Latest news with #6Jilake
New Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Tragic horror story, with stellar ensemble cast
DIRECTOR Saw Teong Hin is marking a first in his illustrious, three-decade career. The man who gave us periodic drama gems such as 'Puteri Gunung Ledang The Movie', musicals such as 'Hoore Hoore', and family dramas such as 'You Mean The World To Me' is finally dabbling in horror movies, and 'Laknat' marks his entry into the scary film genre. Saw has brilliantly lined up a solid ensemble cast, headlined by strong and versatile stars such as Puteri Balqis, Aeril Zafrel and Noorkhiriah, as well as the much-revered "atuk" of TV dramas Jalil Hamid, who has bounced back from a recent illness to deliver pure gold. Rounding up the list of A-list stars are the ever-dependable Amerul Affendi who shined brightly in Aziz M. Osman's recent '6 Jilake', seasoned veterans Datin Paduka Umie Aida and Datin Sofia Jane who may have cameo roles but pack a punch, and last but not least Ismail Yaacob who is himself a veteran director and Naque Ariffin who is a respected arts academician. The film's title sounds cruel, and that reflects the cruelty of its characters as well. At the heart of it is a young man named Luth (Aeril), who is grieving over the death of his angsty but loving younger sister Laila (Puteri Balqis), whose badly bruised and bloodied body has just been found by their fellow villagers floating in a nearby river. After funeral prayers involving the entire village, the dead girl's family and the kindly local imam Pak Haswa (Ismail), the elderly man reminds Luth not to get too deep in grief lest he ends up inviting the devil into his life. The pain on Luth doubles after his father Pak Jalil (Jalil) returns home from a pilgrimage, and blames him for failing to take good care of the family's "sweet little baby" Laila. Luth slowly descends into depression, and since he misses his favourite sibling dearly, he makes a pact with the devil by consulting a black magician to communicate with her spirit. Viewers soon get to see flashbacks of Laila's interactions with Luth and the rest of the family comprising elder sister Wani (Noorkhiriah), her shopkeeper husband Nafis (Naque), Luth's seemingly loving and affectionate wife Murni (Mila Mohsin) and her good-for-nothing elder brother Taza (Amerul). Luth, who meets the bloodied, sad and vengeful ghost of Laila in his bedroom one night, gradually learns that all of them resented his late sister in one way or another, and harboured evil intentions against her. From this moment onwards, Luth and the ghost of Laila plot their revenge against their family members, but little does the married man realise that the devil will always demand his pound of flesh. Aeril is fantastic as the tormented Luth, and this character seems to be a long lost brother of his vicious and murderous character in the critically-acclaimed 'Abnormal: Buas' which was screened last year. Puteri Balqis, the go-to child star of the last decade, has truly grown into a leading lady capable of tackling dark, disturbing and mature characters, and she fits the role of Laila perfectly. It is refreshing to see the versatile Noorkhiriah returning to the big screen, having focused on talk shows and TV dramas over the last decade. She is one of the country's best actresses, and like Britain's Helena Bonham-Carter and the US' Kathy Bates, she transitions from comedienne to heroine to villainess like "water". Amerul is a little more laidback in this movie, a stark contrast to the heroic desperado Kuping whom he played in '6 Jilake', but nevertheless he is despicable as Taza. Perhaps the best discovery of this movie is Mila, the daughter of the late, great Hani Mohsin Hanafi and producer-actress Puan Sri Tiara Jacuelina Eu. Possessing the great looks of both her parents, she is a natural actress who holds her own against the veterans and A-listers, and gives Murni a "still waters run deep" persona. The movie was largely filmed at night, and the kampung locations in the districts of Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor and Tapah, Perak proved to be ideal places for horror stories. At times, 'Laknat' feels like a 1970s movie, and this is largely because its introduction and end credits have a "crackling" appearance reminiscent of horror films from that decade, as well as the underrated but well-acted 'Drama Minggu Ini' TV series back then. Saw deserves a standing ovation here, as this respected director is never afraid to experiment with various genres, and dares to tackle a horror movie with important spiritual lessons. While the story does not have a conclusive ending, and there is a high probability that Luth and Laila will be back for a sequel, 'Laknat' takes viewers on a predictable journey with satisfying results. 'Laknat' is jointly produced by Real Films and Tutan Entertainment, and distributed by D'Ayu Pictures. NOW SHOWING LAKNAT
New Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Actor Amerul Affendi's outburst gets attention of cinema operator
