Hans Isaac makes debut as director with ‘Cuci’

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KUALA LUMPUR: It all started when actor Hans Isaac was stuck in a traffic jam in the city and saw a man cleaning the windows of a building. 

It prompted him to write Cuci, a movie set to be released in cinemas nationwide on Jan 24.  

It was Isaac's directorial debut and he's understandably nervous. 

“It took our team a year just to work on pre-production but it took us two years to secure the financial backing.  

“I remember every single day. The first thing I did was to SMS 10 friends with money to help me out with Cuci.  

Enterprising ‘cleaners’: (From left) Afdlin, Isaac and Awie play three of the four men from Cuci Cuci Services who aspire to compete in a ‘Window Washing Olympics’ competition.

“One day I received a reply from Datuk Tony Fernandes who agreed to help out.  

“But it took eight months to get a meeting with him as he is a very busy businessman,” said Isaac during the launch of the movie website (www.cucithemovie.com) and a tie-up with Celcom Malaysia Berhad as main sponsor, which also provides exclusive mobile content and downloads of Cuci to its customers.  

Cuci is co-produced by Isaac’s Tall Order Productions and Tune Entertainment Group Sdn Bhd, a company owned by AirAsia’s chief executive officer Fernandes (who makes a cameo appearance in the movie).  

Fernandes plays himself in the movie about four men (played by Awie, AC Mizal, Afdlin Shauki and Isaac) from Cuci Cuci Services who aspire to compete in a “Window Washing Olympics” competition to win a contract to clean the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.  

When asked about his cameo role in Cuci, Fernandes said: “In Cuci I was given a chance to be an actor for an hour.”  

Fernandes, who said he enjoyed himself thoroughly, said the central theme of the movie – giving everyone a chance in life – attracted him the most.  

“I have always believed that Malaysians are as talented as anyone in the world, and we at Tune Entertainment are keen to do more joint ventures in the entertainment industry,” said Fernandes during the website launch. 

Meanwhile, Isaac and his team will be busy with promotional activities until the movie opens next year. 

Cuci is a comedy co-written with Isaac's long-time friend Harith Iskander and Ted Azelan.  

“I’m grateful to Tony for his trust in me, and I don’t want to let him down.  

“I also want to give the audience as much as possible in 100 minutes,” said Isaac. 

Fans can get more info and easy access to Cuci downloads and content at www.channelx.com.my or www.celcom.com.my.