Remember, just because 'Mat Kilau' is a 'based on history' movie, doesn't mean it's factual

A poster for the movie, a nice actioner that plays fast and lose with historical facts. As movies do. — Studio Kembara/Skop Productions

IT’S that time of the year again, when the jalur are gemilanging, and the heart fills with the spirit of independence. Malaysian channels and streaming sites will be overflowing with videos and movies reminding us about the spirit of 1957 when we declared independence from the British colonists.

One of them is the hit local movie Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan (Mat Kilau: Rise of the Warrior), which collected more than RM96mil at the box office in 40 days, since its June 23, 2022, release – as it was produced on a budget of RM8mil, this makes it the highest grossing Malaysian film of all time.