Latest news with #Bunohan
New Straits Times
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Amerul Affendi plays slick action hero in '6 Jilake'
VERSATILE actor Amerul Affendi is back on the big screen, and he is playing an action hero for the first time. Amerul, 36, said that it was a "tick" on his bucket list, even though his character was more of a funny hero than a serious one. "My latest character is Mr Big Ears, better known as Kuping, and he is a war veteran who fought the Dutch in Melaka and now has to return to his home state Perak to confront them again," said Amerul, who is the star of director Aziz M Osman's latest action-comedy '6 Jilake'. "I've never imagined myself as an action hero, as I'm more of a character actor. Nevertheless, I love being versatile and the action hero role has always been something I've wanted all along. "Thank you, Abang Aziz for casting me in '6 Jilake', it was a superb adventure from the word go." WACKY Amerul admitted that he prefers to be a slightly wacky hero as opposed to a no-nonsense one, for he is a "funny guy" at heart. "I'm not into characters who are smooth and perfect, I love flawed characters who can be irritating yet heroic at the same time, and that's who Kuping is," he said. When asked about working with Aziz, Amerul said that he had always admired the director. "'6 Jilake' marks the first time that I'm meeting Aziz and working with him. "He told me that he was a big fan of my movies such as 'Bunohan', 'Polis Evo', and even 'Pekak'," said Amerul. "It is an honour and a dream to work with Aziz who is a great storyteller. "I immediately said yes when he cast me in his movie." STAR-STUDDED Amerul is familiar with Aziz's best known movies such as 'XX-Ray', 'Leftenan Adnan' and 'Juang'. He admitted that it was easy to work with Aziz because he was good at communicating with the cast and crew of '6 Jilake', which has a star-studded ensemble cast. The cast includes Bell Ngasri, Saiful Apek, Datuk Remy Ishak, Ayda Jebat, Asmidar, Datin Maria Farida, Datuk Fauziah Nawi, Datuk David Teo and Aziz himself. "While I had to do many physically challenging stunts, it was not stressful at all on the set. "Aziz always had things under control and knew what he wanted. "He understands each character and actor in and out. "And best of all, he is very energetic and youthful on the set," said Amerul. When asked about working with Saiful for the first time, Amerul said that he had always wanted to meet the 'Senario' comedian. "Since I was small, I have always dreamed of meeting Saiful Apek. He is a great comedian, and working with him was really cool. "He is very helpful and friendly, a happy-go-lucky man by name and nature." SILAT Amerul had to display slick silat skills while playing Kuping. While he did take silat lessons during his secondary schooldays, these did not last long. "It was only during my 20s that I relearnt silat under an experienced silat master, and it was one to one," said Amerul. When asked about future action movies, Amerul said that he is game for them. Amerul would love to star in a Syafiq Yusof movie too, as he has "fallen in love" with the iconic director's top movie of 2025 'Blood Brothers: Bara Naga'. Amerul admitted that the fight scenes he had in '6 Jilake' were not the major challenges that he faced during filming. Instead, he had to endure a massive heat wave that hit Gopeng, Perak. "Never have I filmed under such a hot, roasting climate. It was 37 degrees Celsius," said Amerul. Amerul would love to star in romantic comedies with strong ensemble casts, such as the iconic British movies 'Love Actually' and 'Four Weddings And A Funeral'. "Romantic comedies are fun, and one helps me recharge after an action movie." Amerul, who has a theatre background, still appears in plays, but only at the end of the year. "Every year end, I make sure that I appear in at least one play, be it in English or Malay. "This year, I'm going to star in a Malay language play by Revolution Stage," he said.
New Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: A story of grief
AWARD-winning filmmaker Dain Iskandar Said returns to the locations from his iconic film 'Bunohan', and again sets his tormented characters lurking in the dark swamps and a magical world. Set in a coastal Malaysian village in the 1980s, 'Kulit Wayang' tells the story of Ramlee or Pak Lee, a reclusive outcast living deep in the dark swamps, talking to his shadow play puppets late into the night. The locals steer clear of Pak Lee, believing that he committed a heinous act in the past. Then, Dewi arrives with her mother, Dian, an Indonesian researching the famed shadow puppet traditions of the village. While her mother does her research, Dewi befriends the local swamp kids, especially drawn to the mysterious but mute Ayu. Egged on by Ayu, Dewi finds Pak Lee's lair in the swamps and becomes his student. As the bodies of children killed by a man-eating crocodile start turning up, Dian starts to notice Dewi's increasingly bizarre behaviour. Dewi seems to be channelling voices from the past who seek retribution but she is endangering her life. FOLKLORE The movie is produced by Mico Studio (M) Sdn Bhd, with Nevin Hiong as its producer. The main cast comprises Fattah Amin, Pekin Ibrahim, Amanda Ang, and Indonesian female leads Reynavenzka Deyandra and Jenna Kamaratih. In a recent interview, Dain said that 'Kulit Wayang' combines Malay folklore with wayang kulit. "It is a fairytale exploring grief and loss, love and reconciliation. "I was intrigued to learn that traditional Malay shadow puppeteers invent their own branch stories (cerita ranting), weaving new storylines derived off the main 'Ramayana' epic. So, 'Kulit Wayang' can be a modern take on the branch-storytelling tradition." Dain said that children's imaginations have no limits, and in this movie that idea takes on vengeful and tragic consequences, especially on the lead character, seven-year-old Dewi. "Through befriending a ghost, she helps shadow puppet master Pak Lee reconcile with his past and the truth of what really happened in his village long ago," said Dain. TERENGGANU 'Kulit Wayang' was filmed in Terengganu and the screenplay was written by Dain, Ben Omar and Nandita Solomon. Dain said: "In 2018, producer Nevin and I met and discussed this movie. "We were about to shoot in 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed that plan." Dain added that they filmed at a picturesque "black water forest" which looked enchanting, but initially the water receeded and they had to wait until after the completion of his supernatural film 'Harum Malam' in 2022. IMPRESSED When asked about casting multi-talented Fattah as the protagonist Pak Lee, Dain said: "I have seen Fattah in several movies. He is talented and Nevin has worked with him before." Dain added that he was impressed by Fattah's commitment to the film. "Fattah went out on his own and learnt from a dalang. "He did very well in the limited amount of time leading up to the production. "He is very focused and dedicated. He also bonded well with Jenna on the set." It is Dain's first time working with the Indonesian actresses. "We auditioned them in 2020. Then there was a delay due to Covid-19 and we could not use the first girl as she had grown up. "Right before shooting we managed an online casting and found Jenna. She is very disciplined and focused," he said. This is Dain's second movie after Bunohan which uses the Kelantan Malay dialect. He said: "The Kelantan dialect is like a language of its own. I grew up there, and I love the way they use the language, full of poetry and irony." FAN The movie is Dain's reunion with Pekin who starred in 'Bunohan'. "Pekin is always wonderful to work with, he brings a lot to his characters," said Dain. Dain admitted that he has been a wayang kulit fan since his childhood. "I grew up watching wayang kulit at the beach in Tumpat." Kulit Wayang also marks Dain's reunion with Amanda Ang, who also appeared in 'Harum Malam'. "Amanda's character is a quirky one," he said. Nevin said: "'Kulit Wayang' has the potential to resonate deeply with Malaysian audiences." Fattah said: "The film highlights our fading traditions with the hope that the new generation will not forget it." Pekin said: "I have worked with both the producer and director twice now, and I believe they have made an entertaining and creative movie."
