A brand-new start for Nora Aunor

AUNOR. Older—and wiser?

Finally, after several false starts, the latest chapter in Nora Aunor’s triumphant and yet turbulent show biz career has just begun—with her arrival in Manila last Aug. 2, after more than eight years of enforced and/or self-imposed absence.

Like many Nora “diehards,” we celebrate the Superstar’s return, even if it’s only for an initial three months, to appear in a historical movie and to shoot a miniseries for TV5.

Who knows, one thing could lead to another—like, we hear Mother Lily, another “eternal” fan, wants Nora to star in her latest “Mano Po” movie for the yearend MMFF? So, Nora’s supposedly abridged homecoming could stretch into a more permanent stay. —Let the upheavals resume!

Broken fences

To be sure, the Superstar, now in her supposedly wiser mid-50s, has promised to be on her best behavior, to work hard and behave professionally, and to mend as many broken fences—and relationships—as she can. In other words, a brand-new start—and, who doesn’t want that?

Despite Nora’s pledge, however, “battle-scarred” veterans in the biz will still be on the lookout for less than wonderful behavior—because old habits do die hard.

For our part, however, we choose to remain constantly optimistic when it comes to a rare, iconic talent like Nora—and to always give her the benefit of the doubt.

Why so? Because she has us wrapped around her little finger, that’s why—not for any juvenile fan-tasticating reason,  but because we know that, despite herself, she still has some great performances left in her—and that’s what we sorely need on the local film scene—really great screen portrayals that can lift the movie industry out of the rut it’s in.

Having said that, let’s mull over Nora’s work prospects for the next few months, to make sure that she makes the most of her long-awaited return: First, her movie with ER Ejercito shouldn’t be mistaken for Nora’s big comeback to films. As Emilio Aguinaldo, he’s playing the title role, so her portrayal shouldn’t be made that big a deal of.

Miniseries

Nora’s miniseries for TV5 could be more of a stellar triumph for her. A TV series is not as artistically significant as a big movie, but with Mario O’Hara helming the TV5 project, we’re optimistic that he can get a great portrayal out of her.

Some people are also pitching projects that will “reunite” Nora with her former costars, like Christopher de Leon and Tirso Cruz III. Our take on that is, let old screen partnerships continue to lie fallow for the time being. For Nora’s big comeback, she should come up with something fresh and exciting, because she has to delight, not just her diehard loyalists, but also the new generation of younger viewers, who don’t know much about her at all!