Mat Kilau (film)

Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan (lit. 'Mat Kilau: The Rise of a Warrior') is a 2022 Malaysian Malay-language biographical epic film that is inspired by historical events[4][5][6] directed by Syamsul Yusof, starring Adi Putra as Mat Kilau bin Imam Rasu, a Malay warrior who fought the British colonialists during the Pahang Uprising in Pahang, British Malaya before independence.[7] The film features Beto Kusyairy, Fattah Amin, Yayan Ruhian, Geoff Andre Feyaerts and Johan As'ari in supporting roles.[8]

Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan
Directed bySyamsul Yusof
Screenplay by
  • Shahruddin Dali
  • Syamsul Yusof
Produced by
  • Rahman Dali
  • Shahruddin Dali
Starring
CinematographyRahimi Maidin
Edited bySyamsul Yusof
Music bySantosh Logandran
Production
company
  • Studio Kembara Sdn Bhd[1]
Distributed bySkop Productions Sdn Bhd[2]
Release dates
  • 23 June 2022 (2022-06-23) (Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei)
  • 31 August 2022 (2022-08-31) (Indonesia)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryMalaysia
LanguageMalay
Budget$1.7 million
Box office$21.6 million[3]

The film is set in 1892 when Pahang was under British colonial rule.[9] The film was produced by Rahman Dali, Shahruddin Dali, and Yusof Haslam.[8] Filming began in 2018 and reportedly ended in 2021.[8] The film was co-produced by Studio Kembara Sdn Bhd, and Skop Productions Sdn Bhd.[8][1][2]

The official poster of Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan was unveiled on 13 May 2022,[10] while its official trailer was released on 16 June 2022.[8] The film preview ceremony was held at Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) on the same date.[11] The film was officially released on 23 June 2022.[8]

The film was a commercial success and an audience hit. Produced on a budget of RM8 million, the film grossed RM97 million after 40 days, making it the highest grossing Malaysian film of all time.[12] The film received moderate reviews, but attracted controversy over its depictions of non-Malay characters and promoting Malay nationalism.

Summary

Events of the movie is set in 1892, during British colonial rule in Pahang, three years prior to the formation of the Federated Malay States.

The British exploited the wealth of Pahang's produce belonging to the Malays, by imposing taxes on traders and reaping the produce of the people, as well as interfering in their customary and religious affairs.

The action taken by the British, was done without the consent of the Malays in Pahang and has caused them to act against the British in retaliation.

In the spirit of defending his homeland Pahang, which what is now British Malaya and freeing it from further occupation, Mat Kilau, a Malay warrior, along with his father, Tok Gajah, and his friends, fought against the British administration.

Conflict and political pressure were faced by the British; following a plan of resistance by Mat Kilau and his friends, they ultimately clashed with the British in armed battle towards the end of the movie.

Cast
  • Adi Putra as Mat Kilau
  • Beto Kusyairy as Wahid
  • Fattah Amin as Awang
  • Johan As'ari as Yassin
  • Rahim Razali as Imam Bottoqh
  • Jalaluddin Hassan as Haji Muhammad
  • Namron as Haji Sulong
  • Farah Ahmad as Yang Chik
  • Wan Hanafi Su as Imam Rasu @ Tok Gajah
  • Yayan Ruhian as Toga
  • Ali Karimie as Brahim
  • Zarina Zainoordin as Rokiah
  • Shaharuddin Thamby as Dato' Bahaman
  • Khir Rahman as Usup
  • Ellie Suriati as Salmah
  • Siraj Alsagoff as Shidu
  • A. Galak as Pak Deris
  • Farid Amirul as Goh Hoi
  • Mubarak Majid as Father Yassin
  • Z. Zamri as Hitam
  • Geoff Andre Feyaerts as Captain Syers
  • Harith Haziq as Omar
  • Wan Suhaimi as Kelubi
  • Megat Terawis as Mat Hassan
  • Awie Bakri as Haji Ali
  • Mark Geoffrry as J.P. Rodger
  • David Abraham as Sir Hugh Clifford
  • Dennis Arthur as Professor Cameron

