Woman warrior the soul of Mat Kilau sequel

Compiled by ARFA YUNUS, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

AFTER the success of Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan, Kembara Studio Sdn Bhd is now betting on a sequel to the film, titled Pendekar Awang: Darah Indera Gajah.

According to Harian Metro, the film is set to be released on Jan 11 and will feature celebrity couple Fattah Amin and Nur Fazura.

Besides portraying the story of local warrior, Fazura said the film also raises the theme of women empowerment by highlighting the struggles of Awang’s wife, Sayang, in opposing British colonialism in Malaya.

“When I got the offer, I knew it would be a big responsibility, especially since we’ve never seen a woman warrior being made the lead in a local film,” she said.

Fattah, who is playing the lead role as Awang, said he hopes not to be compared to the Mat Kilau character.

“Before we began filming, I knew I had to bring something different to the character. Otherwise, there will be comparisons made between Mat Kilau and Awang,” he said.

The movie, directed by Shahruddin Dali and Saiful Reza, explores the true story of Tok Gajah and other Malay warriors during their journey to Terengganu to garner the support of the Sultan and other fighters in the state.

The events in the film took place in Pahang after Mat Kilau’s last meeting in Kuala Tembeling.

The Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan film earned some RM97mil at the box-office.

Tok Gajah, whose real name was Rasu Shahrom, was a Malay nobleman of Pahang as well as the father of Mat Kilau.

>Berita Harian reported that after over 10 years, singer and radio DJ Haiza Hanafi, 44, is ready to use her own savings to produce a new album for her fans.

Haiza has been active in the music industry since 1995.

“Fortunately, my singing career is alive ... I still get invitations to perform.

“I am planning on producing a new album, because it has been over 10 years since my last one.

“This time, I will listen to my fans. If they want me to sing other genres aside from dangdut, I will do so,” she said.

Haiza added that she is also looking into reproducing songs sung by popular local singers from the 1950s and 1960s, such as the late Datuk Sharifah Aini.

“I am considering reproducing these songs with a new twist. I’ve met some friends who are willing to collaborate.

“As a singer, I can’t stick to only one genre. I must come up with fresh ideas to win the hearts of today’s listeners,” she added.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.