KUALA LUMPUR: Actor Amerul Affendi is relieved and satisfied that a cinema operator has responded positively to his public criticism of its non-compliance with the Compulsory Screening Scheme. Harian Metro reported today that the 38-year-old actor, whose full name is Mohd Amerul Affendi Mohd Mawardi, had voiced his disappointment when a cinema chain prematurely withdrew the screening of the film '6 Jilake' during its first week. "Under Finas' Compulsory Screening Scheme, films are supposed to be screened for a minimum of two weeks. "However, I was disappointed when a cinema deliberately pulled '6 Jilake' early," Amerul said. "That's why I took to social media on May 1 to express my frustration. "Many people had planned to go to the cinema on that day (the Labour Day public holiday) specifically to watch the movie, only to find that there were no available showtimes," he explained. "While I understand that this was purely a business decision, I'm also grateful that the cinema operator listened to the feedback from our audience," Amerul added, expressing his delight upon learning that the cinema had agreed to reinstate screenings if there was sufficient demand from moviegoers. "Praise be to God, the public response has been strong, which led the operator to reconsider its decision and extend the screenings until this weekend," he said. Amerul also suggested that a concerted effort should be made to encourage more people to support local films in cinemas. "As actors, we all have a responsibility to assist producers and production houses with promotion, given the significant investment of resources they've made in creating these films," he said. In addition to '6 Jilake', Amerul can also be seen in the recent Tonton Original drama series 'Bru,' alongside Shukri Yahaya and Siti Hariessa, directed by Nik Amir Mustapha.
New Straits Times
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Amerul Affendi plays slick action hero in '6 Jilake'
VERSATILE actor Amerul Affendi is back on the big screen, and he is playing an action hero for the first time. Amerul, 36, said that it was a "tick" on his bucket list, even though his character was more of a funny hero than a serious one. "My latest character is Mr Big Ears, better known as Kuping, and he is a war veteran who fought the Dutch in Melaka and now has to return to his home state Perak to confront them again," said Amerul, who is the star of director Aziz M Osman's latest action-comedy '6 Jilake'. "I've never imagined myself as an action hero, as I'm more of a character actor. Nevertheless, I love being versatile and the action hero role has always been something I've wanted all along. "Thank you, Abang Aziz for casting me in '6 Jilake', it was a superb adventure from the word go." WACKY Amerul admitted that he prefers to be a slightly wacky hero as opposed to a no-nonsense one, for he is a "funny guy" at heart. "I'm not into characters who are smooth and perfect, I love flawed characters who can be irritating yet heroic at the same time, and that's who Kuping is," he said. When asked about working with Aziz, Amerul said that he had always admired the director. "'6 Jilake' marks the first time that I'm meeting Aziz and working with him. "He told me that he was a big fan of my movies such as 'Bunohan', 'Polis Evo', and even 'Pekak'," said Amerul. "It is an honour and a dream to work with Aziz who is a great storyteller. "I immediately said yes when he cast me in his movie." STAR-STUDDED Amerul is familiar with Aziz's best known movies such as 'XX-Ray', 'Leftenan Adnan' and 'Juang'. He admitted that it was easy to work with Aziz because he was good at communicating with the cast and crew of '6 Jilake', which has a star-studded ensemble cast. The cast includes Bell Ngasri, Saiful Apek, Datuk Remy Ishak, Ayda Jebat, Asmidar, Datin Maria Farida, Datuk Fauziah Nawi, Datuk David Teo and Aziz himself. "While I had to do many physically challenging stunts, it was not stressful at all on the set. "Aziz always had things under control and knew what he wanted. "He understands each character and actor in and out. "And best of all, he is very energetic and youthful on the set," said Amerul. When asked about working with Saiful for the first time, Amerul said that he had always wanted to meet the 'Senario' comedian. "Since I was small, I have always dreamed of meeting Saiful Apek. He is a great comedian, and working with him was really cool. "He is very helpful and friendly, a happy-go-lucky man by name and nature." SILAT Amerul had to display slick silat skills while playing Kuping. While he did take silat lessons during his secondary schooldays, these did not last long. "It was only during my 20s that I relearnt silat under an experienced silat master, and it was one to one," said Amerul. When asked about future action movies, Amerul said that he is game for them. Amerul would love to star in a Syafiq Yusof movie too, as he has "fallen in love" with the iconic director's top movie of 2025 'Blood Brothers: Bara Naga'. Amerul admitted that the fight scenes he had in '6 Jilake' were not the major challenges that he faced during filming. Instead, he had to endure a massive heat wave that hit Gopeng, Perak. "Never have I filmed under such a hot, roasting climate. It was 37 degrees Celsius," said Amerul. Amerul would love to star in romantic comedies with strong ensemble casts, such as the iconic British movies 'Love Actually' and 'Four Weddings And A Funeral'. "Romantic comedies are fun, and one helps me recharge after an action movie." Amerul, who has a theatre background, still appears in plays, but only at the end of the year. "Every year end, I make sure that I appear in at least one play, be it in English or Malay. "This year, I'm going to star in a Malay language play by Revolution Stage," he said.
Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
‘I was not arrested': Malaysian comedian Saiful Apek comments on viral photo
Malaysian comedian and actor Saiful Apek explained that two police officers broke up a dispute between him and an unknown individual. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK PETALING JAYA – Malaysian comedian and actor Saiful Apek has commented on a photo that showed him with the police, which went viral on April 29. An entertainment portal reported earlier that a comedian dressed in a pink baju Melayu resembling Saiful was allegedly detained by two police officers. The actual location and cause of the incident could not be confirmed. Saiful , whose real name is Saiful Azam Mohamed Yusoff, told Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian he was not detained by the authorities. What happened was that two police officers broke up a dispute between him and an unknown individual. The 55-year-old said the incident occurred while he was at an event hosted by Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, in Cheras on April 28. 'After performing and promoting the film 6 Jilake, an unknown person suddenly appeared and provoked me about the film,' Saiful said. 'I thought he was joking initially, but I lost patience after a while.' Saiful, one of the stars of the movie, said he stood up and left to prevent the situation from escalating. 'I thought it was over then, but when I went to the carpark, the individual continued to provoke me until the police intervened to break up our dispute,' he said. Saiful added that what upset him most was that the man was insulting 6 Jilake (2025) director Aziz M. Osman. 'What really bothered me was when he mentioned abang Aziz and called the film rubbish,' Saiful said. 'If it was just my name, I could control my emotions, but this involved someone I consider a mentor.' The member of comedy group Senario also apologised to his family and friends who may have been affected by the situation. 'I hope everyone is clear with this statement and I ask everyone to stay calm, especially family and close friends who were shocked by what happened,' he said. 'What worried me most was when many contacted the members of Senario, especially Azlee, whom we know has a heart condition,' he said, referring to comedian Azlee Jaafar. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Saiful Apek: I was not arrested, police came to break up fight
KUALA LUMPUR: Comedian Saiful Apek has clarified that a viral photo depicting him with police officers was not an arrest, but rather the result of police intervention to quell an argument between him and another individual. The 56-year-old Scenario member explained that the confrontation was triggered by the other person's disparaging remarks about his film, 6 Jilake, and its director, Aziz M. Osman. "The person in the photo is indeed me, but the situation was not an arrest. The police were resolving a misunderstanding," Saiful Apek told BH Online. "It may have appeared as if I was fighting, but I was not." "My patience was tested when the individual insulted Abang Aziz and called the film 6 Jilake 'rubbish'. "I could have tolerated insults directed at me, but this involved someone I consider a 'sifu'," he added. Apek revealed that the incident occurred at a recent open house event hosted by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, in Cheras. "During the Inspector-General of Police's open house, this unknown individual provoked me with derogatory comments about 6 Jilake, which caused me to lose my composure," Apek said. "I initially walked away to avoid causing a scene. However, the individual persisted, following me to the car park, where the police eventually intervened to separate us." The incident surfaced on Tuesday when a portal reported the sighting of a comedian resembling Saiful Apek, wearing a pink shirt, being escorted by two police officers. The location and cause of the incident were not immediately known. Apek has since apologised to his family and friends who were affected by the controversy. "I hope this statement clarifies the situation. I urge everyone to remain calm, especially my family and close friends who were alarmed by the reports of my arrest. "My biggest concern was the reaction of my fellow Scenario members, particularly Azlee Jaafar, who, as you know, has a heart condition," he said.
