Adi Putra is honoured to play Pahang's best-known anti-colonial hero
THE Lion City's best-known showbiz export to Malaysia, at least in the eyes of millennials, is back with a roar after two years of retreating into his "den" as a result of the Movement Control Order.
Datuk Adi Putra Abdul Halim, who became a full-fledged Malaysian citizen in 2018, is once again playing a historical figure. However, unlike his first foray into non-fiction work, this character packs a punch like no other.
Adi, 41, plays Mat Kilau Imam Rasu. Pahang's best-known anti-colonial fighter who fought against two British residents, J.P. Rodger and Hugh Clifford, who tried to subjugate Pahangites with arbitrary land seizures and crippling taxes in the 1890s.
FAR CRY
Mat Kilau, said Adi, was a far cry from Syed Alwi Al-Hadi, the Malay nationalist from Melaka who helped form the United Malay National Organisation (Umno) in Johor Baru in 1946, as depicted in the 2007 film 1957: Hati Malaya.
"Syed Alwi was my first role in a Malaysian movie and also my first non-fiction one. Although he was a great man who played a key role in fighting the Malayan Union and for Malaysian independence, he was a minor figure in the shadows of Umno founder-president Datuk Onn Jaafar," said Adi at the press preview of Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan at GSC Cineplex, The Starling Mall, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, recently.
"Mat Kilau had a much more important role in the struggle for independence as he was a brilliant military strategist who shook British rule in Pahang, together with his father and mentor Imam Rasu Shahrum, or Tok Gajah," he added.
WISH FULFILLED
Adi had always dreamt of playing a Malay warrior, and playing Mat Kilau was a wish come true.
"Mat Kilau is an interesting historical figure. Not only was he a great fighter, he was also a man who was God-fearing, righteous and respectful of his roots and culture.
"He is a quintessential Malay hero, a man for all seasons."
Adi is honoured to work with director Syamsul Yusof again in Mat Kilau. Syamsul last directed him in KL Gangster 2 a decade ago.
Adi described him as an "old friend" who knew exactly what he wanted for every scene.
"He is very meticulous when it comes to fight scenes. And best of all, he got Indonesia's top fight choreographer Yayan Ruhian to play a major character, besides helping bring those scenes to life."
'SILAT' TRAINING
Adi is fortunate to have learnt silat at a young age, and this came in handy for the role of Mat Kilau.
"In fact, most of us grew up learning the martial art. That's why our fight scenes looked realistic."
Adi said that the main actors underwent silat training for a month to prepare themselves for the film.
"We also learnt to handle weapons like the parang, keris, and even bow and arrow."
CAMOUFLAGES AND AMBUSHES
Fattah Amin, 31, will always remember Mat Kilau as his first non-fiction film.
"Even though my character Awang is not significant, he is based on a real person. He is Mat Kilau's difficult but brilliant younger brother, who holds his own and stuns the British with his camouflages and ambushes," he said.
"Mat Kilau is the right hero to showcase on the big screen because he is one of the few Malay warriors of the 19th century who lived long enough to celebrate Merdeka for 14 years."
FAMILY AND COUNTRY
Beto Kusyairy, 42, who played Sarawak nationalist Rosli Dhoby in the Astro telemovie
Warkah Terakhir: Rosli Dhoby (2009), said that his character Wahid was fictitious, but realistic.
"Wahid is easily the most relatable character in the story, as he is torn between family and duty to his country.
"He has a loving wife, Rokiah, who is pregnant and she discourages him from fighting the British lest he dies before their child is born," he said.
Johan As'ari, 35, who played Lans Korporal Wan Shapuddin Abu Kassim in
Kanang Anak Langkau: The Iban Warrior (2017), said that his character, Yassin, was also fictitious.
"Yassin is an idealist who idolises his cousin Mat Kilau. He is faithful to his brilliant silat master and is eager to fight and liberate his home state from colonial rule," he said.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
The RM8 million film's producer, Abdul Rahman Dali of Studio Kembara, was delighted that his mission had finally been accomplished after 15 years.
"I'm so glad Syamsul came on board and he really did wonders with his out-of-the-box thinking," he said.
"Even though Adi hails from Singapore, casting him as Mat Kilau was perfect as he is good in martial arts and is a superb character actor.
"Most of the main characters are based on real people, but we did create some fictitious ones, such as Wahid and Yassin, to bring Mat Kilau closer to the audiences of today," said Abdul Rahman.
WORKING WITH DESCENDANTS
Abdul Rahman said that Studio Kembara and Syamsul worked closely with the descendants of Mat Kilau and his siblings to ensure that the costumes, weapons and props were as realistic as possible.
"We spent hours of research in the National Archives and had a good look at dozens of photos of the British colonial officials, their police and Malay aristocrats of that era," he said.
LABOUR OF LOVE
The other stars of Mat Kilau include Wan Hanafi Su (Tok Gajah), Khir Rahman (Yusuf), Ali Karimi (Brahim), Yayan (Toga), Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan (Haji Muhammad Nur), Datuk Rahim Razali (Imam Bottoqh), Namron (Haji Sulong) and Shaharuddin Thamby (Datuk Bahaman).
Others are Ellie Suriaty Omar (Yassin's mother), Geoff Andre Feyaerts (Captain Henry Syers), Farid Amirul (Goh Hoi), A. Galak (Pak Deris), Zarina Zainoordin (Rokiah) and Farah Ahmad (Yang Chik).
Abdul Rahman said: "Mat Kilau is our labour of love to Malaysia's unsung national heroes. We hope to come up with more patriotic films that introduce these heroes to Malaysians of today."
Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan is now in cinemas nationwide.