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Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Coming to the big screen: 1992's Thomas Cup victory
National shuttlers Cheah Soon Kit and Rashid Sidek will serve as production advisers for the new sports biopic 'Sentuhan Wira'. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Decades after one of the most defining moments in Malaysian sports history took place at Stadium Negara, the national men's badminton team's 1992 Thomas Cup victory is set to hit the big screen. On July 2, producer Victory Pictures officially launched the film, titled 'Sentuhan Wira' ('Touch of a Hero'), in conjunction with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will see Malaysian badminton legends Rashid Sidek and Cheah Soon Kit appointed as production advisers. The pair, who had been part of the national squad at the time, are also directly involved in the development of the script to ensure factual accuracy and convey the true spirit of the team's journey to victory. Rashid said the film won't simply be about badminton; rather, it will reflect the struggle, belief, and national pride of Malaysians. He described the film's production as an important platform through which the experiences of former players can be shared with the younger generation. It will also highlight the spirit of unity within the squad at the time. 'We want the current generation to feel what we experienced as players and to witness the strong patriotic spirit among us. Even though we came from different races, we still succeeded as one, for one purpose,' he said after the MoU signing witnessed by Finas chairman Hans Isaac. 'Yes, it has been been a long time – we've gone 33 years without winning the Thomas Cup. So, with the release of this film, we hope it will boost the spirit of our current players to become more motivated. 'What's more important is the spirit of patriotism – not individual glory, but the collective drive to bring honour to the nation,' Rashid added. Meanwhile, 'Sentuhan Wira' director Lenny Ooi said he will use an action-film approach in his direction style to emphasise realism in the training and competition scenes. 'Our actors must also be able to play badminton for real, otherwise, their movements will look too rigid,' he noted, adding that filming is expected to start at the end of the year, with a release slated for early 2027.
The Star
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Film on 1992 Thomas Cup victory coming to a cinema near you
Datuk Rashid Sidek (right) and Datuk Cheah Soon Kit - who were key players in the squad at the time – are appointed as production advisers. Photo: Bernama Over three decades after a defining moment in Malaysian sports history, the national men's badminton team's triumphant 1992 Thomas Cup victory is set to hit the silver screen. The film, titled Sentuhan Wira (Touch Of A Hero), was officially launched by producer Victory Pictures Sdn Bhd on July 3, in conjunction with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the relevant parties, witnessed by National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) Chairman, Datuk Gerald Hans Isaac. Under the MoU, two national badminton legends - Datuk Rashid Sidek and Datuk Cheah Soon Kit - who were key players in the squad at the time, were appointed as production advisers. They are also directly involved in the script development to ensure factual accuracy and to convey the true spirit of the team's journey to the audience. Rashid said the film is not just about badminton, but a cinematic piece that reflects struggle, belief and national pride as Malaysians. He also described the film's production as an important platform to share the experiences of former players with the younger generation, while highlighting the spirit of unity that existed within the national team at the time. "We want the current generation to feel what we experienced as players and to witness the unity and strong patriotic spirit among us. Even though we came from different races, we still succeeded together for one purpose,' he told reporters after the MoU signing. "Yes, it's been a long time - 33 years without winning the Thomas Cup. So, with the release of this film, we hope it can boost the spirit of our current players to become more motivated. "What's more important is the spirit of patriotism, not individual glory, but the collective drive to bring honour to the nation,' he said, adding that back then, they placed national pride above personal interests. Meanwhile, Sentuhan Wira director Lenny Ooi said he will present an action-directed style, with filming that emphasises realism in the training and match scenes. "The actors selected must also be able to play badminton; otherwise, their movements will look stiff,' he said. He added that filming is expected to begin at the end of this year and the movie is slated for release in early 2027. – Bernama
Sinar Daily
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sinar Daily
1992 Thomas Cup victory hits the silver screen
Rashid said the film is not just about badminton, but a cinematic piece that reflects struggle, belief, and national pride as Malaysians. 