KUALA LUMPUR – Renowned film director Datuk Afdlin Shauki has hinted at making a sports biopic based on the life of national track cycling legend Datuk Azizulhasni Awang.
The 53-year-old multi-talented artist’s response came following the premiere of his new sports biopic, Harimau Malaya: The Untold Journey.
The film, reportedly produced with a budget of RM5 million, is loosely inspired by the national football team and their journey to qualifying for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup finals on merit after 42 years.
For context, Malaysia last qualified for the tournament in 2007 as a host.
Afdlin’s ambitious project also delves into the behind-the-scenes events within the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) following the departure of former head coach Tan Cheng Hoe, who was later replaced by Kim Pan-gon.
The film boasts a stellar line-up of local stars, including Meerqeen, Sophia Albarakbah, Aidil Aziz, Aiman Hakim Redza, Tony Eusoff, Zain Hamid, Vanidah Imran, Erra Fazira, Amelia Henderson, Nam Ron, Bell Ngasri, Kavin Jay and Douglas Lim.
Afdlin, who also serves as chairman of the Film Directors Association of Malaysia, emphasised the need for more sports-related scripts to inspire the younger generation to take up sports and learn valuable lessons from national sporting heroes.
“We should tell the stories of our national sports heroes, as there are many untold tales in this country. For example, as a director, when I make a film about Datuk Azizul, I hope it can inspire the younger generation to take up cycling and strive to be like him.
“There are countless valuable lessons we can learn from sports heroes, such as the mentality of never giving up in any circumstances. This is what I aim to instil into the next generation through my films.
“When I was a kid, I watched Rambo and wanted to be like Sylvester Stallone. Now, through my new film Harimau Malaya, I hope that when parents watch it, they will encourage their sons to seriously pursue football.
“By telling success stories like our national team’s qualification to the AFC Asian Cup, I believe the younger generation will start respecting our national football heroes, like Faisal Halim, Safawi Rasid and Akhyar Rashid, for their contributions.
“As a result, kids will start following local football, and Super League viewership will increase,” said Afdlin during a press conference yesterday.
Afdlin also expressed his gratitude to FAM for being a pillar of support throughout the production of Harimau Malaya: The Untold Journey.
“We couldn’t have made this movie without FAM’s support from day one. Even though we fictionalised some true events, there was never a time when FAM stopped us or interfered with our script.
“In fact, they gave us a free hand and told us to make the movie as it should be done. But more importantly, we knew we didn’t want to put anyone down, and we did our job sincerely.”
“The coaches at FAM were also incredibly helpful, assisting us in recreating the gameplay and goals of the national team during the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Without their help, we wouldn’t have been able to bring this to the screen,” Afdlin added.
Harimau Malaya: The Untold Journey, produced by 4wards Pictures Sdn Bhd, is set to hit silver screens on August 15. – August 13, 2024
