Shekhar Kapur

My colleague Meena and I managed to interview Shekhar Kapur the director who directed amazing films such as Elizabeth and The Bandit Queen when he was in town. The story has appeared in the sun today ( April 8, 2011) Here is the link : http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=59727


Here is the full story


Headline : Shekhar Kapur: A rebel with a cause


THE renowned film director speaks to MEENA L. RAMADAS and BISSME S about his new film on Nelson Mandela, money politics in the Oscars, and more.


MOVIE ON NELSON MANDELA



You were reported to be making a film on the life of Nelson Mandela. What is the latest happening with it?



That film is in a limbo because the producers and I can’t agree on the script. I want the script to be edgy. I didn’t want to make a biopic on his life. A film has to have a point of view. I felt that we shouldn’t make a film like Gandhi. There was no particular point of view in Gandhi.
Mandela’s life has to be able to be related to our lives. So what part of his life is related to ours? The King’s Speech is about a King who stammers and the stammer makes him human. So what makes Mandela human?
He was a reluctant god … he wanted to be a professional boxer … he was a terrorist before he went to prison. But he came out of prison as a man of peace and changed the world. So what happened?


What kind of script are you looking for?



The script was not angry enough. I kept saying let us have a script as if it was written by somebody who suffered an apartheid, then there would be anger in the script.


Do you think the studios want to portray Mandela just as a hero?



The politics of South Africa, at this moment, is probably not ready for this (an edgy script on Mandela). I don’t care about what the world wants.


Why not just agree to whatever the studio wants?



I do not know how to make films except from a certain point of view. Otherwise, they are just documentaries.


HANDLING CRITICS



How do you handle criticism?



You have to stand by it. I got into a lot of serious trouble when I made The Four Feather (based loosely on 1902 novel by British writer A.E.W. Mason). It was a racist book. There were three racist films made about it. The Arabs were called fuzzy wuzies.
The book was about how brave the British soldiers were in Sudan. I made a film about how the British army was not supposed to be in Sudan. They (the British media) called me pro-Muslim because I turned a colonial book into an anti-colonialist story.
At that time 9/11 had not happened. So the Americans, who had experienced the Vietnam War, got it when I said the British should not be in a foreign war and they did not belong there. After 9/11, when you talk about jihad, it sounds different. It is an attack on the Western world. So I faced a big problem there, too. They thought ‘this Indian director is using our money to artistically talk against us’. That was a very strong point of view. But my view was the British should not have been there.
Same with Elizabeth. When Elizabeth came out, the whole press in Britain was in uproar and saying: ‘How can you show the virgin queen in bed with a man?’ But her virginity was a political statement and the statement at that time, is you cannot be feminine and powerful at the same time. A woman in power has to take on the garb of the virgin..


How do you reconcile that with the artistic liberties that you take in your films with historical accounts?



History has taken enough liberties by now. I had this big argument on Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Elizabeth gives a big speech at Tilburry to her troops, on a horse, near the seashore. So this question was asked: ‘This weren’t the words she said. Why did you change them?’ So I said, ‘Do me a favour, go to Tillbury, sit on a frisky horse when there is a big wind and try to talk to 2,000 people without a microphone and tell me how many people heard you’.
There is a famous saying all history is interpreted by the victor. If Germany had won the war, we would have had different history books.
Try and tell the Shiv Sena (a right wing political party in India) that Shivaji was not a great warrior but a guerilla fighter, they will kill you. But look at the history books. He was a guerilla fighter. He would come into the villages, raid, and run away. So, history is always an interpretation. So when you make a film you use some fundamental truths about a character.
Elizabeth was a powerful queen and that was a fundamental truth. So I can’t say she was not powerful. I can say she was perceived to be powerful but inside her and in her private life, she was completely depressive.


How did you come to that conclusion?



That is because of my perception of power. Power isolates you. Power causes schizophrenia and I would expect extreme power is pretty schizophrenic. In politics, you are surrounded by people who only tell you things you want to hear and you suspect that they are not telling you the truth. So you become lonely and afraid because you are removed from reality … you are no longer walking the ground … you are no longer in the street.


Do you think the critics were harsh with the film, because they already had an image of the queen and you did not deliver it?



Yeah. The New York Times said Elizabeth was the MTV genre of Elizabethan life. People said, ‘You didn’t talk about the wit of that time. They were very witty.’ But they had wooden teeth. Their mouths stank. You couldn’t stand next to them. They didn’t bathe for a year. They wore wigs with all kinds of perfumed leaves in them to stop the smell. Now tell me, how witty can you be if you are speaking with wooden teeth and you haven’t had a bath for a year.
In fact, in the coronation scene that I cut out (from the film) has them bringing their own piss pots. The courtly women used to get so drunk that the piss pots were put under the table and they used to lift their skirts and pee, right at the table, sitting there.The idea of the American critics is that they were beautiful women who used to get up and just dance. But they just peed over in their dress, man! That was the reality.
The food was cooked outside where the dogs were peeing. There were no bathrooms. They used to drink a lot and you know what happens when you drink a lot.The reality was that Elizabeth’s castles used to stink so much that every six months she had to move and somebody had to spring clean the whole thing.
So where was this wit and all these Elizabethan things that everybody talked about? In fact now at Cambridge, in the course on Elizabethan and Tudor history, guess which film they show? My film, made by an Indian.


How important is the film critics’ point of view when it comes to your films?



Well, if they like my films, they like it. If they do not like my films then they are wrong.


You seem nonchalant about being criticised. Has any criticism affected you?



If a critic is being honest and bright and makes a good argument, then I will take it seriously. It is not about me being affected, it is about how seriously I take it. When I made Bandit Queen, there was a whole movement against the film, provoked by Arundhati Roy (author of The God of Small Things).
Her argument was that I had taken Phoolan Devi and raped her again in the film. I had to take it seriously because it affected the very fundamentals of the film.
A large part of prevalence of rape in our society all around the world is because the victim is almost shown as the perpetrator of the crime. It is the only crime where one says ‘Oh it is because she was wearing short skirts’ or ‘It was the way she was walking around’. How often have you heard that about rape? It has been going on for centuries.
Here was a woman who actually said ‘No, I am not a victim. This is a crime perpetuated against me.’ Whatever her actions were, whether it was right that she killed 24 people, she refused to accept herself as a victim. Ultimately its analysis demeaned a woman; the very thing I was fighting against.


ON THE OSCARS



You did not get nominated for Best Director for Elizabeth while your film was nominated for Best Film. Were you disappointed?



No. I was so surprised getting all the other nominations (Elizabeth was nominated for seven Oscars in 1999). I wasn’t expecting anything. It was my first English language film.


Do you think politics are involved in Oscars?


