KUALA LUMPUR: The man who played legendary Pahang warrior Mat Kilau is "raring to go" on his latest mission — helping his political party Umno recapture Selangor in the next general election.
Singapore-born Datuk Adi Putra, who is a member of the United Malay National Organisation (Umno) was recently named an icon of Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth by Umno and BN Youth chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Asyraf said that he and Adi Putra recently met in Selangor, and the popular action hero told him that he was "going all out" to support the Umno and BN campaign machinery in Selangor and help them win the 15th general election (GE15).
"It's an honour to have a great warrior by our side. My old friend, actor Datuk Adi Putra who is famous for playing Mat Kilau the freedom fighter is a loyal Umno member and will help Umno and BN recapture Selangor in GE15. We recently had a good discussion on our plans and strategies in the coming election, and the importance of patriotism as displayed by Mat Kilau will be an important element," said Asyraf.
Asyraf added that after Adi Putra became a Malaysian citizen five years ago, he also joined Umno and helped the party and the BN coalition in 14th general election.
In an Instagram post today, Adi Putra said: "I'm honoured for this appointment by my old friend Dr Asyraf. I will do my utmost to help my party triumph in the next general election."
Adi Putra, who began his acting career in Singapore in 2002, migrated to Malaysia two years later and made his film debut in the 2007 patriotic film 1957: Hati Malaya.
Adi has starred in 20 films to date, and the best known among them include Anak Halal, KL Gangster, Aku Terima Nikahnya, Langgar, Balistik, Hanyut, Mat Kilau, Jerangkung Dalam Almari and Air Force The Movie: Selagi Bernyawa.
Mat Kilau directed by Syamsul Yusof has collected more than RM97 million at the box office since it premiered on June 23.
The historical action film which also stars Wan Hanafi Su, Shaharuddin Thamby, Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan, Johan As'ari and Beto Kusyairy became Netflix's fifth most viewed non-English language film for the week of Sept 12 to 18.
Umno and BN governed Selangor from independence until 2008.