‘Kung Fu Divas’ and the secret to Filipino comedy

MANILA, Philippines - A story about rivalry turning into companionship, Kung Fu Divas is not your typical Filipino movie. It takes our culture and seamlessly gels into that of another. This, in the form of loud Pinoy heroines in cheongsams armed with the moves. The result is the stuff funny is made of.

Supreme sat down with the movie's director Onat Diaz, and his two leads, Ai-Ai de las Alas and Marian Rivera, to talk about the film, Pinoy comedy, the secret to pulling off a successful tambalan.

SUPREME: You came up with a very distinct mix for this project. Kung fu and beauty pageants. What made you think of that?

Onat Diaz: Bakit nga ba yung mix na yun? Because I’m gay? (Laughs) I’m naturally drawn towards beauty pageants and the idea of beauty queens. Off the record ba yun? Hindi ko alam, bahala ka na. The idea of beauty pageants is something I’m very interested in and passionate about. The same with kung fu. I love watching kung fu films, so I mixed the two.

And when I was thinking of the concept initially, the very first thing that came to my mind was that this movie had to be relatable to the Filipino audience. And since kung fu is from China, I tried to look for something that’s particularly Pinoy.  We all know that we so love beauty pageants. Any baranggay, or any gay bar, for that matter has them.

It’s not easy to make a partnership work, especially in comedy. What do you think makes a successful tambalan?

Diaz: The first time they met, they instantly clicked. The chemistry was very organic. There was no warmup or getting-to-know-you session. Instantly they were like long lost sisters. So I guess I would say having such genuine respect and love for each other.

And a major similarity that made the partnership really easy for them was how they were both very generous. Kita mo hindi problema yung sapawan kasi nagbibigayan sila, at pareho silang naghihilahan. They fed on each other’s strength.

Ai-Ai de las Alas: Yung gusto naming katrabaho ang isa’t isa. Marian also has an innate talent for comedy and timing. It’s hard to work with someone with no sense of timing. Parang kanta rin yan eh. Pag sintonado yung isa, you won’t blend. And it’s good that we did.

Marian Rivera: Parehas kaming masayahin. Parehas kaming makulit. Parehas kaming kalog. Parehas kaming mapagmahal na tao. Sa lahat ng aspeto para kaming mga batang naglalaro, pero pag trabaho, trabaho. You need to complement each other. Kailangan walang pataasan ng ihi. Mas maganda yung nagbibigayan kayo.

I’m curious. How did the beauty queens on the cast feel about the beauty queen jokes?

Diaz: (Laughs) I had four beauty queens in the movie: Gloria Diaz, Ruffa Gutierrez, Bianca Manalo, and Precious Lara Quigaman. Script pa lang tawa na sila nang tawa. Especially in the scenes where I try to make the beauty pageant family (in the movie) really outrageously into beauty pageants. Yung kahit nasa bahay lang sila feel na feel nilang beauty queen sila. Tawang-tawa sila ‘cause they really know that it’s real.

Really?

Diaz: Yes. There are aspiring beauty queens who really feel that they are beauty queens, and they live it every single day of their lives (laughs). So natatawa sila kasi may nakikilala silang ganun.

What can people expect from this film?

Ai-Ai: A different Ai-Ai, a different Marian, a different kind of movie. And when it comes to the glossing and the effects used, parang combination ng 300 at Harry Potter.

Marian: From the trailer alone, it’s something that promises to be new to the tastes of the Filipino audience. At alam nating box office queen talaga si Ate Ai, so ano pa ba ang ie-expect natin dun?

Diaz: The general audience can expect a lot of action, of course, because it’s a kung fu film. Expect a lot of laughs because you have Ai-Ai and Marian, two very talented comediennes in their own right. At meron ding mga kurot sa puso within the movie. It’s something deeper, without having to go ultra tali-talinuhan about it. Like the issues of real beauty, strong family units, the battle between destiny and free will. And women empowerment is also touched on.

Wow, that’s ironic. Don’t feminists despise beauty pageants? How did you pull that off?

Diaz: I don’t want to reveal too much. Basta it’s a comedy action film that also contains strong messages.

What does this film contribute to Pinoy comedy?

Diaz: This is a fresh take on the comedy film. It doesn’t try to be funny. It’s not a series of gags, which is how most comedy films are done — you have a series of gags and then a story. Kung Fu Divas, on the other hand, is just a story that happens to be funny.

Ai-Ai: Usually our comedy still focuses so much on the slapstick. Ito medyo mataas na siya.

What do you think is the secret to making the Filipino laugh?

Ai-Ai: You do it smoothly. Kumbaga flawless yung comedy mo.

Marian: Maging natural lang siguro sa pagpapatawa. May mga pagpapatawa kasing pilit eh. Dito sa Kung Fu Divas, lumabas sa’min ni Ate Ai yung totoong kami. And I’m really proud of her as a comedian. Alam niya eh. Alam niya yung dapat gawin sa ‘di dapat gawin.

Diaz: I think the secret is being truthful to them. We come up with situations that are organically funny. Because with comedy, when you try too hard, and people know that you’re trying to make them laugh, diba medyo nakaka-turn off? Having watched a lot of Filipino comedy films, the jokes that really work for me are those that are so unexpected. Even if it was written to elicit laughs, the execution is so subtle that it doesn’t look planned. The main track that we took is to just try to be subtle about it and make the jokes roll off; to elicit laughs naturally without having to work too hard to get them.

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