Ian Veneracion (left) and Heaven Peralejo. Image: Instagram/@heavenperalejo
Ian Veneracion found it baffling when his “Nananahimik ang Gabi” leading lady Heaven Peralejo was bashed for a Tiktok reel posted last month.
The seven-second Tiktok reel showed Peralejo and Veneracion facing each other and the latter, in a second, planting a kiss on the former’s forehead.
“Ang daming nagalit. Ang daming natuwa. Ang daming kinilig. Sabi ko nga, bakit gano’n? Ikaw ‘yung 22 years old, ikaw ‘yung babae, bakit parang ako ‘yung biktima?” Veneracion, obviously baffled, said during the mediacon for their movie Tuesday, Dec. 13.
(Many were furious. Many were glad. Many became giddy. As I’ve said, why is that? You’re the one who’s 22 years old, you’re the woman, why is it that I was like the victim?)
Peralejo said it was just an “innocent fun.” She saw it in a Tiktok reel and they just replicated it.
Veneracion continued “I still don’t know what the fuss is all about kasi it’s just you, you face me and I just kissed your forehead. May bastos ba doon? (Is there something rude in that?) May malaswa ba sa ginawa ko? (Is there obscenity in what I did?)
He dropped hints as to why Peralejo was bashed, saying, “May babae na nagsabi sa akin, ‘Ksi babae kami. Alam namin ‘yung mga ganoong tingin ni Heaven.’” (There’s a woman who said to me, “It’s because we’re women. We know that kind of stare of Heaven.”)
But what’s important to Veneracion is that the Tiktok reel elicited reactions, negative or otherwise.
“Pero iyon ang maganda kasi nga may (But that’s beautiful because it has) engagement. Medyo curious sila (They’re kind of curious) and hopefully, curious sila to watch the film,” he said.
A suspense-thriller, “Nananahimik ang Gabi” is one of the official entries in the Metro Manila Film Festival, which opens on Dec. 25. /ra
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