Filmmaker Mamat Khalid's latest TV series takes fans on wacky adventures with Kampung Pisang's beloved stars
ACCLAIMED director Mamat Khalid has always wanted to bring his zany "old friends" from the fictitious Kuala Kangsar village of Kampung Pisang to the small screen.
His dream has finally come true, 13 years after their big screen debut in Zombi Kampung Pisang.
Fans of Kampung Pisang's wacky residents such as Husin, Pak Jabit and Kak Limah are all set for their small-screen comeback via Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri (Kampong Pisang The Series) at 9pm every Monday on Astro Citra (128 / 108 HD) beginning Dec 7.
In an interview, Mamat who is smartly dressed in a red and white baju Melayu, says: "Not every character from the films could make a comeback, but I've tried my best to get as many of them as possible.
Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri's regulars include Pak Jabit, Purnama and Chomprak from Zombi Kampung Pisang and Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah.
"The biggest names from the movies such as Husin, Kak Limah and Nayan will make guest appearances with some episodes focusing on them.
"In addition, there is Barkoba from the Kampung Pisang spin-off, 16 Dan 17 Puasa, and new characters such as Pak Kasim, Pak Din, Pak Karim and Cik Cun."
Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri's star-studded cast includes Kazar Saisi, Bell Ngasri, Dewa Sapri, Aziz M. Osman, Mat London, Avaa Vanja Ramli and Nazeera Sardi.
"It's 12 episodes of hour-long hilarious adventures will introduce new characters as crazy as their seniors," says Mamat.
The guest stars, one or two who will appear every week, include household names such as Datuk Awie, Hazama Azmi, Ellie Suriaty Omar, Pekin Ibrahim, Delimawati, Ozlynn Wati, Soffi Jikan, Joey Daud, Kamarool Yusof, Imuda, Adam Mat Saman, Azlan Komeng, Ayie Hushairi, Nasir Jani, Soya and Shuk Sahar.
EXPERTS FROM AUSTRALIA AND THAILAND
The Kampung Pisang franchise is special to Mamat, as well as his fans who grew up watching these films.
"Since 2007, I have looked at introducing new angles in my productions.
"Fans can enjoy a storyline filled with comedy and horror, as well as various cameos.
"I'm delighted to rope in acclaimed directors such as Mat London, Nasir, Ellie and Pekin as well as cartoonist Imuda and comic illustrator Soya, who contributed invaluable inputs for the production.
"My debut TV drama series, Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri was a challenge, but I strived to ensure the end result remained similar to big screen product.
"As such, I collaborated with experts from Australia who specialised in imagery technology techniques and experts from Thailand, who excelled in audio and sound mixing.
"I hope fans of Kampung Pisang will enjoy this treat during the ongoing pandemic, together with their loved ones," says Mamat.
SUPERNATURAL FRENEMIES
Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri tells the story of Kampung Pisang residents, who are once again experiencing supernatural visits.
They have weekly "attacks" from supernatural beings, most of whom are from traditional Malay folklore, which Mamat grew up reading about. These supernatural "frenemies" of Kampung Pisang include the Toyol, Hantu Rempit, werewolf, Hantu Sungai, Hantu Raya, Orang Minyak, zombies, aliens, Pocong and the popular Hantu Kak Limah.
Every week, Kampung Pisang's residents learn to set aside their differences, pacify the ghosts terrorising their idyllic village, and get wiser in the process.
Mamat says: "Fans of the Kampung Pisang movies have long asked me to create a TV series featuring their favourite villagers. They're finally getting their wish, and can help themselves to funny ghost stories that are educational and entertaining."
He adds that each episode of Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri is a stand-alone story, which tackles issues of public interest such as water shortages, poor maintenance of public facilities, petty-mindedness, environmental destruction, compassion to animals and fighting bigotry.
"While the existing characters remain the same, I've tweaked a few to show another side of them which was not revealed in the films.
"I've made some characters more outspoken. Not that they're questioning government policies, they're merely highlighting poor maintenance.
"At the end of the day, all of them are law-abiding citizens who support government initiatives."
DIRECTING THE DIRECTORS
When asked about directing fellow directors, Mamat says it was a breeze working with them.