Some spend a lot of time and money lobbying for their films but why wouldn’t they? It’s a great marketing strategy. You spend US$15-20 million on Oscar campaigns. But if you won an Oscar, you would get US$200 million back at the box office. It increases your commercial value and you make more money to direct more movies.
The year Elizabeth was nominated, the academy reassessed itself. We all received a little booklet saying that if you are spending a lot of money (on lobbying), we will not consider your film.


Do awards like the Oscars matter to you?



For two weeks, you get invited to all the big parties. But after a while, I was remembered more for the clothes I wore (at the Oscars). Oscars is a fashion statement. It’s the biggest fashion statement in the world. All the designers are there and everyone is wearing designer clothes.


Are you anti-Oscars?



No, I’m not. For every English language film made, there must be 10 non-English films made. And they all get dumped into one category, Best Foreign Language Film. I have seen some amazing films from Africa, China, Korea, Thailand and Japan which I doubt will ever come into the sights of the Oscars. Eighty-five per cent of the world’s cinema never comes into their consideration.
The only films that come to the Oscars are those that are promoted a lot or have an American distribution. Some of the most amazing films are not made in Hollywood right now. Some of the world’s best stories are not told in Hollywood right now. The most expensive films with the highest amount of technology are produced in Hollywood.


BEING AN ARTIST



Are you difficult to work with?



Yeah. Rebellion is inherent in being an artist. It is a form of creativity. Rebellion is one of the greatest provokers of creativity. An artist is always the conscience of society.


Tell us more about your epic film Paani?



I am writing the fifth draft. I took 15 years to pen it. I am going through the throes of a traditional Hindu father in getting his daughter married. Each time she steps out of the house, I call her back and say, ‘A little bit more make up here, maybe a little bit more dressing here.’ Everybody at the studio is fed up with me.


What is Paani all about?



It happens in the not so distant future where groundwater has disappeared, rains are seasonal, global warming has taken place and water has been privatised. So when water becomes privatised, it does not go to where it is most needed, it goes to where it gets the best price. And the best price comes from urban areas and so everyone comes to urban areas, hoping to get some water. It is a call against water privatisation.


You started your career doing Bollywood films. What do you think about Bollywood cinema now?



It is becoming a bit of a parody of itself. It has decided what it is and makes itself like that, rather than breaking out of it and trying something new. Some films (the smaller ones) are trying something new but fundamentally most are becoming prisoners of their own image.
Bollywood used to be more popular around the world but Hollywood has taken over. Local product has taken over. Bollywood in some parts of the world is the oddity or remnants.
I think the younger generation is moving away from it because of globalisation and television shows. Here (in Malaysia) I am surprised to find out that the new generation is adapting to it and liking it.
I think the technology and technical aspects are getting better but they are running out of stories. In a cinema world where songs sell, what kind of stories can you have? The fundamentals of Bollywood rely more on style, fashion and songs, and less on a great story. When the last big Bollywood film came out, I asked the producer to tell me what the film was all about and he told me that there was a great song number.
So what can you say about it? It is about style and dance. In that way, it keeps attracting audiences. But will it ever become a competitor to Hollywood? Not in this form.


What is the misconception about Shekhar Kapur?



Misconception? No there is nothing. I think that is the wonderful thing about having a blog.


ON MAKING FILMS



When you look back on your films, do you think you should have done it differently?



With every film I would say I should have done this differently and I should have done that differently because you are a different person now. Same thing with a script. Till the last minute I will be saying this is not right and that is not right. It all about being creative.


You made a short film, New York I Love You. How different is doing a short compared to a feature film?



You can break the rules of cinema. These are rules defined by custom and culture. The culture of cinema focuses on plot. I was talking to A.R. Rahman (Oscar winner) and sometimes I am jealous of him. When he composes something (music scores for films), he would ask what is the story, and not what is the plot.
It is an emotion when you create a story in your mind. It is so wide that you create your own imagination. It completely provokes your imagination in a much more freer way than the restrictions of a plot.


What was the emotion you tried to convey in that short film?



I am not sure. It was not written by me. It has a strange story behind it. Anthony Manghella (the Oscar-winning director) was going to do that short. He wrote it and fell ill. He asked me if I would direct it and I said OK but I do not quite get the story.
He said: 'I am going in for an operation and when I come out, I will explain it to you.’ But he did not come out – he died. I tried very hard to think about what was in his mind when he wrote it. The only thing he said was that we do not live enough and we have regret. So one of the fundamental emotions in that film was regret … People who regretted they did not do things they should have done.
So (in this short film) there was this woman who was about to commit suicide. But somebody came into her life and committed suicide in front of her. You are never quite sure whether it was a past memory or a past life but she did not commit suicide. It was a film about doing what you want to do, otherwise you will have regrets.


What do you think of New York I Love You compared to Paris, Je’Taime (Both movies had similar theme)?



I think it is a fabulous idea. But New York was not as successful as Paris because the producers tried to string it together. When they did Paris I Love You, they did not try to string it together. In this one, the producers tried to link it to a fundamental theme and I do not think they should have done that. They should let each director say what they wanted to say rather than link it. But we knew they were going to do it and we all agreed to do it.


SOCIAL AVERSIONS



You are strongly against the caste system and have even been called anti-Hindu. What are your thoughts on that?



Every faith gets usurped into rules. I think probably it (the caste system) is one of the biggest evils in Indian society. It is probably one of the most exploitative systems ever designed and it is used to exploit.
There are number of laws that are against the caste system but it so rooted in our (Indian) culture, especially in rural areas. Fortunately in the urban areas it gets lost, because the caste system needs physical space to separate people. When you have a slum and there is no space, people are put together and they adjust.


Did it disturb you that you were branded as anti-Hindu?



Thankfully, in India, Hinduism has not taken up such a large fundamental system, although there are a lot of fundamental Hindu organisations, which I find strange. I find the idea of being a fundamental Hindu strange because how do you define a Hindu? I can define who is not a Hindu.


Your father did not encourage you to be a film-maker? How do you feel about it?



In retrospect, if you asked me today if I could relive my life, I would wish I had gone to film school rather than be a chartered accountant. But I do not know what provoked me when I was an accountant to being where I am now. It is difficult to go back in hindsight because you are a balanced sheet of your life today.


Did that create a ruffle in your relationship with your father?



My relationship with my father was fine. Of course, he was disappointed. But he never imposed himself. He always supported what I wanted to do. My parents were products of Nehru’s generation (Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India).
The Nehru generation grew up with an immense amount of optimism following the new India. The new India that was going to be an India of enterprise … an India of professionals… so everybody wanted to be a professional … because he (Jawaharlal) talked about being doctors, lawyers because that was what India needed.They all came out saying everybody must contribute to the growth of this great dream that Nehru gave everybody.
My father’s brother was one of India’s biggest educationist and my father was a very well known paediatrician. So my father’s question was, as a filmmaker, what do I contribute to society? Because at that time, as Bollywood films were, it was very difficult to find out what they contributed to. So that was his problem.