03 Jul 2025 04:29pm Datuk Rashid Sidek (second from right) at a press conference after the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) and the press conference for the film Sentuhan Wira at a hotel today. - Bernama photo KUALA LUMPUR - Over three decades after a defining moment in Malaysian sports history, the national men's badminton team's triumphant 1992 Thomas Cup victory is set to hit the silver screen. The film, titled Sentuhan Wira (Touch of a Hero), was officially launched by producer Victory Pictures Sdn Bhd yesterday, in conjunction with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the relevant parties, witnessed by National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) Chairman, Datuk Gerald Hans Isaac. Director, Lenny Ooi (second from left) alongside national badminton legends, Datuk Rashid Sidek (third from left) and Datuk Cheah Soon Kit (third from right) at the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony and press conference for the film Sentuhan Wira at a hotel today. Under the MoU, two national badminton legends-Datuk Rashid Sidek and Datuk Cheah Soon Kit-who were key players in the squad at the time, were appointed as production advisers. They are also directly involved in the script development to ensure factual accuracy and to convey the true spirit of the team's journey to the audience. Rashid said the film is not just about badminton, but a cinematic piece that reflects struggle, belief, and national pride as Malaysians. He also described the film's production as an important platform to share the experiences of former players with the younger generation, while highlighting the spirit of unity that existed within the national team at the time. "We want the current generation to feel what we experienced as players and to witness the unity and strong patriotic spirit among us. Even though we came from different races, we still succeeded together for one purpose,' he told reporters after the MoU signing. "Yes, it's been a long time-33 years without winning the Thomas Cup. So, with the release of this film, we hope it can boost the spirit of our current players to become more motivated. "What's more important is the spirit of patriotism, not individual glory, but the collective drive to bring honour to the nation,' he said, adding that back then, they placed national pride above personal interests. Meanwhile, Sentuhan Wira director Lenny Ooi said he will present an action-directed style, with filming that emphasises realism in the training and match scenes. "The actors selected must also be able to play badminton; otherwise, their movements will look stiff,' he said. He added that filming is expected to begin at the end of this year and the movie is slated for release in early 2027. - BERNAMA
The Star
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
We've got talent
Young smashers: The Under-15, Under-13 and Under-11 winners of Allianz Junior Badminton Championship qualifiers in Taiping this year. PETALING JAYA: Not all sports in Malaysia require the inclusion of heritage or naturalised athletes to strengthen their national teams, and badminton is one of them. Badminton legend Datuk Rashid Sidek acknowledged the growing trend among sports associations in Malaysia to recruit athletes of Malaysian descent from abroad to reinforce their line-ups. However, he believes badminton has no need to explore such options, given the country's long-standing reputation as one of the sport's global powerhouses. Rashid remains confident that Malaysia has an abundance of local talent, many of whom have yet to be fully discovered or developed. In fact, the current national squad features world-class players who have won multiple titles, including medals at the Olympic Games. As such, he feels it is unnecessary for the national badminton set-up to turn to heritage or naturalised players. 'In my opinion, it's not relevant for badminton to rely on heritage or naturalised players. We've been a badminton powerhouse since the 1950s. 'What matters most is having a strong development programme that can nurture talent to take over from the current batch. If we start depending on heritage or naturalised players, it could demoralise our own players. 'Yes, they may qualify to represent Malaysia, but giving them too much focus might close the door for homegrown athletes. 'For badminton, it's better to concentrate on our own development system. Other sports may need this route because producing quality athletes is more challenging for them, but for badminton, at this stage, it's not suitable,' said Rashid. Currently, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) continue to strengthen their development pipeline while focusing on grooming the current elite squad. The idea of bringing in heritage or naturalised players has never been part of the governing body's plans. By contrast, several other sports have actively pursued this path. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), for instance, have recruited five heritage players from South America, although details of their Malaysian roots have not been publicly disclosed. They had also naturalised several players, including Guilherme de Paula and Lee Tuck, but both are no longer representing the country. Malaysia Aquatics (MA) are also exploring options to bring in heritage swimmers to boost the national squad. Meanwhile, the Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA) have engaged with the Youth and Sports Ministry over plans to enlist naturalised players to strengthen the team ahead of the SEA Games in Thailand later this year.
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Malaysia eyes 2026 Thomas Cup victory after 34-year drought
NATIONAL badminton legend Datuk Rashid Sidek is confident Malaysia can break its 34-year Thomas Cup drought in the 2026 edition in Horsens, Denmark. He highlighted the team's strength, particularly in men's doubles, where Malaysia dominates with world-class pairs Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik. Rashid stressed the need for improvement in singles, citing Lee Zii Jia and Leong Jun Hao as key players. 'If we have two strong doubles and two competitive singles players, the team will be stable enough to win the Thomas Cup,' he said during the launch of the badminton film Sentuhan Wira. The film, directed by Lenny Ooi, revisits Malaysia's historic 1992 Thomas Cup victory over Indonesia. Rashid, a key player in that squad, hopes the movie will inspire current shuttlers. Produced by Victory Pictures, the project involved Rashid and Datuk Cheah Soon Kit as advisors to ensure historical accuracy. Malaysia has won the Thomas Cup five times, with the last triumph in 1992. Rashid also commented on Iskandar Zulkarnain's new role as national women's singles coach, acknowledging the challenge ahead. Iskandar previously coached Ireland's Nhat Nguyen to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
