Bront Palarae

Today theSun published my interview with Malaysian actor Bront Palarae  who talks about the latest happening in his career. He is  is acting Indonesian horror movie as well as a Philippines thriller.   

Headline : Thriving On Challenges 
By Bissme S

Director Sisworo Gautama Putra’s Pengabdi Setan produced in 1980, is  an iconic Indonesian horror  film that went on to be 
screened in Japan and the United States.  In April this year, award-winning director Joko Anwar  (Pintu Terlarang & A Copy of 
My Mind) shot a remake of this classic, which is slated for  release in Indonesian cinemas at the end of the year. 
Playing the lead in Joko’s version of Pengabdi Setan is  award-winning Malaysian actor-director-producer Bront Palarae. In an exclusive interview with  theSun, the 38-year-old  actor says: “Pengabdi Setan has  been Joko’s favourite film since childhood. He always wanted to remake the film.”
Bront says that he is honoured to be part of the project which is  so close to Joko’s heart, adding  that the director had kept the 
iconic elements from the old film, and brought in some new changes to the remake.
“You will get a sense of deja vu  and some freshness from the  film,” he says, adding that the  movie is about a man trying to 
keep his family from the brink of  destruction. 
Bront first met Joko in late 2014 when the director saw his  performance as an eccentric filmmaker in  Terbaik Dari Langit, 
which later won him the best actor award at the 2015 Asean  International Film Festival &  Awards. 
Joko praised the film on  Twitter, which led to an invite to meet with Terbaik Dari Langit’s cast and crew. “That was my first 
time meeting him,” says Bront.
Before long, Joko offered Bront a role in HBO Asia’s Halfworlds, a landmark English-language supernatural-themed 
TV series. Pengabdi Setan is their second project together. 
Bront takes on the role of father-of-four Bahri Suwono, who has just buried his wife. When strange, eerie incidents 
start happening in his house, Bahri suspects someone has been  dabbling in black magic and now, he spirits are haunting his 
children. 
“You feel like you are  watching an Agatha Christie whodunit,” says Bront, who had to learn Bahasa Indonesia to play 
the role.   
While waiting for  Pengabdi  Setan to premiere, the actor is not  sitting on his laurels. Next week, Bront will be 
leaving for the Philippines to shoot another chilling horror film,  Daddy’s Home. 
He plays a man who returns home after a few months working  onboard a ship. But his wife and  teenage son soon realise he is not 
the same person. The film will be directed by award-winning Malaysian filmmaker Bradley Liew, who is 
based in Manila, and produced by award-winning Philippine producer Bianca Balbuena. 
The two had previously worked together on the film, Singing in Graveyards. For Daddy’s Home, Bront has to learn Tagalog to get into the skin of his character.  Asked why he is going for roles in foreign films, Bront explains: “When I act in these 
foreign productions, nobody really knows who I am. I am almost like a newcomer and have to prove myself all over again. 
“That is a good feeling. I want to be out of my comfort zone. I want to be put in a new place where I have to struggle to play a 
role. I would rather be an anchovy in a big sea, than a big fish in a small pond.”     
As for local productions, the actor has just completed shooting Safari Mall, a comedy directed by Jordan Suleiman, about a group of people trapped in a shopping mall which is suddenly attacked by aliens.
Bront says he will be playing himself in this film. “Sometimes, as an actor, we impersonate others and mock them. Here, the 
audience will see Bront Palarae mocking Bront Palarae.”  
Next year, Bront goes behindthe camera to direct his second film, Dawn Raid: The Hands that Rattled the Queen
, based on a true story about the Guthrie Group, a British trading firm which controlled the Malaysian rubber plantations. 
In 1981, a group of Malaysian businessmen took control of the company through the stock exchange, with the aim of 
returning the plantations back to local ownership. 
“We are not doing a pure business film,” Bront explains. 
“We are approaching it like a heist film. Through this film, we want to say that it is cool to serve your nation again.”

Bront Palarae

Bront Palarae has a small role in OlaBola but he left a lasting impression. He talks to theSun about his passion for acting and directing.  

Headline: A Passion  For Movies

By Bissme S

When  I first saw Bront Palarae  in a television show 17 years ago, I did not think highly of his abilities. To me, he was just a handsome actor churning out a superficial performance. Now, I see the 37-year-old actor in a totally different light.

Bront has certainly sharpened his acting skill. Put him in any role and he will give a convincing performance. Indeed, Bront has become an actor to be reckoned with. He has been giving memorable and varied performances, from portraying an eccentric filmmaker chasing after UFOs in Terbaik Dari Langit to a mentally disturbed person in PSIKO: Pencuri Hati. His current show-stealing role as a hyper sports commentator in sports drama OlaBola is another feather in his cap.

Bront has also been roped in by several well-known Indonesian directors recently for their projects. Among them are awardwinning director Joko Anwar, who has cast the actor in the HBO Asia supernatural TV series Halfworlds, and Upi Avianto who picked him for her comedy film, My Stupid Boss.

Bront will next be seen playing a police inspector in the action thriller Headshots, under the direction of The Mo Brothers (consisting of two friends, Timo Tjahjanto dan Kimo Stamboel), which is expected to hit cinemas this year. In a recent interview with theSun, Bront shares some insights on his career.

*Tell us about your experience in Indonesian productions.

Only the directors who hire you have seen your movies, and know of your talents. Others in the production team, from the cast to crew, may not have heard of you or seen your movies. You are like a rookie, all over again. You have to prove that you are a good actor [to them all].  This experience is exciting and humbling, at the same time. Working on those productions is like being in an acting workshop where you will learn new lessons to make your craft better.

