POPULAR actress, television host and radio announcer Che Puan Sarimah Ibrahim is attracting a new legion of fans as the glamorous antagonist, Sharifah Qaidah, in the hit TV3 drama series, 'Lelaki Itu'.
Although the agency managing her career abroad is in the United Kingdom, the 45-year-old artiste does not plan to migrate overseas as she is "very happy to be in Malaysia".
Sarimah, who is under the London-based Fiona Cross Management, admits that she is more comfortable living here, having always been a Malaysian at heart.
"I will not migrate. I am comfortable living in my homeland.
"I am of Malay blood and have lived here for over 20 years, so I do not think living abroad is more attractive," Sarimah said in a recent interview with 'Berita Harian'.
"For now, I want to focus on my acting career, as it is back with a bang following 'Lelaki Itu'."
She added: "I never realised that Qaidah's character would make me a household name again until I accepted the offer.
"I have also been busy filming another 40-episode drama series produced by Astro.
"And this is the first time I am collaborating with Zamarul Hisham, a great actor whom I have always admired."
Asked if the character Qaidah has made her set a higher benchmark for accepting drama scripts, Sarimah said "anyone would want the best", including herself.
"It has indeed raised the bar high for me as an actress. Nevertheless, I will still star in light-hearted dramas as I am not a demanding person."
Sarimah likened playing Qaidah to "winning a gold medal" in a sport.
"Anyone who wins a competition will always be compelled to defend his or her title.
"The same applies to me, but I don't want to focus too much on winning because that will affect my future performances."
Sarimah said her success in playing Qaidah was the result of many factors.
"It's not because of me alone, but the team of scriptwriters, the producers and the director.
"Sometimes, we are just lucky to have stepped into a character that is so brilliantly crafted."
The versatile actress added that she does not believe in playing the same character more than once.
"Playing a role that is more or less similar to Qaidah will force viewers to compare my performances. I would rather play another role."
Nevertheless, Sarimah is happy to be called "Qaidah" away from the film set.
'Lelaki Itu' has achieved more than one billion views on social media since it debuted on TV3 on April 29.
The drama directed by Along Kamaluddin and Nur Ain Sharif, also stars Datuk Adi Putra, Nur Fazura Sharifuddin, Nabila Huda Suhaimi, Hannah Delisha, Aedy Ashraf, Nadia Brian, and Sophia Albarakbah.
Sarimah was born in Dublin, Ireland and hails from Batu Pahat, Johor.
She is of Malay-and-Irish parentage and received her early education at Emirates International School, Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Wesley College, Dublin.
Sarimah obtained an Advanced Diploma in Psychology from the College of Applied Arts, Singapore and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from HELP University, Kuala Lumpur.
The eldest of four siblings, Sarimah began her career in showbusiness as an advertisement model in the 1990s.
Among her famous films are 'Puteri Impian 2', 'Janji Diana', 'Gerak Khas 3' and 'MX3'.
Sarimah had her first starring role as the host of a television series on The Disney Channel in 1997.
She later hosted 'Anugerah Juara Lagu' and 'Anugerah Industri Muzik', as well as reality talent show Akademi Fantasia Season 7 with Datuk AC Mizal and Jimmy Shanley.
