the highest ideals a woman could aspire to is getting married. The grandmother quips to Athira, “you’re ready to be a wife” upon tasting the curry that she cooks.

Deanna herself is rather vacuous, constantly dreaming of her wedding, despite being at work or in meetings. We are supposed to be under the illusion that she is a successful, competitive, and professional music producer who runs her own company, yet the impression is the opposite.

These representations need to be challenged as sexist and antiquated ideas on the role of a woman in a family. – The Vibes, October 16, 2022