HEATH LEDGER, THE ACTOR



You were one of the last people to talk to Heath Ledger before he died. Is that true?



Yeah, I think so. We were supposed to meet that night but he said ‘I’m going to sleep now, I am tired and jet lagged’… So he said ‘call me at 9.30 in the morning to wake me up.’ I was supposed to meet him the next morning.


Why were you meeting him?



It was for a film called the Nine O’Clock War. It is about media and war. It is about major media companies getting involved in a war in a third world country. It is about creating an existing war into a reality show. So the war gets turned into a reality show. This is one of the films I wanted him to do with me, he was going to play a young journalist. Heath and I were so close. I wanted to do lots of films with him and he wanted to do lots of films with me.


ON THE NEXT GENERATION



You have a daughter and seeing where this world is heading to, do you worry about her future?



There has never been a generation that did not worry about the next generation. I have concerns because I do not know what is happening to the Internet. When she was living in England, you had to make play dates. I noticed that she and her friends spent so much time on the Internet. The basis of their relationship is through a computer screen.
There is an inherent physiological need to be actively in physical social interaction. We need to look into each others’ eyes. It is not just an expression. It is a reality that is physiologically needed.
We could do this interview over Skype but physical eye to eye contact has a different connotation of the way people relate to each other. Animals physically fight each other when they play. Play is a process of growing up and understanding how to live in society.
Now if this play is consistently performed on Facebook, the Internet or through video games, are you becoming a society of young people that do not have the ability to form real relationships anymore? It is a concern.
Fortunately for her, she lives in India now so she has a lot of social interaction with friends. They are in and out of each others houses. It is not because India does not have technology but they play and they physically interact with each other all the time. In the West I notice they are not doing that. They are not doing that because the larger part of their interactive time is through the screen. How are you going to handle that when you grow up in terms of marriage? You have not gone through the play. You have not gone through the necessary sociological processes that are inherent in every species. It is the isolation of physical relationship in social media that I worry about.
I think social media is a terrific ... an incredible tool. But as a democratic tool, social media is a great tool (as you can see in what happened in Egypt). The fascinating thing about Egypt was that there was no leader of a revolution. When was the last time you had a revolution with no leader?


LOOKING AT DEATH



You seem to have a fascination for death. You have expressed that “death defines everything we do”. Can you explain more?



We do because we die. That is what drives us. Our ambition is defined because we want to do something in a short period of time. If we were immortal, we would be like plants. We would only move two inches. If I could live for a thousand years, I would not make five films in 20 years. I would not do it because I have all the time in the world.


Why do you say this? Is it because you had a near-death experience?



No. It comes from trying to understand yourself … analysing why you do things and acting and reacting in a certain way.

Al-Fatehah Memali

(Pix: Rahmat Haron the film maker of the documentary)

( Pix The Late Ibrahim Mahmud)


On Nov 19, 1985, in which the villagers of Memali in Kedah faced off against hundreds of police personnel. The authorities had received information that a deviant Islamic sect, led by Ibrahim Mahmud (better known as Ibrahim Libya), had influenced the villagers to overthrow the government.


They had wanted to arrest Ibrahim – a scholar who had previously appeared on national television to lecture on Islamic matters – under the Internal Security Act (ISA). He resisted arrest with the locals’ help. Four policemen and 14 villagers died in the ensuing confrontation.


In 2009 documentary titled Al-Fatehah Memali was made that touches on incident and it was showcase at 6th Komas Freedom Film Festival. I interview the documentary maker on his work and the story appeared in the sun dated Oct 1 2009

Here is the full story




Memali side of story
by Bissme S.


POET and painter Rahmat Haron is not making things easy for himself with his first major foray into filmmaking by highlighting a tragic incident in our country’s past.


His 30-minute documentary, Al-Fatehah Memali, recalls that day on Nov 19, 1985, in which the villagers of Memali in Kedah faced off against hundreds of police personnel. The authorities had received information that a deviant Islamic sect, led by Ibrahim Mahmud (better known as Ibrahim Libya), had influenced the villagers to overthrow the government.


They had wanted to arrest Ibrahim – a scholar who had previously appeared on national television to lecture on Islamic matters – under the Internal Security Act (ISA). He resisted arrest with the locals’ help. Four policemen and 14 villagers died in the ensuing confrontation.


"I’m not digging up the past for the sake of being controversial or provocative," says the 32-year-old artist. "My intention is to deal with what happened. We cannot carry any historical baggage with us if we want to move forward.


"It is like dealing with apartheid in Africa or Chinese women who were forced to become comfort women during World War II. We have to discuss these issues openly."


Rahmat was only eight when the Memali incident happened. "But I remember watching the news on television reporting the incident and seeing the police and FRUs with M16 guns moving in.


"I was so scared. I kept asking myself why were the Memali people so dangerous? I was happy that the authorities stepped in to control the situation."


As he grew older, Rahmat learned there was more to the incident. The more he read about it, the more he realised that there was another story that needed to be told.


An advocate for the abolition of ISA, Rahmat believes that the Memali incident was an example of how ISA had been misused.


"To detain someone without a fair trial is inhumane," he says. "ISA is a law that the British colonial masters created and I do not understand why we are continuing this colonial legacy. We have enough existing laws to protect ourselves and we do not need the ISA."


He adds that he is looking at the Memali incident from a human rights perspective. "They (the villagers) were opposing the ISA and some of them died for this. The authorities had accused them of being deviant Islamic militants who wanted to overthrow the government.


"But these villagers were farmers, tappers and schoolteachers. Do you really believe these people were capable of overthrowing the government? The 120 people arrested included women and children who had to spend time in jail."


He adds that the Memali case was quickly settled out of court and the family of the 14 who died were compensated with RM20,000 each.


"There was a White Paper on the incident and a documentary produced by RTM which presented the official version of what took place," he says.


However, he adds that the people of Memali never got to tell their side of the story. "I’m highlighting their voice [in Al-Fatehah Memali]."


One of his most memorable moments making this documentary was when he interviewed Solehah Husin, Ibrahim’s wife.


"She wasn’t emotional when she was telling her story," he says. "I was amazed by her calmness throughout the interview. Maybe, her religious conviction taught her to be patient."


Rahmat tried to get the government to tell its side of story but was unsuccessful in getting an interview with Tan Sri Musa Hitam, who was then acting prime minister and home minister while Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was abroad.


