Tan Kheng Hua 'cried and cried' over dementia short film, which also stars daughter Lim Shi-An
Acclaimed actress Tan Kheng Hua did not expect to be moved to tears by a text message from an old friend — much less while sitting on the toilet.
Just turned 63, Tan told Stomp that she was reading the script for Another Go (重围), texted to her by filmmaker Gavin Lim, 60. Then she broke down.
"I was sitting on the toilet bowl, actually. I read (the script) and I cried and cried in the toilet," said Tan, best known to Singaporeans as Margaret from 1990s comedy series Phua Chu Kang. She has also starred in international productions such as Crazy Rich Asians and the CW martial arts series Kung Fu.
Tan is now teaming up on-screen with daughter Lim Shi-An for the first time, playing a mother and daughter grappling with dementia in a 19-minute drama.
"You know that it's harrowing … imagine if this really happens to your own mother," said Shi-An, who turns 28 in March, adding that acting opposite her real-life mother in such an emotionally heavy story made the entire process both "easier and harder".
"You're seeing the face that you've grown up with," the actress added. "So that just makes it easier for you to step into the mind of the character."
Simple and lean project
The mother-daughter duo spoke to Stomp separately after the media preview of A Singapore Dementia Story, a short film series exploring dementia through different genres and based on real-life cases, spearheaded by Lien Foundation and Dementia Singapore.
Shi-An was initially unaware that Gavin had already approached her mother last June. "Gavin reached out to me without mentioning that he was thinking of reaching out to my mom. So I had no idea."
It was only later, after Tan casually mentioned she was working on a dementia project, that she felt encouraged to take it on. "I think that it incentivised me to say yes," said Shi-An, who juggles acting with her day job as a graphic designer. She recently starred in Amoeba, a film about four rebellious teenage girls who form a gang in Singapore, which debuted at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
Shi-An added that production was "simple and lean", with filming taking only about two to three days. Perhaps because they are mother and daughter in real life, she added, acting together felt seamless.
"Because we're close, we know how to be with each other when we're both in an emotional state and be mindful of each other's energies."
"Because we are so work-focused, it's a very seamless process," Shi-An added.
"At the end of the day, we go home together, we can unravel the character from ourselves and go back to being just mother and daughter."
"I would take care of my parents in a heartbeat"
According to Dementia Singapore, which advocates for the needs of people with dementia and their families, there has been an increase in young-onset dementia, which affects those aged 65 and below.
In a Sep 2024 media release, the organisation cited an Institute of Mental Health study which estimated that 3,700 people suffer from early-onset dementia.
Another Go is based on a real-life couple struck by early-onset dementia, and Tan and co-star Peter Yu spent an hour or so with them to prepare for their respective roles as patient and caregiver husband.
"Through watching a lot of videos on Kit's (the husband) phone and him being so candid with his emotions and his thoughts, I found out about his wife's daily life, her range of behaviour, what and how she reacts to, and how he tackles the entire mystery that is this lifelong disease."
Starring together in a film about such an emotional subject certainly hit close to home for Shi-An, the only daughter of Tan and actor Lim Yu-Beng, who divorced in 2017. "If it happens, I would step in to take care of my parents in a heartbeat … no questions asked."
Nevertheless, the project has not evoked any new fears about ageing for Tan. "I make it a point not to live in fear for things I cannot control."
"It helps the people who love me, and the people that I love to not make decisions in fear," the veteran actress added.
Shi-An readily concurred. "I also don't want to live in fear. Yes, anything can happen, but you cannot live your life expecting it to."
"You've got to live your life fully in the meantime," she added.
A Singapore Dementia Story will also be screened for free on Mar 14 at Our Tampines Hub, from 12pm to 2pm. All the films will be available online from end-February on Lien Foundation and Dementia Singapore's YouTube platforms.
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
Explore more on these topics