Production

Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan became the first film directed by Syamsul Yusof in which he did not act. In August 2017, he announced his intention to direct an epic film about the history of national heroes.[13] He had previously taken up the challenge of working on the script after several production companies and directors allegedly failed to complete the filming of the historical film as well as the struggle over Mat Kilau.[14]

On the night of the KL Special Force film gala in Petaling Jaya on 8 March 2018, Syamsul announced the directing of a historical biographical film revolving around a Malay warrior who opposed the British administration in Pahang, Mat Kilau.[15]

The film officially underwent filming on 1 April 2018[16] but had to be stopped for a while due to certain unavoidable problems.[14] Singaporean actor Adi Putra plays the role of Mat Kilau.[16][17] According to Syamsul, Adi was chosen for the main character because he was able to animate the character and confident that he, as an experienced actor, would carry the character well.[18][19]

In August 2018, filming of the film was stopped due to internal problems before resuming in October.[20][21] In June 2020, it was reported that the filming of the film was almost completed,[22] and in February 2021, the film was reportedly completed but its screening had to be postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.[23][24]

On 15 May 2022, the actual cost of completing the film was revealed to have cost RM8 million.[25] The film underwent 100 days of filming, with some of it shot in Perak and several other locations, including Pahang, Melaka, and Selangor.[26]

Release

The release poster for Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan was released on 13 May 2022. The film held its premiere at Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) on 23 June 2022. Its official trailer was also released on the same day. It began streaming internationally on Netflix on September 16, 2022 (Malaysia Day).[27]

Reception

Box office

As of July 7, 2022, Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan became the highest-grossing local film of all time in Malaysia, breaking the record set by Munafik 2 in 2018.[28]

Controversy

The film attracted controversy for being a ISMA financed propaganda film pushing Islam. Its depiction of Malays as heroes, and characters of other races including Chinese and Indians as villains.[28][29] Sikh groups criticised the film and accused the film of depicting non-Muslims as villains, and suggested that the film could generate religious or racial tensions.[30][31][32] In Free Malaysia Today, Kua Kia Soong criticised the film, describing it as exemplifying Malay nationalism and depicting numerous ethnic stereotypes.[33]

Sequel

In July 2022, it was announced the script for a sequel had already been written, and a storyline was ready for a proposed spin-off film.[34]