Al-Fatehah Memali was made with a RM5,000 grant from Komas. It will be showcased at the 6th Komas Freedom Film Festival along with a handful of local and international documentaries and short films touching on the topic of human rights, social and environmental justice.


The festival will take place at The Annexe, Central Market Kuala Lumpur (tomorrow to Sunday), Han Chiang College Penang (Oct 9-11), Sekolah Menengah Chung Hua No. 1, Kuching (Oct 23-25) and Tropical Inn, Johor Baru (Oct 30-Nov 1).

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa/Norman Abdul Halim

Hikayart Merong Mahawangsa is the most anticipated local movie this year. So I am highlighting an interview with Norman Abdul Halim of KRU Studios who is producing the movie. The interview appeared in the sun newspaper last thursday (Feb 17, 2011)


Suggested Headline ; A Cut Above The Rest


Epic movie Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, based loosely on myth, legend and history, will open in cinemas on March 10. Norman Abdul Halim, the executive president of KRU Studios, talks to BISSME S about his RM8 million film and his international aspirations.


Tell us what we can expect from Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa (HMM)?


We started shooting in June 2009. It took us 52 days to complete our shoot. But our research and preparation took more than a year. We read many versions of this epic, interviewed people from the Kedah palace and talked to historians. In some versions Merong Mahawangsa is a demigod while in others he hails from Rome. We took some creative licence.
We make the story more believable rather than fantasy driven. You will not see a giant bird (Garuda) or him meeting the Prophet Solomon. We wanted the story to have a little integrity and logic. On the creative side we linked his mother to Kedah. That provides a reasonable explanation to why he is so familiar with the shores here. The script was revised 17 times.
For the action scenes, we imported swords and bows from the United States and China. There was a lot of paper work and red tape involved as we had to seek permission from the home minister. We need to destroy these weapons once we are done with them. We hired 10 stuntmen from Hongkong who had worked with Jacky Chan. These stuntmen also worked in Hollywood productions such as Hellboy 2. For three months, these stuntmen trained our actors for the action scene. The movie highlights our rich culture and heritage, and Islam in the 11th century when the ruler of Kedah converted to Islam. At the same time Hinduism and Buddhism were also practised.


Some purists are likely to say your film is bastardizing the epic. Are you ready to face them?


When we first expressed a desire to make this film, we got a few protest letters. This was before the camera began rolling and we had not chosen our cast. There are some religious associations which wanted us to highlight the religious aspect of that era. But we are keeping religion and politics out of this movie.
What we hear about this warrior is an oral history. And in oral history, it is hard to prove what is real and what is fiction. So we had the options on what information we want to retain for the movie. For example, we decided to retain the claims that he was a descendant of Alexander the Great because it will appeal to the global audience.
People have to understand we are not making a documentary. The idea of making this film is to trigger an interest among Malaysians to learn more about Merong Mahawangsa. There are so many heroes in our culture we have not heard about.
When I watched Ip Man (a biopic on the man who teaches martial art to Bruce Lee) I enjoyed the movie very much. The next thing I knew I was on the Internet learning more about Ip Man. One must understand a movie is an entertainment platform.
We are hoping after this movie, Malaysians will log on to the Internet to learn more about Merong Mahawangsa. We even produced a 45-minute documentary and a coffee table book to create more awareness about the epic and a better understanding of the film.


HMM will be shown overseas. Tell us more about the overseas market?


We have managed to sell the film to 72 countries including the US, Russia, Canada, France, China, Australia and New Zealand. Never has a Malaysian film been so widely distributed.
We started our marketing strategy in 2009. We have done four different trailers to entice the international distributors.
Action movies like ours always stand a good chance to get foreign distributors. The Thai action film Ong Bak also had wide distribution outside Thailand. Another pull factor: the movie talks about the Roman and Chinese empires. It is not only about the history of Kedah.
I know some people are trying to discredit us by saying some of the international deals are only for DVD’s and television releases. They believe if the movie does not have theatrical releases overseas then it is not a big deal. Well I have only one thing to say: "Can you do what we have done?" I consider it is still an achievement and a step up for the Malaysian film industry. We are going beyond Malaysia.
This movie is only the beginning of our journey going outside Malaysia. We have plans to work with companies overseas and produce films for the international market. We want to export our content. But first, we need to import talent. We do not have the expertise in certain areas and we need to bring in foreign expertise. We need to collaborate with foreigners.


Why do you want to tap the global market?


It is out of necessity that we are tapping the global market. If we only depend on the Malaysian market, we will forever be in a vicious cycle of producing the same old thing. Only when we tap the global market, will we have a bigger budget to create something different. We will be on our toes to create something different because we want to take our product outside Malaysia. We are on par with competitors out there.
Malaysian companies who have established themselves abroad such AirAsia and Petronas have also inspired us. In media and entertainment, there are not many Malaysian companies on the international platform. We would like to change that. We hope in the next five years KRU Studios will be a strong name, at least in Southeast Asia .


What are the biggest obstacles KRU Studios faced in penetrating the international film scene?


Funding. The banks here are only willing to give you a loan of RM5 million to make a movie. That is small if you want to make a movie for the international market. Even for this film, we got funds from the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry. Of course we cannot depend entirely on loans. We need to have investors too. There are not enough investors who want to develop the local film industry for the international market. We have a lot of producers who are willing to produce movies on a budget of RM1.5 million with the intention of getting the local audience. Right now, we are identifying several key partners.


What are some of the biggest challenges you faced in making HMM?


In some of our scenes, especially the battle scenes, we needed at least 300 to 500 extras. Ninety per cent of the movie was shot in Terengganu. It was difficult to get non-Malays such as Chinese, Indians and Caucasians to be extras in Terengganu. There are very few non-Malays in Terengganu.
A lot of people think RM8 million is a lot of money to put into a film. But if you consider the scale of our production, we are really working on a shoe string budget. Some of our international distributors were impressed that we could have a high production value with our small budget.
They estimated the movie was made with budget of US$10-20 million. We only built four ships that cost more than RM350,000. With help of CGI (computer-generated imagery), we managed to turn the four ships into 60-80 ships for the battle scenes. We also had to craft the film in a way that it would appeal to the domestic as well as the international market. Malaysians who watch local movies always go for simple comedies and horror films. They always look for enjoyment. There is a lot substance in the movie. But there is a lot of action to draw the local audience. We also made sure the movie was under two hours. We learned that Malaysians do not like watching movies that are too long.


There are high expectations for HMM. Are you afraid of the expectations?


