For actors Jake Eng and Tosh Chan, playing badminton icon Datuk Lee Chong Wei was a gigantic task but it’s an ‘amazing adventure’, writes Dennis Chua
NEWCOMERS Jake Eng and Tosh Chan still find it hard to believe that they have now attained worldwide fame alongside their hero, badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
The badminton fans and first-time actors have had their names carved into the annals of Malaysian movie history by playing their idol in Lee Chong Wei: Rise Of The Legend, which opened yesterday.
Last Friday, the duo attended the world premiere of the biopic at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, together with the film’s ensemble cast — producer Josiah Chieng, director Teng Bee and Chong Wei.
Jake, 14, from Sungai Besar, Selangor and Tosh, 23, from Johor Baru, were selected by Chieng and Teng from 2,000 hopefuls at auditions held between March and May last year in Bukit Mertajam, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru.
Jake, from Sekolah Menengah Seri Bedena, has represented his school in state-level badminton competitions. Likewise Tosh, a barista in Singapore who studied at Sekolah Menengah Johor Jaya.
“I feel blessed to be part of this movie. At first, Chieng and Teng told me I wasn’t chosen, and that upset me,” says Jake.
Jake says Chieng and Teng had a change of heart after looking at photos of Chong Wei in his teens.
“They noticed Chong Wei’s face was round like mine,” he says with a radiant smile.
Tosh was picked because he resembled a 20-something Chong Wei.
“I jumped for joy but soon found out running and smashing the shuttlecock like Chong Wei was a challenge,” he says.
The boys underwent two months of badminton training, 12 hours a day, for their roles.
Chieng roped in veteran player Chan Chong Min to coach them.
“We filmed in Bukit Mertajam, Klang and Kuala Lumpur, from July to September last year,” says Tosh.
Chieng, who spent three years researching Chong Wei’s life, says: “Our film may not contain every individual who helped him and some characters are ‘composites’ of real people.”
Teng says the biggest difficulty faced by co-producers CB Pictures and Mahu Pictures was the unavailability of sports venues due to Sea Games 2017.
“Filming was delayed by a few weeks because most of the venues we wanted to use were booked for Sea Games events,” he says.
Teng, who plans to screen the film in China and Taiwan, says it features advanced camera work which allows viewers to experience fast-paced badminton from Chong Wei’s perspective.
Datuk Rosyam Nor was selected to play badminton legend and national coach Datuk Misbun Sidek. Both are from Kuala Langat, Selangor and Rosyam loved playing badminton in his teenage years.
Teng says: “Rosyam is spot-on as Misbun because both are taskmasters. Our Hero Malaya nailed it in one scene where he punished Chong Wei for throwing his racket on the floor during training, by making him pick up shuttlecocks for a week. This was to teach Chong Wei about respecting the game and fellow players, as well as learning to be humble and responsible by keeping the floor clear of stray shuttlecocks.”
However, Misbun is also reassuring to Chong Wei, and always praises him for a job well done.
“I’ve made our Misbun half-nice and half-nasty, a super coach in every sense,” explains Teng, adding that although Rosyam does not look like Misbun, they are both strict and disciplined when it comes to work.
The director was satisfied with Rosyam’s portrayal, commending him for doing thorough research into the role. Rosyam’s ability to play badminton also helped a lot.
“The story of Chong Wei and Misbun is one of national unity and muhibbah — two Malaysians working together to bring glory to the nation via sports,” he says.
Rise Of The Legend also stars Singapore actor Mark Lee as Chong Wei’s father, and Yeo Yann Yann (You Mean The World To Me) as Chong Wei’s mother. Radio announcer Phat Fabes and television personality Adam Carruthers make cameo appearances.
Below is an interview with Jake and Tosh, and Chieng and Teng.
WAS IT YOUR DREAM ROLE?
Jake: Yes, I was excited when I heard of the audition. I asked my parents to bring me there and we patiently waited for a few hours to be interviewed.
Tosh: Yes, he has always been my idol.
DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE ACTING? WHAT SORT OF ROLES DO YOU LIKE AND WHY?
Jake: Yes, definitely. I’d love to star in stories about teenagers which contain important lessons, and I’d prefer comedy-dramas.
Tosh: Yes, if I had a choice I would love to play a soldier as my uncle is one. Soldiers are heroes who protect our country.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH THE DIRECTOR, AS WELL AS MARK, YANN YANN AND ROSYAM?
Jake: It’s great to work with them. I wasn’t shy or scared but excited. They are very friendly and were willing to share their experiences with me. Yann Yann even asked me to call her “mum”. I have learnt a lot about acting and would love to work with them again.
Tosh: I was a bit scared because they are experienced actors. Luckily they were patient and friendly, and willing to guide me. I’ve learnt a lot and I’m very grateful to them.
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST THING YOU HAD TO DO, AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE?
Jake: The hardest thing was the trick shot. I had to hit the shuttlecock between my legs over the net and into the box on the other side. The shot was a wide one without any editing. There were 43 takes for this and I was stressed out. Luckily, Teng was very patient and told me perseverance is the message we want to deliver to viewers.
