Malbatt Misi Bakara, the story of Malaysia's peacekeeping soldiers in Somalia, will premiere in August next year
FOR the first time, Gaddafi Ismail Sabri steps into the shoes of a tough guy, having previously played boy-next-door characters on the small screen and theatre stage.
Gaddafi, or Dafi, stars in his first film, playing Lance Corporal Zulkifli, a brave soldier who goes to Somalia as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the war-torn East African country.
"With the rest of the main cast, I underwent some tough army training for two weeks in Port Dickson. But having done Celebrity Fear Factor, I guess I was prepared for this," he said at the launch of the film Malbatt Misi Bakara at Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur recently.
"It's an honour to work with some of the country's best action heroes and character actors in Malbatt. We filmed for 49 days in Turkey last year, and 11 days in Johor and the Klang Valley. While it was tiring and challenging, I had a great time!"
BACK IN ACTION
Hairul Azreen, who plays Lieutenant Ismail, said: "Once again, I'm back in action with my favourite director Adrian Teh. Malbatt is my first patriotic film, and the characters we play are all real people with their names changed.
"What makes me love this film is that it tells Malaysians the true story behind Black Hawk Down. It shows how our heroic soldiers actually fought Somali warlords and even rescued American soldiers!"
NAMED AFTER P. RAMLEE
Shaheizy Sam, who plays Lance Corporal Ramlee, said Malbatt marked his return as an action hero after Polis Evo 2 in 2018.
"The military training in Port Dickson really got me back into shape, since I became quite 'puffy' after completing my last action film. I'm delighted to be a soldier bearing the name Ramlee after my idol Tan Sri P. Ramlee. My character is a true modern-day Malay warrior in this story."
Bront Palarae, who plays Major Adnan, one of the peacekeeping team's leaders, said: "It's an honour to play a real-life Malaysian hero for the first time. Malbatt also marked my first time undergoing army training at a camp in Port Dickson. It was intense but enjoyable. I salute Adrian for telling this story about our unsung heroes, the members of the Malaysian Army. Their heroism deserves to be honoured and celebrated."
SUPPORT OF MALAYSIAN ARMY
Malbatt also stars Adlin Aman Ramlie (Colonel Rahman), Fauzi Nawawi (Major Osman), Tony Eusoff (Major Samad), Zahiril Adzim (Lieutenant Dahari), Iedil Dzuhrie (Lieutenant Mustafa), Syazwan Zulkifly (Lieutenant Johan), Nafiez Zaidi (Lance Corporal Nik Zainal), Taufiq Hanafi (Lance Corporal Fuad), Ikhram Juhari (Lance Corporal Wahid), Safwan Nazri (Private Isa), Dini Schatzmann (Sergeant Hamid), Gambit Saifullah (Sergeant Mukhriz) and Theebaan G (Lance Corporal Shah).
Malbatt is presented by the Malaysian Army together with Berjaya Pictures, Act 2 Pictures, Astro Shaw and Golden Screen Cinemas.
FIGHTING SOMALI WARLORDS
Targeted for release in August next year, the film is about 100 soldiers from the 19th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment of the Malaysian Army who joined the United Nations' peacekeeping force that helped rescue American soldiers in Somalia's 1993 civil war.
The Malaysian soldiers, dubbed Malbatt (Malaysian Battallion), fought militias linked to fearsome Somali warlords and helped rescue American soldiers who were fighting a losing battle against them at the Bakara Market in the Somalian capital Mogadishu.
GLOWING TRIBUTE
Director Teh, the man behind action-packed films such as Paskal, Wira and The Assistant, said: "Just when the local movie scene is brewing with good box-office collections, we have another mega film that pays glowing tribute to our boys in green.
"Malbatt is our most expensive film to date at RM20 million, and it is specially dedicated to the Malaysian Army, which has played a crucial role in restoring peace to Somalia, and even rescuing American troops in the process."
Describing Malbatt as the "perfect Merdeka film" for the coming year, Teh added that his new film "dispelled the myths" behind Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning film Black Hawk Down that made American soldiers appear to be heroes.
"Malbatt is our own gripping narrative of the incident. I'd call it Malaysia's reply to Black Hawk Down!"
POINT OF VIEW
Teh said after Paskal, he was inspired to tell another patriotic Malaysian Armed Forces story. "Nothing is bigger than talking about this well-known event from a Malaysian point of view. Not only were we there, we also played a pivotal and heroic role in keeping the warlords at bay. I'm so glad that we have been given the chance to tell our version of the story."
FOUR YEARS
Teh, who took four years to come up with the script, watched Black Hawk Down several times and spoke to 15 soldiers and army officers as part of his research.
"Since it is based on a true story, my team and I had to be super meticulous. The major challenge we had was to get the soldiers' uniforms as accurate as possible, and for that purpose, we had them printed in Indonesia and sewn here," said Teh.
NATIONAL PRIDE
Berjaya Group founder, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, said: "Berjaya Group is proud to be one of the partners in this film that can instil a sense of national pride and highlight the heroic sacrifices of our warriors."
Army chief General Tan Sri Zamrose Mohd Zain, the guest of honour who launched the film, said: "It is my hope that Malbatt will do justice to the men who were involved in this historical incident. It is of utmost importance that audiences get to see the truth of their sacrifices and heroism."
SENSE OF GRATITUDE
Golden Screen Cinemas chief executive officer, Koh Mei Lee, said: "As one of the film's producers, GSC will always support films that are entertaining and educational, which instil great love for the country."
Astro Shaw head, Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, said: "We are thrilled to be involved in this film. We are confident that Malbatt will give a true picture and showcase the bravery and gallantry of the Malaysian Army and instil a sense of gratitude for the sacrifices of our heroes amongst the younger generation."