I do not mind the expectation. But do not compare our film to Lord of The Rings and Gladiator. The budget they worked on is more than US$100 million. We are just a Malaysian movie targeting the global market. But there are elements in the movie that can make you proud to be Malaysian.
We cannot depend on the Malaysian box office to cover our cost. That is why we are finding an overseas market for our film. I am happy if we can get RM5-6 million at the Malaysian box office. I am not expecting HMM to beat Ngangkung’s box-office record (Ngangkung got more than RM8 million at the box office and became the highest grossing local film). It is a fact that many urban Malays and non-Malays do not watch Malaysian movies. There is a stigma among them that Malaysian movies are brainless. I hope the urban Malays and non-Malays give this movie a chance.
I’d like to see this stigma disappear. Not all Malaysian movies are bad and not all Hollywood movies are great. I am just asking them to be a little open minded about Malaysian movies.


Are you saying those who enjoyed Ngangkung are brainless?


I am not discrediting movies like Ngangkung. We should learn to make films like Ngangkung that appeal to the mass market. Each of us has different hopes and expectations when we watch a movie. Some people watch movies because they want to laugh and be entertained. Some like to watch inspirational movies while others watch movies for the beautiful dialogue. There are some who looked at production values from the set to the costumes. We have to respect everyone’s choice.
I can appreciate movies of all kinds. I just do not like when people start comparing one movie with another. Every movie has its strengths and weaknesses. At the end of day we have to appreciate the movie for its content, for its presentation, for its uniqueness and for the market it is made for. Nobody spends their time and energy purposely making a bad film. People should go to the cinema, free of all expectations.
If you ask me, is HMM grander than an average Malaysian movie then I would say yes. If you ask me if the plot is better than an average Malaysian movie I would say I think so. There is some memorable dialogue and there are memorable performances. It is a movie where we learned more about ourselves as Malaysians and for the world to know about Malaysia .


What about the censorship board?


The audience is getting wiser. They understand what happens in a movie only happens in a movie. Some years ago, the censorship board was not keen about local film makers making horror movies.
I believe it is good to make horror movies because they always showcase evil and devils. When there is evil and devils, there is also a belief in God. Most horror movies instilled a stronger belief in God. We have a tendency to blame media and films for anything that goes wrong in our society. There are people saying the incidence of rape cases is going up because the media loves to highlight rape stories.
These people claim that when readers read these kinds of articles, they get curious and commit rape. I think that is ridiculous. You cannot stop media from reporting what is taking place. You cannot stop people from having access to information. Parents should monitor what their children watch. The rating system in censorship was implemented to help parents.
I think the censorship board is becoming more open. Unfortunately, there is always a small minority who are constantly complaining and sometimes, under pressure, the censorship board listens to this minority.
Members of the censorship board should realise they cannot satisfy everyone. 1f you want to listen to people all the time, then you cannot have anything done. It is about time the minority grows up and acts maturely. If we want to be a developed nation in 2020 then our mentality needs to change.


Do you think Finas is doing enough for the film industry? Do you think Finas should privatised?


Finas should be privatised. When this happens, there will be less red tape and less government procedures. Decisions can be made more quickly and efficiently. When you have to raise your own funds, you will be creative and efficient. But then again the government may have its own valid reason for not privatising Finas. I would like to see Finas taking more initiative to get foreign companies to shoot their films here and get these companies to work with the local production houses. There will be transfer of technology.


Do you think the media is doing enough to develop the local film industry?


Some play favourites. They go all out to criticise a producer’s film. But when it comes to a certain producer, they hesitate to criticise his film. I wonder why? Some journalists purposely look for flaws and write negative reviews. You cannot deny negative reviews attract more readers than positive reviews. For the film industry to thrive, the media needs to be fair.


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More on Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa


Storyline: An arranged marriage between a prince from Rome and a princess from China is supposed to take place in Langkasuka in northern Malaysia. Before the marriage vows can be exchanged, pirates kidnap the princess and hold her for ransom. Enter the brave warrior Merong Mahawangsa to rescue the princess.
Director: Yusry Abdul Halim
Executive producers: Norman Abdul Halim, Yusry Abdul Halim and Edry Abdul Halim Cast: Stephen Rahman Hughes, Ummi Nazeera, Rahim Razali, Jehan Miskin and Khir Rah

U- Wei Saari

I interview the talented director U- Wei who talks about his movie Hanyut. The story appears in the sun on Wednesday Feb 16. The story had a longer version on line compare to the print version.

Firm handle on life
Director U-Wei Saari believes in making movies that force viewers to think and ask questions
BY BISSME S.


"I cannot forget." The lead character uttered those words in the last scene of the movie Hanyut/Almayer's Folly. And sufficient to say those words describe my feelings about Hanyut.
I simply cannot forget Hanyut. Some scenes from Hanyut linger in my mind days after watching the film. Subtly, they have haunted me, persuading me to watch Hanyut, again. But it'll have to wait as Hanyut will officially hit the cinemas only at the end of the year.
theSun was one of the few media that were invited to watch the rough cut of Hanyut from the beginning till the end.
Hanyut has one of the best opening and closing scenes I have seen in local movies in the last 20 years.
The movie starts with a hysterical woman running along the river and then plunging into the river, swimming towards a big ship. A small boat appears and a white man grabs her hair.
Based on Joseph Conrad's first novel, the story centres around a Dutch trader Kaspar Almayer in Borneo in the 19th century. His ultimate dream is finding a mystical mountain that is filled with gold. He has dedicated his life to realise this dream but he soon learned that some dreams can be dangerous. They can consume you. They can destroy you.
The cast comprises Peter O Brien, Sofia Jane, Adi Putra, Khalid Salleh and Alex Komang.
While Hanyut can be a tad long with some redundant scenes, it compensates those shortcomings with excellent cinematography and a powerful storyline. After watching Hanyut, I asked the director U-Wei Haji Saari :


Tell us more about Hanyut?
The film is so un-Hollywood. It is ridiculous to see a failed white doctor trying to save Calcutta (In City Of Joy) and a white widow teaching the king of Siam (The King And I). Like one of the character says in the movie 'what do they (the whites) know about us and this country?'
Human are supposed to forget (and get on with life). The meaning of 'insan' (human) in Arabic means "to forget". If you cannot forget, then you will be damned.
It has taken me 10 years to make Hanyut a reality. I do not want Hanyut to my folly. I do not want Hanyut to pull me down (he hinted he does not want to end up like his lead character Kaspar Almayer where his dreams consumed him and in the end, destroyed him).
Hanyut is a prayer and every prayer has many obstacles. It also came to my realisation that every project takes its own time to become a reality.


In the last 10 years did you ever once give up your dream of making Hanyut?
I will quote what the lead character of Hanyut said in the end of the movie: 'I cannot forget.' I cannot forget Hanyut.


Why did you choose to turn Joseph Conrad's novel, Almayer's Folly, into a film?
I read the novel more than 20 years ago. I love Conrad's works. He is one of the few who writes about Malaya that is not condescending. He never patronised the locals. When Mat Salleh (white men) write about us (Asians), we always became the curtain of the window. It is his first novel. It was difficult to translate it into a script.


