KUALA LUMPUR: The Queen of Malaysian cinema, Erra Fazira, has offered fans a delightful glimpse into the unconventional start of her relationship with her husband-to-be, Ezwan Zain, ahead of their highly anticipated wedding on Dec 12.
The 51-year-old star revealed on the Kasi Onz podcast that Ezwan, whom she affectionately calls ‘Mr E,’ completely broke her long-standing habit of avoiding phone conversations.
Erra, who prefers to communicate purely through text messages, was stunned when their first major conversation turned into an endurance test.
“I don’t talk on the phone. I just text if I want something,” Erra said.
“He (Ezwan) wanted to call. Do you know how long? The first time in my life, I talked on the phone for six hours. What? I was like, when is he going to hang up?” she recalled, laughing as she described how she was able to put the phone down and carry on with other tasks during the marathon chat.
“This is the first time I’ve been on a long call like that, you know. Otherwise, never.”
Ezwan, in turn, shared his own communication hurdles with the actress, whose real name is Fazira Wan Chek. He was initially perplexed by her choice of messaging app.
“It was very difficult for me to communicate with Erra. She doesn’t have WhatsApp,” Ezwan explained.
“Have you ever thought about how I was going to contact Erra Fazira, who doesn’t have WhatsApp? People only use WeChat when they go to China; Erra uses it widely in Malaysia.”
Due to this, the couple initially had to rely on Instagram direct messages for communication.
Reflecting on their early days, Erra shared that their relationship was initially platonic, stemming from a professional encounter when she was a guest announcer at the Sinar FM studio.
The turning point from friends to lovers came not through flirty exchanges, but through a genuine connection over deeper life topics.
“We got to know each other as friends, DM-ing on social media. It genuinely didn’t involve matters of the heart or feelings,” Erra said.
The bond strengthened when Ezwan made a notable effort.
“I started to feel comfortable with you (Ezwan) when you showed your earnestness,” she continued, describing one particular day when he went to extraordinary lengths, bringing a chair, table, coffee-making equipment, and food for an impromptu outdoor ‘camping’ session.
Erra emphasised that the effort was secondary to the substance of their conversations: “It wasn’t just because of the effort, but our topic of conversation wasn’t flirty. We talked more about life. I think that’s why I started feeling comfortable with you.”
Erra, who was previously unable to hold back tears when confirming the wedding news, has expressed her deep hopes for the union.
She shared that she is looking forward to a life partner, saying, “I hope this marriage is the best, most beautiful, and the last.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
