KUALA LUMPUR: “He couldn’t even recall himself on the silver screen,” said Putera Hang Jebat about his father, renowned veteran actor-director Tan Sri Dr Jins Shamsudin, 80.
The Bukit Kepong hero who suffers from memory loss, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer disease since 2011.
His glance is empty, and he couldn’t recall his peers around him except for his family members.
“Had my father been in better health, he would have been very proud to see his classic film be the one chosen to be digitally remastered,” added Jebat as he looked lovingly at his father seated next to him.
Jebat, 28, said this when met after the special screening of Bukit Kepong HD at the GSC Pavilion in Bukit Bintang today.
Jebat and his brother Putera Hang Nadim, 24, were there to accompany their father.
The project of digitally remastering the 1981 epic film (produced, directed and acted by Jins) was initiated by United Studios (a distribution and marketing company under KRU International), which invested in the restoration and HD upgrade costing RM100,000. The actual technical work was carried out by Prodigital Lab (owned by KRU Malaysia).
“Today is a very special day for my father but of course he doesn’t know that. It’s heartbreaking to see him this way. How I wish he could bask in this moment of merriment and know that everyone present here love his works,” said Jebat, who now runs the Jins Shamsudin Productions on behalf of his father.
“I have to accompany him whenever he goes out. But these days, he prefers to stay at home unless there are special occasions such as this,” he said.
“For his age, he is healthy. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember things anymore.”
Jebat is currently in the midst of finalising a 45-minute documentary about his father called Kembara Seorang Seniman.
“The documentary is a collaboration between Jins Shamsudin Productions and Finas, and it is now at the editing process,” he said, adding that the documentary is slated for released next year.
Under the tutelage of the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Jins rose to fame in the 1950s through more than 40 films including Pancha Delima (1957), Azimat (1957), Sarjan Hassan (1958), Anak Pontianak (1958), Megat Terawis (1960), Si Tanggang (1961), Bidasari (1964), and Bayangan Ajal (1968).
The remastered Bukit Kepong will be released at selected cinemas beginning tomorrow. Among them are TGV Bukit Raja in Klang, TGV D’Pulze Cyberjaya, TGV AU2 Keramat, GSC Alamanda, Putrajaya, GSC Midvalley, Cathay Cineplex e@Curve Damansara, GSC 1Borneo, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, GSC Dataran Pahlawan in Melaka, GSC East Coast Mall in Kuantan, Pahang, and Cathay Cineplex City Square and TGV Tebrau City (Johor).
Also present at the screening were KRU Studios chief executive officer Norman Abdul Halim, National Film Development Corporation (Finas) director-general Datuk Kamil Othman, Finas deputy director Datuk Yusof Haslam and Royal Malaysia Police Crime Prevention Department director Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.