Actress Daiyan Trisha Wears Mother's Vintage Baju Kurung in Drama Anom Suraya

Actress and singer Daiyan Trisha revealed that many of the baju kurung outfits she wore in the drama Anom Suraya were from her mother's personal collection. The costumes, sewn and preserved by her mother, Dr. Samsiah Mohd. Nor, date back to her mother's youth.

"Many people have complimented the baju kurung I wore. Actually, those were my mother's clothes when she was in her teens and early 20s," Daiyan explained. "Not all of them are my mother's, but most are, like the orange and yellow ones, and some classic designs. They are beautiful, but a bit hot to wear."

Daiyan described the opportunity to star in Anom Suraya, adapted from her mother's novel, as an unexpected blessing. This marks her first acting role in an adaptation, as previous projects were canceled due to scheduling conflicts. "This is unexpected good fortune. Throughout my career, I never thought I would play a character from my own mother's novel," she said. "I consider this a very special destiny for both of us. I've wanted to act in an adaptation for a long time, but I always faced obstacles like overlapping schedules."

Dr. Samsiah recalled writing the novel Anom Suraya in 1991 as a critique of the strong patriarchal culture prevalent at the time. She began writing in July and finished in August 1991, while awaiting the birth of her first child in December. "I wrote based on my experiences growing up in a strong patriarchal culture in Kuantan, Pahang, around the 1960s and 1970s. The restrictions on a village girl back then were very strict; even riding a bicycle required wearing a baju kurung," she said.

Inspired by the success of Anom Suraya's adaptation, Dr. Samsiah is nearing completion of a sequel, Anom Suraya 2. "God willing, this sequel novel is about 85 percent complete. I am maintaining the same writing style as the first work," she stated. "Even though the world is moving towards the digital era, the satisfaction of holding a physical book with the scent of paper is irreplaceable."