THIS has been a mixed year for the local entertainment scene, but we can agree that one of its biggest highlights has been the long-awaited arrival of Malaysia’s Queen of Songs Siti Nurhaliza’s first child.
The singer finally became a mother after 11 years of marriage to her businessman husband, Datuk K, when she gave birth on March 19, to baby girl Siti Aafiyah Khalid. Congratulations and well wishes came pouring in from fans and fellow celebrities alike for the happy couple.
A surprising turn of events this year was the release of Astro Shaw’s film Dukun, which was shot way back in 2007 by director Dain Said.
The film was said to be loosely based on the real-life crimes of Maznah Ismail, better known as Mona Fandey, a pop singer-turned-witch doctor (dukun) who was arrested in 1993 and executed in 2001 for the murder of a high-profile client.
The film’s release was put on hold for over a decade, although the filmmakers claimed it has never officially been banned. It finally opened in cinemas on April 5, with Astro Shaw insisting that the film’s titular dukun “is not based on Mona Fandey” without elaborating further.
There seems to be a story waiting to be turned into a film about the real reason behind Dukun’s release!
Here’s a look at how the year shaped up for the rest in the industry.
Local films hit their stride this year by breaking box-office records one after another.
First, horror comedy Hantu Kak Limah, directed by Mamat Khalid with a budget of RM1.2 million, made local box-office history as the highest-grossing Malaysian film with more than RM35 million in takings.
We thought this record would not be broken so easily but we were wrong.
Actor-cum-director Syamsul Yusof’s supernatural horror Munafik 2, made with a budget of RM2.8 million, next went on to collect over RM40 million at the box office.
Other films that raked in the money were Paskal (budgeted at RM10 million, took in RM30 million) and Polis Evo 2 (RM7.8 million budget, took in RM20 million).
Queen of Malaysian musical theatre Tiara Jacquelina successfully adapted Chiu Keng Guan’s 2016 hit film Olabola into a spectacular play staged at Istana Budaya from Feb 8 to March 11.
The film is loosely based on the real events surrounding our national football team’s battle to qualify for the 1980 Olympics.
Despite the naysayers, Tiara managed to capture the energy of the film in her stage production as well as present the story in song. One amazing stunt she pulled off in Olabola the Musical was bringing a military helicopter on stage.
Film director Vimala Perumal also created local cinematic history when her Tamil comedy, Vedigundu Pasangge (Rowdy Folks), became the highest-grossing local Tamil film with over RM1.3 million at the box office. The film stars her husband, Denes Kumar, who is also the producer.
Film director Nam Ron’s One Two Jaga made history of sorts by being the first local film to feature a corrupt police officer on the big screen.
He said he discussed the topic with the authorities beforehand and praised them for being open-minded and allowing him to go ahead.
Actress and film director Ellie Suriaty Omar was in the hot seat for being an outspoken supporter of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Other artistes were also in the spotlight for the wrong reason.
A ‘private’ photo of handsome actor Zul Ariffin appeared on social media on April 20 and went viral. It was later removed, with the actor claiming it was the work of hackers out to tarnish his good name.
On May 27, a video clip, this time claiming to belong to actor Syafiq Kyle showing off his ‘assets’, went viral. The video was even put on sale with the actor threatening to take legal action against the distributors.
Actor Farid Kamil found himself on the wrong side of the law on Jan 12 when he was handcuffed by the police after slapping an officer and a civilian at a police station. He was originally there to report an accident.
The actor later tested positive for drugs. The case is still ongoing.
Late August, Aishah got into a war of words with Datuk Seri Hasmiza Othman, better known as Datuk Vida. The singer claimed that the RM80,000 necklace prize she received from Datuk Vida for winning the Gegar Vaganza (season four) singing contest was not worth that amount.
Controversial cosmetic millionaire Aliff Syukri put his foot in his mouth twice when he hosted season five of Gegar Vaganza.
He went among the audience looking for “an ugly woman”, whom he later claimed was a member of his staff, and it was just a gimmick to sell his product.
Aliff also had to apologise to Santesh for reportedly making a joke about the singer’s skin colour.
Here’s hoping that 2019 brings better fortunes for everyone.