When novels are adapted into movies, there are bound to be changes. How faithful did you remain to the novel?
If I were to meet Mr Conrad now, I would probably say something like this: 'Mr Conrad I am very sorry but your story has become my story now.' Of course there are changes. I think that is what adaptation is all about. I tried to be faithful to the intention of the novel.


Your movies from Hanyut to your first film Perempuan, Isteri Dan ....always deal with similar themes – alienation, bad relationships, misplacement and identity. Why? Do these themes have any reflection to your life?
A filmmaker has only one film to make in his life time and the rest of his films are just variations. I can't help noticing these thematic stuff happening around me. Sometimes I can feel alienated. But I have more sad relationships than bad relationships.


Do you ever questioned about your identity of being Malay? What does being a Malay means to you?
Malay is not a colour. Malay is not even a language. Being a Malay is a state of mind. Even if you lived somewhere else but you have a strong attachment to Tanah Melayu, then you are still a Malay.


Your movie's budget so far is RM13 million. Don't you think the budget is lavish for a Malaysian film? (Most Malaysian filmmakers spent less RM2 million on their films).
I want make a good film. I want people who look at Hanyut and not say "Ah, untuk filem Malaysia bolehlah" (Ah, for a Malaysian film, can do-lah). I am giving the film as much money as it needs. Whatever it takes my kid to grow up, I will have to put in the money. My film needs more money. I have to get another RM5 million to complete it.
When I first did my first film (Prempuan Isteri Dan…), producers in Malaysia were making movies at a budget RM250,000. But I told my producer that my film will cost RM1 million to make. These days, it is normal for Malaysian films to have budgets of more than RM1 million.
Money is not the only answer to make a good film but it is a big factor that to make it look good. Films are for our eyes first. Once your eyes are satisfied with the visual, your soul will say ‘now it is my time to feel for the film.’


You have a reputation of spending a lot of money in making a film. Many producers are afraid to hire you. What is your comment?
Then, they are not ready to hire me. Most producers here do not believe in investing more money in their films. They stick to their safety zone. They believe all Malaysian films should be made with RM1.2 million.
It is a funny way of doing things. It is like saying everyone should be wearing RM3 shirt. Some project needs more money than others. They never come from film school. They came as business person. A lot of them put profit first. They neglect the craft of filmmaking. But I put my film first. I am a filmmaker who wants to make films.


Are you saying film making is an art and profit doesn't matter to you?
Profit is not my top priority. But profit matters to me. I do not like being poor. I hope my film sells. Art cannot be said art till it sells.


How do you think Malaysians will react to Hanyut? Do you think Hanyut will do well at the local box office?
That is not the question for me. The only position I have is that I wish Malaysian audience can accept my new pizza (both of us were eating pizza then and we laughed).

Your films are a huge success with the critics and international film festivals. But they do not draw in Malaysian audiences and are not local box office hits. Are you angry or sad about this fact?
I am more puzzled than angry and sad.


Despite the poor response from the Malaysian audience, you continue to make films. What motivates you to continue with this passion?
I am a filmmaker. That is my vocation. I have to make films. If I stop making films, I do not exist any more.


Women are always manipulative in most of your films and the same element can be found in Hanyut. Are you a women hater?
James Brown (the singer) said it is a man-man world. Women became manipulative because they have to survive. They are always survivors. Zaleha (actress Sofia Jane in his first film Perempuan Isteri Dan...) becomes manipulative because Amir did something to her (He kills her husband, raped her and sold her to a pimp).
In Hanyut, you will see Sofia Jane is a bidan (midwife) who brings other's people babies into the world but her own child is taken away from her. That is why she becomes manipulative. It is always a painful process to swim against the current.


The ending of all your movies are always dark and depressing. Why is that?
My films are about hope. In Perempuan, Isteri Dan..., the lead character gets killed but death is not the end. Death can be a rebirth. To be martyr you must die. In Kaki Bakar, the son killed his (abusive) father because he wants to move forward. Even in Hanyut, in the end, the character says 'I cannot forget.' It is a hint that perhaps he may do something to revive his dreams.


Do you watch local movies? What do you think of them?
I do but they do not draw me to have a discussion. Film makers here believe they have a formula they have to follow. But there is no formula in filmmaking. A lot of people here neglect their craftsmanship of filmmaking.
Our presentation is not good. So it is difficult for us to penetrate the international market. I respect anybody who can finish a film because filmmaking is very hard. That is why I go and watch local films. But I feel sad when films have no soul.
There are two types of Malay films. One that teaches you to dream and the other that reflects the life that the character leads and asks the audience 'what about your life?'
All art must be political and erotic . But erotic here is not vulgar. Erotic here means sensuous.


What are your inspirations behind your films?
I loved watching films. I still read a little, not as much as I used to. Sometimes, books make me sleepy. There are fine arts I loved. Everything inspires me. Life inspires me.




Here's what producer of Hanyut, Julia Fraser, has to say about the film
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Do you think mass Malaysian audience would like Hanyut?
We know U-Wei's audience in Malaysia is small. We knew this when we started raising money for the film, but our market has always been overseas in the West. It took nearly 10 years to raise the money for the film but as a result, we can see that the movie is beautiful, and very much a Malaysian story. I think Malaysians will be proud to have this film as their own and perhaps the audience here will check it out just for that reason.


You have spent RM18 million on the movie. Are you confident that you will be able to cover the cost of the production?
Yes, we will cover the costs plus more. So far, the reaction to the movie from overseas audience has been very strong. Although our costs seem high here, it is still regarded a very low for what we have achieved. We have produced a period piece, where we made sure our overseas technical and creative guests had the best possible support – which is where a lot of the money went. But what a result!


What do you think of U-Wei's direction and the end product?
U-Wei has always been incredibly focused on the story he wanted to tell. I just tried to help him make the film – a film I felt he should make – a quality that would make an international audience want to see the movie. I felt his way of story telling would easily be appreciated overseas, so we wanted to match that with strong production qualities.
The end product is amazing – better than we ever thought possible – as our budget is regarded as shoe-string' in the West, but we have achieved visuals that could easily be compared to a Hollywood film, which means there is a strong market for it there.

