Character Relationship Map: Pulang

Characters

• Othman (played by Remy Ishak) — protagonist

  Othman is Thom’s partner and the father of Omar. He works at sea to provide a better future for his family, survives separation and injury during the Japanese occupation, and later leaves Serkam to wo...

• Thom (played by Puteri Aishah) — protagonist

  Thom is Othman’s partner and Omar’s mother. After meeting Othman at a fish market, she grows close to him and promises to protect him during the dangers of the Japanese occupation. When Othman disappe...

• Lum (played by Alvin Wong) — supporting

  Lum is an acquaintance of Othman in Hong Kong who treats him like a brother. When Thom travels there looking for Othman, Lum agrees to ask around the port and learns that Othman has been promoted aboa...

• Omar (played by Azrel Ismail) — supporting

  Omar is the son of Othman and Thom. As a boy, he eagerly waits for his father’s letters and learns to read so he can understand them. Othman’s long absence shapes his family life, and Omar later admit...

• Taib (played by Naza Manas) — supporting

  Taib helps search for Othman after Othman disappears during dangerous weather. Thom insists on joining the search, making Taib part of the effort to find her missing partner. The summary provides no f...

• Ahmad (played by Erwin Dawson) — supporting

  Ahmad is Othman’s grandson and investigates his grandfather’s history. He hears the elderly Thom’s account of the past and, with his family, learns from an old acquaintance that Othman died long ago a...

• Omar (50s) (played by Jalaluddin Hassan) — supporting

  Omar, in his fifties, is Othman and Thom’s son. When Ahmad investigates the family history, Omar acknowledges that his father kept parts of his past hidden, yet he continues to hope that the family ca...

• Thom (70s) (played by Sherry Al Jeffry) — supporting

  Thom in old age is the elderly woman who refuses to go to the hospital because she fears she will not return home. Knowing her time is short, she asks Ahmad to hear the truth about the past. Her final...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Omar (50s) → Othman (Family Son) — Omar remains emotionally connected to his absent father.

  The older Omar acknowledges that Othman concealed parts of his past and still hopes the family can return home together.

• Thom (70s) → Thom (Temporal Older Self) — The older Thom frames and recounts her younger life.

  The elderly woman recalls the earlier story of Thom's meeting with Othman and their life together.

• Ahmad → Othman (Family Grandson) — Ahmad's investigation is driven by his connection to Othman.

  Ahmad investigates his grandfather's history, and the family later learns that Othman died long ago.

• Omar → Ahmad (Family Connection) — Omar shares family history with Ahmad.

  Ahmad investigates his grandfather's history, and Omar admits that Othman kept parts of his past hidden.

• Thom → Omar (Family Mother) — Thom raises Omar while Othman is away.

  Thom and Othman have a son, Omar, after Othman returns home from the war.

• Othman → Omar (Family Father) — Othman is Omar's absent father.

  After the war, Othman and Thom have a son named Omar.

• Othman → Thom (Romantic Spouse) — Their marriage is the emotional foundation of the story.

  Othman and Thom grow closer after meeting at the fish market, survive wartime separation, and later have a son together.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ahmad → Thom (70s) (Narrative Listener) — Ahmad receives the family's central recollection from the elderly Thom.

  The elderly woman asks Ahmad to hear the truth about the past before she goes to the hospital.

• Lum → Thom (Alliance Helper) — Lum supports Thom's search from Hong Kong.

  Lum helps Thom investigate Othman's whereabouts and agrees to deliver her letter personally.

• Lum → Othman (Social Brother-like Friend) — Lum is Othman's trusted friend abroad.

  In Hong Kong, Lum treats Othman like a brother and asks around the port about him.

• Thom → Taib (Alliance Search Partner) — They cooperate in the search for Othman.

  When Othman disappears during dangerous weather, Thom insists on helping Taib search for him.

Story Analysis

A family traces love, sacrifice, separation, and unresolved loss across generations.

Plot Progression

1. A Truth Before Departure — An elderly Thom refuses hospitalization and asks Ahmad to hear the hidden family history. Her request opens the story of her relationship with Othman.
2. Love Through Wartime — Thom meets Othman at a fish market, and their relationship grows despite her fear of the sea. The Japanese occupation separates them and leaves Othman injured.
3. A Family Built At Sea — Othman returns to Serkam, and he and Thom have Omar. Poverty, destruction, and Othman's dangerous work continue to shape the family's life.
4. Letters Across Oceans — Othman sails from Singapore to improve his family's future and sends letters home. Omar learns to read while the family's longing grows.
5. The Last Search — Thom searches for Othman in Hong Kong and learns that he sailed toward Russia. Years later, Ahmad and the family discover Othman's death and begin looking for his grave.