"The great thing about directing directors like Mat London and Aziz is, they know exactly what you want. It's a joy working with them because they are teeming with ideas and readily discuss with me how to improve every episode."
Mamat says Aziz has a heavy responsibility playing Pak Jabit, who owns the sole restaurant in the village.
Aziz replaces the late Man Kadir who played Pak Jabit in the Kampung Pisang films.
"Aziz has to be his own Pak Jabit, he has to give his own interpretation to the character and avoid copying Man.
"He has improvised a lot and enriched the character by adding his own experiences. However, the essence of Pak Jabit remains the same, he is a respected village elder who is honest to a fault."
Mamat says that the series' timeline is flexible, some episodes are incidents that take place before the films, while others take place in between or after them.
"In future seasons of Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri, I plan to bring characters from my other films such as Amir Dan Lokman Pergi Ke Laut and Man Laksa as guest stars. It's my dream to have a Mamat Khalid film universe."
MISPRONOUNCING THE ZOMBIE
When asked about Awie's character Husin, the protagonist of the Kampung Pisang films, Mamat says that Husin is working in Singapore and later Kuala Lumpur during the series' timeline.
"Awie is pretty busy, we both decided that he appears only as a guest star for two to three weekly episodes.
His Husin is very much the same, but has more surprises this time."
When asked about the ghosts of Kampung Pisang, Mamat says that they are "more human" than their movie versions.
"Viewers get to see them more often than in the movies, since our cameras pan around the village. The ghosts are more funny than scary, there are jumping, disappearing and rolling Pocong, and the Hantu Raya hold various positions inside government offices."
Mamat plans to make more Kampung Pisang films and some episodes of the series may be preludes to these films.
Kazar, who plays the new character Pak Din, says he is honoured to join the Kampong Pisang cast as the village's hot-headed but well-meaning headman.
"What I like about working with Mamat is how he has so many ideas and encourages each of us to contribute to the script.
"Each of us is tasked with coming up with our character's back story and to help improve the storyline."
Aziz says: "It's great to work with Mamat who is also an old friend. He picked me for the role of Pak Jabit in a Hantu Kak Limah musical, which did not materialise a couple of years ago.
"I've watched every Mamat film, and my favourites are Estet and Hantu Kak Limah."
Aziz's favourite quote of Pak Jabit is his rebuke of Awie's Husin, who tends to mispronounce "zombi" as "zomba".
"Apa zomba ini? Zombi lah! That's a classic Pak Jabit quote, which I'll be updating."
MODERN TWISTS TO FOLK TALES
Bell says: "My character Barkoba is a misunderstood man. He may seem selfish and arrogant, but is actually kind and compassionate.
"What I love about Kampong Pisang is that it encourages us to laugh at ourselves and examine issues of public interest in a light-hearted way."
Dewa Sapri, who plays Purnama says: "I didn't have a big role in the movies, so viewers will get to learn more about my character, one of the most senior villagers.
"Purnama appears to be daydreamer, but he knows much more than many villagers do."
Mat London says: "I've chosen to be part of the cast because Mamat is an old friend. I am Pak Karim, who is brooding but actually a friendly man with lots of wisdom."
He adds that the Kampung Pisang films are full of life's lessons, plus modern twists to folk tales that are tied to issues of the day.
"It is great to be an actor for a change. Honestly, I believe that if you become an actor you will improve your directing skills."
Astro Shaw & Nusantara vice president and head Raja Jastina Raja Arshad says Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri combines fresh, high-quality content with a talented cast and crew.
"Previously, fans of the Kampung Pisang universe had to anticipate a new release every two years, but now they will be able to enjoy it every week.
"With Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri, we hope fans enjoy the antics of the Kampung Pisang residents better."
The Kampung Pisang film series has a total box office collection of RM56.9 million. The five films from the Kampung Pisang franchise are Hantu Kak Limah which collected RM38.6 million in 2018, Zombi Kilang Biskut which collected RM1.5 million in 2014, Husin, Mon & Jin Pakai Toncit which collected RM6.4 million in 2013, Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah which collected RM8 million in 2010, and Zombi Kampung Pisang which collected RM2.4 million in 2007.
Watch Kampong Pisang Bersiri-Siri (Kampung Pisang The Series) at 9pm every Monday on Astro Citra (128 / 108 HD) beginning Dec 7.