Edward James Olmos

I am not a big fan of the TV series Battlestar Galactica neither I am big fan of Maimi Vice. So you will i am not big fan of Edward James Olmos. But what he said in this interview made me salute him. He was bold enough to reveal Hollywood pratice discrimination. The article appeared in the sun on Ddc 10 2010. Here is the link http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=54963

Headline: One outspoken Latino
Despite his success in Hollywood, American Latino actor, writer and director Edward James Olmos wants to see an end to discrimination in the movie industry

By Bissme S


The biggest challenge Edward James Olmos faced as a Hollywood actor is not looking like Kevin Costner or Tom Cruise. This is what the Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner said during a one-to-one interview with theSun recently.
"How beautiful you look is an important aspect in my industry," says the 63-year-old American Latino actor, writer and director who was in town recently.
He also said that coloured people in the United States face a certain kind of discrimination and this is no different in Hollywood.
"Stories of people who are coloured and their contribution to the United States are not often told. Tell me when was the last time you saw a Hollywood film that has an Asian hero? How many Latinos are heroes in American films?"
Olmos finds that the only race equaliser in the US is the education system. "If you can educate yourself in America, perhaps you can make something of yourself," he says. "In other parts of the world, you can educate yourself, but you may not become all you want to be."
Interestingly, his first love was not acting – Olmos initially wanted to be a professional baseball player. Then the love for music entered his life and changed his career path. He became a rock singer, performing at some of the famous clubs at Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.
From music he branched out into acting. His first big break came when he was cast in a Broadway play Zoot Suit which earned him a Tony nomination.
After appearing in the film version of Zoot Suit in 1981, Olmos starred in several other films including Wolfen, Blade Runner and The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez.
He shot to stardom in 1984 when he played Lieutenant Martin Castillo in the television series Miami Vice opposite Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. The following year, the role got him the Golden Globe and Emmy awards.
In 1988, Olmos became the first American-born Latino to receive an Academy Award nomination for best actor in Stand and Deliver.
His other popular role was playing commander William Adama in the critically-acclaimed TV series Battlestar Galactica which ran from 2004 to 2009.
Despite the awards and accolades, the actor still has not been able to overcome the feeling of discrimination he faces in the film industry.
Sometimes, good roles do not come his way but he is not bitter about that. "I’ve no time to be frustrated," he says.
Olmos (centre) with Help University College president and co-founder Datuk Dr Paul T.H. Chan and wife; Eggstory founder Nickson Fong, and Olmos’ son Michael, president of film, Olmos Productions.
These days, he is busy running his own production company, Olmos Productions. Currently, he is working with actor-cum-producer Will Smith on a feature film. Olmos will also co-star and co-produce Jamesy Boy with Scott Medrick who produced movies such as Superman and 300.
Jamesy Boy is based on the true story of James Burns, a teenager who goes from the suburban street gangs of Denver to a maximum-security prison cell surrounded by hardened criminals. In this unlikely setting, Burns ultimately emerges a better person.
Meanwhile, Olmos will also co-produce an animation TV series The Chop Chops with a Singapore-based company Eggstory and Help University College in Malaysia. The actor was in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the project with representatives of the university college.
The Chop Chops is a legendary tale of a group of ghost-hunting kungfu masters (right, top) who fight an evil force and try to restore harmony in the world.
Olmos is impressed with the animation quality and likes the educational values it portrays. The series will air over American TV sometime next year.
Olmos may be busy with his career but he makes time to take part in humanitarian projects. Among others, he is the US Goodwill Ambassador for Unicef, which takes care of the welfare of underprivileged children. "I’m more of an activist than an actor," he says.
In all his activism work, Olmos likes to put one message across: "All of us – whether we’re white, black, brown or red – belong to just one race. We divided ourselves as races 600 years ago. It was a big mistake.
"If there’s any legacy that I would like to leave behind, it’s an awareness that there is only one race in this world."

Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali

This time I am featuring an interview I did with former first lady who talks about motherhood. I met her at Petronos Twins Towers. The story appears in the sun on April 28 2008. Photos you are seeing is Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali with her family

Headline: Room enough for more

Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali proved that a mother’s heart is never too small to love not just her own children but THREE ADOPTED ONES as well

By Bissme S

Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali is a woman who needs no introduction. The wife of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has long made her mark in the public’s eye. But despite a busy career as a doctor and, later, as wife to the premier, this mother of four has room in her heart to take in three other children – all for the love of them.
Her own children – Marina, Mirzan, Mokhzani and Mukhriz – had also taken their adopted siblings – Melinda, Mazhar and Maizura – to heart right from the start.
Melinda was the couple’s god-child initially. When she was six months old, she fell ill and her parents brought her to Mahathir’s clinic in Alor Star. That was in 1960.
Siti Aishah (as she was known then) recovered and her parents were so grateful they wanted Mahathir and Siti Hasmah to be her godparents.
“There was a special ceremony where a white string was tied on our wrist to signify we are Siti Aishah’s godparents and prayers were said,” Siti Hasmah recalls in an interview with theSun.
After the ceremony, Siti Aishah went home with her parents who were farmers. Six years later, they met again. This time round, Mahathir had made a house call to tend to her sick younger brother.
Siti Aishah wanted to follow Mahathir home so he brought her back. She fitted into the family nicely and built a strong bond with her new siblings.
Mahathir and Siti Hasmah then decided to adopt Siti Aishah legally and changed her name to Melinda. “During the school holidays, she would go back to visit her real parents,” says Siti Hasmah. “My children would get anxious and worried that Melinda might not return home and stay with her biological parents instead.” But her children had nothing to worry about. Melinda is now married with two children, both studying in Melbourne.
Mazhar and Maizura were adopted in 1983, when Siti Hasmah’s children were all overseas. The urge came upon the couple during a state visit to Pakistan. On their arrival at the airport, the couple were greeted by a girl and boy dressed in traditional Pakistani costume. The children struck such a chord in Mahathir’s heart that he wanted to adopt them. The following year, their wish came true. A six-month-old girl and nine-month-old boy, whom they named Maizura and Mazhar, came into their lives. Now, Maizura, 24, is pursuing a Mass Communications degree while Mazhar is doing music at an art academy.
“Mahathir and I genuinely love children,” she says in response to innuendos at that time that they had adopted the two children as a publicity tool. “We did not need that kind of publicity. I do not know what to call such people with such thoughts. It is so sad that people misconstrue our good intention.” The only complaint she got from her other children was that she was spoiling the two younger ones.
“In Islam, when you adopt a child, you have to care for the child with more compassion than your own, especially if he comes from an orphanage,” she says. “But I do not believe I am spoiling them.”
When any of the children misbehaved, she would send them to their father who is a strict disciplinarian. She also told the teachers and headmasters that her children should not get any special privileges.
At first, she kept the fact that they were adopted from Maizura and Mazhar. She wanted to find the right time to tell them the truth. But the two soon suspected something amiss.
“The boy did ask me whether I was his real mother,” she remembers, adding that she covered up the truth.
Then, Maizura told her a story about her friend’s mother who paid somebody for a child. “But I explained to her that such things do not exist.”
Finally, the truth came out when the children were about 10. It was after lunch and Mazhar asked whether they were adopted. Siti Hasmah told the boy: “So let us go ask daddy the question.”
She recalls: “I had to wake up my husband (who was taking a nap) and told him that his son has a question for him. When he heard it, he was quiet for while and said mummy would answer the question. I was so mad with him for passing the buck to me!” Of course, Siti Hasmah explained to the children. “I asked them if they would love my husband and I less after knowing we are not their biological parents,” she says. “I was very emotional. Both of them said no and hugged us.”
Like most adopted children, they were curious about their biological parents. For Mazhar, his mother had died and his businessman father left him with his grandmother. But she was too old to look after him and left him at an orphanage.
For Maizura, she was abandoned in hospital and was brought to the orphanage. “Maizura wanted to know if we paid anything for them and I said not a single sen.”
Though she promised Mazhar that she would try to trace his father, sadly, the orphanage had disposed off all the records.
Asked how she rates her husband as a father, she says: “He is a loving father. As adults, the children have different opinions and they may argue with him. Eventually, they will come together and love each other. Their love for their father is not lessened by the difference in opinions.”
As for herself, she feels she could have done more as a mother. “I have done the best I can but sometimes I feel so inadequate and I feel I could have done more