References
  1. Siti Athirah Dzulkifly (27 June 2022). "Sokongan 'menggila' filem Mat Kilau, penerbit luah rasa terharu" [Mat Kilau's 'crazy' film support, producer overwhelmed]. Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  2. "Mat Kilau Movie Detail". Cinema Online. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  3. Aina Sarah (12 September 2022). "Mat Kilau Raih Kutipan RM97 Juta Sepanjang Dua Bulan Tayangan, Kalahkan Filem Marvel – 'Filem Kita Menjadi Tuan Di Bumi Sendiri'". Oh Bulan. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  4. RANJIT SINGH MALHI, MALAYSIAKINI. "MAT KILAU: Need To Separate Facts And Real Events From Fiction". Malaysia Today.
  5. Azmi, Dzof. "'Mat Kilau' is a 'based on history' movie but that doesn't mean it's factual". The Star. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  6. Fong, Fernando (25 June 2022). "Malaysia's Version Of Ip Man, 'Mat Kilau' Criticized For Not Being Malay Enough". therakyatpost.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  7. Fathullah Abu Bakar (24 June 2022). "Mat Kilau raih kutipan tertinggi dalam sejarah" ['Mat Kilau' achieved highest collection in history]. Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  8. Mustazah GP (24 June 2022). "Info Dan Sinopsis Mat Kilau, Filem Epik Sejarah 2022". Iluminasi (in Malay). Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  9. Mimieyuzi (16 May 2022). "Diinspirasikan Daripada Kisah Benar, Netizen Teruja Mahu Tonton Filem Mat Kilau Di Pawagam". Hot FM (in Malay). Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  10. "Poster Rasmi Goda Tarikh Tayangan "Mat Kilau" Pada 23 Jun Ini" (in Malay). 13 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  11. Hanafis Haris (17 June 2022). "Syamsul Yusof tak muncul tayangan perdana, rupanya disebabkan..." Gempak (in Malay). Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  12. Nur Hasliza Mohd Salleh (11 August 2022). "With nearly RM100 million in the collection bag, 'Mat Kilau' heads to Indonesia". Malaysiannow. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  13. Azyyati Ahmad (1 August 2017). "Syamsul Yusof mahu hasilkan filem pahlawan negara". Astro Awani. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  14. Raja Nurfatimah Mawar Mohamed (14 July 2018). "Penggambaran Mat Kilau terpaksa dihentikan". Berita Harian. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  15. Aref Omar (8 March 2018). "Syamsul to direct Mat Kilau biopic". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  16. Florey DM (3 April 2018). ""Mat Kilau" will be more than just a martial arts movie". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  17. "'Mat Kilau' angkat industri filem negara ke tahap lebih tinggi". Ismaweb. 29 March 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  18. Qarami Hashim (31 March 2018). "Adi Putra layak jadi Mat Kilau: Syamsul Yusof". mSTAR Online. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  19. Najiy Jefri (22 April 2018). "Adi Putra ada aura Mat Kilau". Berita Harian. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  20. Raja Nurfatimah Mawar Mohamed (14 July 2018). "Penggambaran Mat Kilau terpaksa dihentikan". BH Online. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  21. Zulhilmi Jalil (1 January 2020). "#GempakOnz2020: Filem Tempatan Bakal Tayang 2020". Astro Gempak. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  22. Ashraf Nasser (25 June 2020). "Filem "Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan" sudah hampir siap". Cinema Online. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  23. Norhayati Nordin (2 February 2021). "Syamsul reda kena 'simpan' lagi dua filemnya". myMetro. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  24. Serimah Mohd Sallehuddin (23 February 2021). "Yusof Haslam risau masa depan industri filem". BH Online. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  25. Mumtaj Begum (27 June 2022). "Malaysian film 'Mat Kilau Kebangkitan Pahlawan' earns RM12.2mil at box office in 4 days". The Star. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  26. Kosmo (16 May 2022). "Mat Kilau bakal jadi biopik terhebat alaf ini". Kosmo (in Malay). Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  27. Wee, Jared (19 September 2022). "Box-office success 'Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan' panned after Netflix premiere, director Syamsul Yusof responds". Malay Mail. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  28. Shackleton, Liz (7 July 2022). "Syamsul Yusof's Action Movie 'Mat Kilau' Becomes Malaysia's Highest-Grossing Local Film Ever". Deadline. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  29. Sathiabalan, Indra (12 July 2022). "Why the fuss over 'Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan'?". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  30. Noorshahrizam, Shahrin Aizat (8 July 2022). "Sikh group regrets villainous portrayal of non-Muslims in 'Mat Kilau' film; claims may create interracial, interreligious tensions". Malay Mail. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  31. Krishnan, Dhesegaan Bala (8 July 2022). "Sikhs raise concerns over scenes in Mat Kilau movie". New Straits Times.
  32. Leong, Adeline (8 July 2022). "Local Sikh Group Calls Out M'sian Film 'Mat Kilau' For Portraying Minority Races In Negative Light | TRP". The Rakyat Post. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  33. Soong, Kua Kia (10 July 2022). "Mat Kilau – another attempt at Malay nationalism at the expense of others". Free Malaysia Today.
  34. Idris, A. Azim (8 July 2022). "'Mat Kilau' sequel and spin-off film in the works at Kembara Studio". NME. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
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