KUALA LUMPUR: Hantu Kak Limah which raked in RM38 million at the box office has emerged one of the best selling Malaysian movies of the year.
Unfortunately, its main actor Datuk Awie has lamented that the bonus payout which he and fellow actors received did not reflect their hard work on and off screen.
The 50-year-old rocker and Wings frontman said that actors and crew members had received “peanuts” for their efforts.
“I don’t want to reveal the amount, it’s just shameful. Not that I’m being ungrateful to the producers, but I honestly think we all should be paid much more,” he said in a news report today.
Awie also said many crew members were unhappy with the amount that they had received, but were just too “polite” to speak up.
“I just had to say something. It could have happened to the cast and crew of any film in Malaysia, past, present or future, and we all don’t want things to get worse.”
Awie however said he had no problems with Kak Limah director Mamat Khalid, only with the producers.
“If things don’t get better, Kak Limah is going to be my very last Kampung Pisang adventure. I may have to say goodbye to my character Husin in the next Kampung Pisang film.”
Awie revealed that he received a similar amount of bonus payout as that from the first Kak Limah film — Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah — screened eight years ago.
Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah collected RM8 million at the box office.
“The box office collection for "Hantu Kak Limah is almost five times more than its predecessor. Naturally the cast and crew should get a higher bonus.”
Hantu Kak Limah opened in cinemas on Aug 9 and is jointly produced by Infinitus and Astro Shaw. Besides Awie, it also stars Delimawati, Uqasha Senrose and Pekin Ibrahim.