Nam Ron

This article won me the Samad Idris Trophy this year. The annual award was presented by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas). (To know please log theSun wins Finas award)
The article has the actor cum director Namron, talks about his latest film Gaduh, his fears on growing racial tension and his stand against the death penalty and ISA. The article appears in theSun newspaper on May 7, 2009 . Here is the full article

Headline: The power of open minds and healthy discussions

The creative work of actor cum director Shahili Abdan has been described as radical, bold and ground-breaking. The 40-year-old, who is better known as Namron, talks to Bissme S. about his latest film Gaduh, his fears on growing racial tension and his stand against the death penalty and ISA.

What inspired you to start RAT?

Very often, fresh graduates from art colleges are clueless about where to go to improve their talent. Soon enough, some of them will get frustrated and disappear, and not be heard again. They need encouragement. When I graduated, I had a lot of encouragement from Faridah Merican (The Actors Studio), Krishen Jit and Marion D’Cruz (Five Arts Centre) to continue my passion as an artist.
I want to do the same for the younger generation. So I created a platform where the younger generation can express themselves and have a chance to showcase their talent.

What is your latest project?

I just co-directed a film titled Gaduh with Brenda Danker. It highlights the racial tension between Malay and Chinese students in a school. It happened to me when I was in school. I hope Gaduh will spark a healthy discussion on racial tension.

Why do you like to highlight sensitive themes?

I believe we must be able discuss any issue with an open mind and only then will we be able to find some solutions.
Not discussing certain issues is like sweeping rubbish under the carpet. The place may look clean but we should ask: Is the place really clean? How long can we sweep it under the carpet? Sooner or later the rubbish will slip out.
We are always saying that we do not have racial tensions and we get along very well. But is that a true picture?

Some people say Malaysian audiences are not matured enough to discuss sensitive issues with an open mind.

If you say that, then I have failed as an artist and you have failed as a journalist. We should train audiences to come to that level. It is our responsibility. If artists like me and journalists like you are brave enough to discuss these so-called sensitive issues with an open mind, the audience will follow our example. Society is what we expose them to.
You find urban folk are more exposed compared to rural folk. Why is that? It is because there are underground films, theatres and music in urban areas compared to rural areas.
As a result, the urban folk are not subject to one point of view. They can see different opinions floating around.

Some people say you love to highlight sensitive themes for the sake of being controversial and cheap publicity. 

(He laughs). If I want to be controversial and get cheap publicity, all I have to do is include a kissing scene in my work. I would be famous. My face would be splashed in the newspapers. But I have not done that.
If artists always talk about safe topics, then we will never progress, we will never push boundaries and we will never find solutions to our problems.

Your works paint a picture you hate the country. Is that true?

The mentality here is if we criticise someone that means you hate someone. Criticising and hating are two different things.
If I make a political play and criticise the political system it doesn’t mean I hate my country. It is because I want the situation to improve. I want to stay in this country for a long time and I want my children to stay here for a long time, too. Therefore, I want my country to be a better place.
I don’t have an agenda. As an artist I always mingle with the crowd and I listen to their opinions. I sit in the coffee shop and listen to their conversations. What I am presenting on stage and screen is what people are thinking and talking.

Why do you like creating work that carries political themes?

The relationship between our politics and our society is very close. They influence each other very much. I like to make one thing clear: I am not a supporter of any political party. If the opposition takes over the government … Are we saying corruption will disappear? Are we saying abuse of power will stop? The opposition are not perfect. We have to keep our eyes on them as well.
In a democratic country like ours, it is the people who should have the power, not the government and not any political party. It is the people who should have the last say. It is the people who should benefit the most.
But I am glad to say the last election result showed things are changing and people are realising they have the power to make a change.
I am also glad to see we now have a two-party system. In this way any government or political party has to be on its toes, keep its record clean and aim to keep the people happy.
If the people are not happy, they can always change you in the next general election. It goes to show the government has to hear what the people want and fulfil their needs.
One good example, when Najib was appointed as the prime minister, he immediately released 13 ISA detainees. I was happy about that.
Some people will say it was not done with genuine intention, that it was more of a political move for his party to win people’s hearts. They could be right but in the end, it is the people who benefit the most.
The (detainees’) families are happy to get back their loved ones who were behind bars. It builds hope among us that there is more freedom.

What is the one single change you like to see?

Frankly, we have to re-look our racial policies. I find over the years we have become very suspicious. We do not trust each other.
Whenever I am with my own race, I sometimes hear them making unkind remarks about others. If my own race is talking like this, I guess others are doing the same.
I keep thinking why this mentality exists. We are living under one roof. We should be acting as one family. We should be able to think of ourselves as Malaysians. We should trust each other.
But we are not.Such a negative attitude is not healthy in the long run. It could be likened to a small fire in the forest. If it is not controlled, the whole forest could burn down.

You are against the Internal Security Act. You even produced a play about it. But some people say ISA is necessary for stability.

Is the ISA being used for the stability of the country or is it being used to maintain the stability of certain individuals. That is the question we should ask?
If you hear that someone is going to blow up KLCC and you detain him, that is understandable. I would say you are putting your country’s interest first. You are preventing innocent people from getting hurt.
If you are going to detain someone for writing a blog then you are making a mockery of the ISA. The ISA has been abused. Confining someone without trial can be inhumane. I am also against the death penalty. If a murderer sincerely repents then we should forgive him.

Have you gotten into trouble with the law for your work?

I have not been called up to the police station and I have not been put behind bars. I thank my lucky stars.