Movie Review: ‘7 Petala Cinta’
“Assalaamualaikum Cinta.”
“Wa’alaikumsalam Rindu.”
Those lines were what made me go “So cheesy” about 3 minutes into the movie 7 Petala Cinta (7 folds of love). Unlike the movie Ombak Rindu (Waves of longing), this movie was not as hyped about. When I first saw the movie title on my twitter timeline, I did not pay much attention to it. What got me was the trailer I came across on YouTube.
I’m not going to lie. The reason why I found it to be a movie worth watching was because, as with other movies that had Islamic themes, I could not wait to be critical of the level of “syari’ah compliance” it was going to have (admit it, most of you do the same). I was so ready to call it another version of “Ayat ayat Cinta” (Verses of love). Little did I know, I was going to enjoy this one way more than the latter.
So first, here is a brief synopsis of the story:
[box_light]“This movie is about a triangular love affair between three young people. Hamka, Attar and Saidatul Nafisah. Hamka and Attar both have feelings for Saidah. Hamka gets engaged to Saidah before leaving to further his studies and reportedly dies in an explosion while overseas. After some time, Attar, a man with a dark past, cautiously begins to approach Saidah.”[/box_light]
So let’s begin:
Storyline wise, it was quite predictable. However, this movie is one of those that do not require an outstanding storyline to be remembered. The main plus point I would give to it would be for the messages that it sends.
As it is set in an Islamic setting and background, with the actors coming from religious perspectives and experiences, there were a lot of meaningful messages that were communicated out to the viewers.
Message number one: No sin is too big when compared to the mercy of Allah, the Most merciful.
Attar was a man who was lost and drowned in a world of ma’siah. Conspiring and stealing were a norm for him in the past until he accidentally stumbled upon the madrasah in an attempt to hide from the cops. Hidayah can reach anyone, anywhere at any point of time and that is why we are constantly told to not give up on the rahmah of Allah. For Attar, it was in that very prayer hall, in the midst of pulling off a robbery that Allah chose to open his heart and bless him with hidayah. This teaches us that Allah is most Compassionate when it comes to his servants. He created us with full knowledge on how weak we are. Knowing the countless of times we would fall, again and again into the hole of sins that we continue to dig deeper each and every day.
Message number two: People make mistakes, despite how they present themselves.
Some people expect hijabis to be perfect examples of Islam while forgetting that, even though, it is an honour to be able to identify ourselves as Muslims, and we are still human, filled with emotions, imperfections and mistakes. The same goes for males that don the jubbah and headgear in an effort to follow the sunnah of our Prophet (peace be upon him). It is important that we remember the fact that each and every one of us on the face of this earth is not perfect. What sets us apart is whether we make an effort to turn our lives around and become better people. In simpler words, as my lecturer says at the start of her every lesson: “Suspend judgement.”
Message number three: Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting their own demons and battles.
There is always a story behind every person’s situation. Avoid making assumptions. Avoid the practice of su’u zhon. We are taught to get all sides of the story before passing judgement. If you were in the same situation as Attar when he was caught in the room of a non mahraam female, would you want people to pass immediate judgement on you before hearing your side of the story? Would you want your fate to be determined by just what people saw? Think about it.
Message number four: Love is not prohibited in Islam.
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) openly declared his love for his wives especially Sayyidatina Khadijah and Sayyidatina ‘Aisyah. Furthermore, nikah is a highly encouraged Sunnah! As long as you keep your imaan and emotions in check, approach them with respect and boundaries, you are well on your way to a happy and blessed relationship and insyaAllah, marriage.
Emotions-wise
This was a movie filled with tears of happiness, sadness and also constant intervals of laughter that helped to lighten the angst and sadness that filled some scenes. I have to give credit to the actors who starred as Lukman and Soleh who were Attar’s faithful sidekicks. They were hilarious and lightened every scene they were in. Characters and scenes like theirs were missing in the movie Ombak Rindu.
Acting & Cinematography
Speaking of acting, the actors were not bad at all. Not the best acting I have seen but they were good considering none of them were what I expected to be chosen for these roles. But hey, what do I know about acting?
I absolutely loved the cinematography. Most of the scenes were shot beside a lake with beautiful scenery and the scenes were very visually appealing.
Conclusion
This movie was filled with beautifully shot scenes that were heart wrenching, heart-warming and laughter inducing. There were also eye opening messages in it that made 7 Petala Cinta a meaningful film.
My verdict?
Give it a try.
[divider]Radhiatul Mardhiyah Mustaffa
Mardhiyah graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a Diploma in Applied Food Science and Nutrition. She’s an aspiring writer trying to find peace and serenity that comes solely from feeling Allah’s love.