Compiled by C. ARUNO, R. ARAVINTHAN and OON JUN-YANG
THE OFFICIAL theme song of Mother Bhumi, a Malaysian-produced film, is currently among the most popular songs in China.
Titled Bujanga, the song was written by the film’s director Chong Keat Aun and composed by Malaysian singer Penny Tai.
It topped Tencent’s TME Wave Chart for November, China Press reported.
“So interesting,” Chong wrote on social media while sharing a screencap of the song’s chart performance.
The song blends Siamese chants with traditional Malay and Siamese instruments and recently won Best Original Film Song at the 62nd Golden Horse Awards.
Music commentator “Xue Ning’s Life in Adagio” praised both its composition and vocal delivery.
“The piano’s high notes rise like drifting dust, while the low notes are as heavy as soil. The gentle whispers of the vocals feel like footprints across the soil – some deep, some shallow. Each step carries a story filled with tears and laughter,” she wrote.
Mother Bhumi stars Chinese actress Datuk Fan Bingbing as a widowed farmer who uses black magic to help her community in Kedah.
The film was among the biggest winners at this year’s Golden Horse Awards, taking home Best Leading Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Original Film Song.
In 2020, Chong won Best Director at the Golden Horse Awards for his debut feature, Story of Southern Islet, which follows a woman’s search for a cure for her husband, believed to have been cursed by black magic.
Before becoming a filmmaker, Chong spent 12 years working as a DJ at Ai FM, a Chinese-language radio station under national broadcaster RTM.
> A food delivery rider has been hailed a hero for stopping and restraining a jewellery thief in Zhejiang, China.
According to Hangzhou police, a 26-year-old man surnamed Chen visited a jewellery shop and asked to view a bracelet, China Press reported.
When the shop assistant was briefly distracted, Chen grabbed the bracelet and fled.
A passing food delivery rider, still in uniform and wearing an orange helmet, chased after the suspect, tackled him and pinned him to the ground.
Police later identified the rider as Chai Zhenpeng and commended him for his bravery.
The suspect has been arrested to assist with investigations.
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.
