HER sweet smile, straight hair and smiling eyes embody exotic elegance.

That’s Maya Karin for you, the “star” of today’s Malay cinema.

The German-Indonesian beauty, who is synonymous for her gripping portrayal of a modern-day pontianak in award-winning director Shuhaimi Baba’s Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam I & II, was named Best Actress for her role in director-playwright Osman Ali’s Anak Halal at the 21st Malaysian Film Festival in Cyberjaya earlier this month.

On the same day, Maya said her wedding vows to British fiance Muhammad Ali Abdullah (or Steven Shorthose) at the breathtaking lake-view villa in Lake Como, Bellagio, Italy.
“I was busy with preparations for the wedding. I remember waking up in the morning and thinking about my friends getting ready for the film festival. I never expected to win and I’m grateful,” she said at a Press conference in Petaling Jaya recently.

“It has been overwhelming for the whole family. It was raining most of the time (in Lake Como) and I feared the weather would dampen the wedding. Alhamdulillah, everything turned out well and I’m glad that my guests enjoyed their stay there,” says Maya, who returned to Kuala Lumpur last week after a two-day stay in Venice.

Despite her full schedule now, Maya, 29, still has time for other things.

“Steven and I split the chores. When I do the cooking, Steven does the laundry. We are both adventurous in the kitchen. We like to experiment with new recipes.”

Given her success, Maya must be feeling on top of the world.

Family means a lot to her. Does it supersede her career in terms of priorities?

“Steven is cool. He wants me to be independent and allows me freedom when it comes to my career. I guess he’s accustomed to my working around-the-clock,” she said, adding that she has no plans to start a family soon.

“With everything being so expensive these days, we are not giving it serious thought yet. I give my all where my career is concerned. Yes, I am a workaholic and I guess that at the end of the day no one can fault me for not doing my work well.”

Despite her ultra-tight filming schedule, Maya had gathered her close friends for her wedding reception in Kuala Lumpur today.

According to her, extra care was put into the little details of the garden-themed party.

She designed the “go-green” invitation card with her close friend, singer Jeslina Hashim.

The reception will take place in Kepong and will be attended by 800 guests comprising family members, relatives, showbiz and fashion folks.

“I’d love to invite everyone I know but my concern is that I won’t be able to mingle with everybody at the party. I’m also excited about the door gifts I’ve prepared for my guests. It (the gift) is special,” she said with a cheeky grin.

Maya is expected to wear a traditional dress by designer Radzuan Radziwill for the reception.

Next week, she is heading for Bangkok to shoot a TV commercial for L’oreal White Perfect brand.

This will be followed by filming for her latest movie, Pisau Cukur, to be directed by Bernard Chauly (of Gol & Gincu fame) in KL.

Produced by Red Communications, the film also stars Fazura, Aaron Aziz, Umie Aida, Datuk Rahim Razali and Liyana Jasmay.