*Do you have plans to be based in Jakarta and do more Indonesian projects?

(Laughing) If Christoper Nolan calls me to act in his movie, I will go to Hollywood and do his movie. “But the moment his film has finished shooting, I will head straight back to Malaysia. My base will always be Malaysia  There is no place like home. I have always wanted to be a part of the Malaysian film industry. If you are based overseas, you will be a part of their film industry and I do not want that.

*Tell us some of the lessons you’ve learned after having been part of the Malaysian entertainment industry for 17 years.

That you should not get too happy with your highs and you should not get too down with your lows. The feelings of rejection and dejection are part and parcel of the job. When I first joined the entertainment industry, everyone kept telling me that it is a dog-eat dog world, and that I should not trust anyone; that genuine friendships do not exist here and people are eager to backstab you. Well, I have made some great friends in the entertainment industry. Nothing works without trust.

* Do you get frustrated when you are presented with terrible scripts and horrible roles?

The phase of getting frustrated has come and gone. I have come to accept how the industry works, and there is no point dwelling on the issue. I count my blessings as an actor. There are more talented actors than me who do not get the opportunity to showcase their talent like I do. I would rather spend my energy on making things better in the entertainment industry than wasting my time feeling frustrated. I am slowly moving towards production and direction, and hopefully, I can make some difference there.

* You studied to be a film director. But you became an actor, instead. Why?

While waiting for my break as a film director, I have to earn my bread and butter, so I took any job both behind and in front of the camera. But I have stuck to acting. As an actor, you have a better view of how a film is being made, and the working process of your director, your crew and your castmates. Observation is important if you want to be a good director.

* You have just directed one film, Kolumpo. Do you have plans to direct other films?

I have two projects in hand. My first project is called Dawn Raid, which is based on a real event where a group of Malaysian businessmen managed to take over the hugely-successful British-owned company, Guthrie, through the London Stock Exchange.

My second project is called Sabotage and it centres on how the government recruited some ethnic Chinese to infiltrate and spy on the Malayan Communist Party during the Emergency.

*After being an actor and now director, which do you prefer?

I love both, and I need both. Acting helps me to be a better director and directing helps me to be a better actor. When you are sitting in the director’s chair, you have to help your actors shape their performances. Indirectly, you are learning something about acting. When you are an actor, you are taking orders from directors, and you are constantly observing your director. Indirectly, you are learning something about directing.

KOLUMPO

Kolumpo opens the cinema today. I have watched the film and I really enjoyed the film.  There was never a boring moment... I would suggest people to catch  the film. The film simply proves Malaysian film makers  can tell  good stories that touches your heart.  Any way I had opportunity to interview the cast and crew of the film and the story appeared in the sun newspaper today . Here is the full article   

Suggested : A Trio Of Heartfelt Tales 

BY BISSME S.
THREE touching stories by three directors which show the plight and dilemma of three people caught in situations that are beyond their control – that is what you get in Kolumpo.
The combined feature cleverly showcases a multiple of languages spoken in this country such as Bahasa Malaysia,Cantonese, Tamil and English all in the one  film.
Otto Films Sdn Bhd recently held a special screening of Kolumpo for the benefit of media and invited guests which garnered quite a lot of positive response. Opening in cinemas today, Kolumpo talks about the hopes, dreams and love of three individuals set in the backdrop of city life, each separately helmed by three directors – Bront Palarae, Rozi Izma and Sheikh Munasar. 
In Bront’s piece, an Indian immigrant Rahul (played by Azad Jazmin) arrives in Kuala Lumpur only to discover that the company that has offered him a job has gone out of business.
A restaurant owner listens to his plight and then decides to help him out. But the owner has his own agenda – he wants Rahul to work at his restaurant. And so, Rahul begins his new life as an illegal immigrant.

“Immigrants are a part of our city now,” says Bront, an actor who has directed short films in the past. 

“They came to this city with big dreams only to find disappointments. People do not want to listen to their kind of story because it’s not a success story.”

Bront will next helm a movie entitled Sabotage – on how the Chinese are recruited to infiltrate a communist party with the aim of turning those commandos into normal citizens. He hinted the film will be along the lines of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.
The second story by Rozi is about Gienna (Nell Ng), a Chinese woman in her 30s, who has mother issues but finds herself spending an afternoon helping a stranger, an old Malay makcik
named Nek Wok (Ruminah Sidek) find her house.The problem is that Nek Wok cannot remember where she stays. 

Rozi was not available for comment earlier but her lead actress, Ng, has this to say: “This movie is to show that there is still goodness and good people in our society. The movie gives us hope.”

 Ng who gave wonderful performances, credits her co- star actress Ruminah, for helping her. “She is so easy to work with and she is always sharing her knowledge with me.”
Sheikh Munasar’s piece centres on the shy Hafidd (Amirul Ariff) who meets a pretty stranger (Sharifah Amani) after missing the last train home. For someone who has never had a date in his life, this is a life-defining moment and his only hope of a glimpse of love. Sheikh Munasar hinted that the film, in some way, is a reflection of his life. Ten years ago, he came to Kuala Lumpur from his hometown in Johor Baru to study filmmaking. Like his character, he felt homesick and lonely.

When asked if he met his love at the LRT station, just like in the movie, he laughs and says: “I am not going to tell you that.” 

He says, the next film he is planning to direct will touch on his childhood years. As a child, he used to stay in the government flats called Flat Lumba Kuda in the centre of Johor Baru. 

He says: “The flat has been demolished several years ago. But the place will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the place where I learned about life.”

Bront on the set of Kolumpo .... 

Rozi Isma on the set of Kolumpo 

Sheikh Munasar on the set of Kolumpo