Tosh: I had to play against the Lin Dan character. I was down with fever and I didn’t have the stamina. But Teng told me that I was the soul of the story and I could not fail. He promised to do his best to help me execute that scene and we did it.
DID YOU MAKE NEW FRIENDS ON SET?
Jake: Yes, I’ve made lots of new friends. We were living under the same roof for two weeks like a happy family. It’s one of the best things I’ve experienced and I’m going to keep in touch with all of them especially Tosh, Mark, Yann Yann and Ashley.
Tosh: Yes, we bonded over two weeks of difficult training even though I was initially shy. Jake, Ashley, Mark and Yann Yann are now my closest friends.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE MEETING CHONG WEI?
Jake: I was very excited to meet Chong Wei as he is my hero. He’s a gentleman and he advised me to pursue my dreams with passion. He told me he loves watching Malaysian films, especially inspiring ones like Ola Bola.
Tosh: I met Chong Wei when I was 15. During filming, I was told that I could play a game with him and I was very excited. We had a good game and he taught me how to improve my services and posturing.
WHAT ARE THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES YOU HAVE LEARNT FROM CHONG WEI?
Jake: Never give up, work hard, value family and friends, believe in yourself, and fight for your dream no matter what stands in your way.
Tosh: Be diligent, never give up, rise up when you fall, fight for your dream no matter what challenges confronts you, and have faith in yourself.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST MEETING WITH CHONG WEI. WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT HIM AND HOW DID HE FEEL ABOUT HIS LIFE BECOMING A MOVIE?
Teng: We first met him three years ago at his brother Datuk Joe Lee’s office and it was rather intimidating as we greatly respect him. To our surprise, he was very nice and willing to tell us everything about his life. We decided to do a movie about him when a mutual friend suggested a biopic of a famous Malaysian.
WHAT WERE THE MOST DIFFICULT SCENES TO SHOOT AND WHY? WHAT WERE THE MAJOR CHALLENGES YOUR TEAM FACED WHEN SHOOTING THE MOVIE?
Chieng: It was difficult to find the right person to play Chong Wei and we needed a good badminton player who could act. The badminton court scenes were difficult because it was hard to catch the shuttlecock in motion. We needed to choose the right camera to capture the speedy smashes by the players and there was no badminton movie for our reference.
HOW DID JOE GET ON BOARD THE MOVIE PROJECT?
Teng: Joe was involved from the beginning. He was the first person we approached and became our executive producer, historian and encyclopedia on everything about Chong Wei. He gave us lots of details of his brother’s life.
WHAT GAVE RISE TO THE IDEA OF HAVING THE PREMIERE IN THE STADIUM?
Chieng: We felt that since Chong Wei is our icon, we ought to have the premiere in the stadium. The Malaysian Book Of Records entry was not our target, but it was an added bonus for us. It’s the 10th anniversary of Chong Wei’s first Olympic silver medal win and his first world No. 1 ranking which lasted 199 weeks.
WAS ANY PART OF THE FILM SHOT IN THE UK OR OVERSEAS?
Teng: No, we did not shoot any scene in London, and the scene in London was done in Putrajaya. Fortunately, it’s a brief one showing Chong Wei talking to Misbun.
HOW ACCURATE IS THE STORY?
Chieng: It is 60 per cent factual. The bully boy is fiction but he was ragged by some players. We needed to give some drama to make the story exciting, and thus added fictional characters to represent an amalgam of real-life ones.
ON MARK LEE AS CHONG WEI’S FATHER?
Teng: We chose Mark as Chong Wei’s father because of his resemblance. Furthermore, he is popular in Malaysia and is a versatile actor. Chong Wei is very popular in Singapore too.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR upCOMING PROJECTS
Chieng: We’re preparing another biopic, which is also in Chinese, about a well-known personality in the region.
Cinematic rise of the legend
MALAYSIA’S greatest badminton player of all time, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, rose from humble beginnings in Berapit, a suburb of Bukit Mertajam, Penang.Chong Wei’s (Jake Eng) story begins with his early interest in badminton while watching Datuk Misbun Sidek and his brothers in action in Thomas Cup matches, but his father Lee Ah Chai (Mark Lee) discourages him from playing the game.
However, his mother Khor Kim Choi (Yeo Yann Yann) is supportive of his love of badminton and encourages him to take lessons from coach Teh Peng Huat (Alvin Wong).
The older Lee eventually has a change of heart, and encourages his son to master the game under Teh’s guidance. Chong Wei learns fast and after winning nationwide badminton tournaments, finds a place at the National Badminton Academy in Kuala Lumpur. It is here that he meets national badminton coach Misbun (Datuk Rosyam Nor).
Love also blossoms between Chong Wei (Tosh Chan) and his fellow Academy player Wong Mew Choo (Ashley Hua). However, her father says no to their relationship, unless Mew Choo achieves victory for Team Malaysia in an international tournament.
The film portrays badminton on the big screen realistically, without resorting to actual match footage. Besides utilising top-down camera angles in live badminton coverage, it has lots of close-ups of the actors executing their shots. The real Chong Wei also makes a cameo appearance in the beginning and at the end of the film.