It's been a rough ride for Malaysian director Namewee whose consequent weight loss was noticeable at a press conference at SGIFF 2015. His fourth film 'Banglasia', completed in 2013, has been banned in its country of origin since 2014. The Malaysian Film Censorship Board ask for 31 scenes to be removed or reshot in order for the film to be passed. The action-comedy is set in an alternate reality where Malaysia comes under attack from the Luk Luk army. Harris (Nirab Hossain), a blue-collared Bangladeshi worker, emerges as the all-rounded hero in the film. Harris’ courage and generosity gains the friendship and admiration from his employer’s daughter, Siti (Atikah Suhaime), pro-Malaysian activist Han Guo Ren (Namewee), and Han Guo Ren’s demented grandmother (Lao Zha Bo). Transcending boundaries of race, age, and nationality, the motley crew come together to resist the villains thrown their way.
In my interview with Namewee during SGIFF 2015, he shared that the film attempts to address the problems between Malaysian and 外來人 (foreigners). There is a general animosity towards Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, which can be traced to the Malaysian government's alleged use of these workers as phantom voters in the last election. At the same, the movie attempts to portray the Bangladeshi worker as a hero.
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I caught Banglasia at the SGIFF last December, in a screening that drew much laughter from the audience. Knowing that the film had struck sufficient caution in the authorities to warrant drastic cuts, I'd expected at first a film sharp in its criticism of Malaysian society and politics.In my interview with Namewee during SGIFF 2015, he shared that the film attempts to address the problems between Malaysian and 外來人 (foreigners). There is a general animosity towards Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, which can be traced to the Malaysian government's alleged use of these workers as phantom voters in the last election. At the same, the movie attempts to portray the Bangladeshi worker as a hero.
So I was surprised at how lightly the film dealt with a host of socio-political issues, including xenophobia, racism, phantom voting, and corruption. The film flirted with caricatures and conspiracy theories familiar to a Malaysian audience – the extent of its commentary resembling a year in review of people and events trending on Facebook. Namewee did reveal during the interview that Facebook was an important source of material for the film.
Censorship decisions against the film were thus doubly surprising, and testament to the Malaysian authorities’ flair for imagination.
Made for a Chinese New Year crowd, the film would have been a great complement to the easy laughter and running commentary from friends and relatives gathered for the festive season. The gloom that’d settled over Malaysia after the 2013 elections (and which continues to thicken) could have been momentarily dispelled by Namewee’s attempt at verbalizing and poking fun at the many, many things that frustrate the average citizen.Unfortunately, Malaysians’ access to the film continue to be restricted. Meanwhile, the film has been screened at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2015 and the New York Asian Film Festival 2015. To complete the director's cut and secure funding for a global release of the film, Namewee and his team had announced during SGIFF 2015, a 40-day global fundraising kickstarter campaign with a target for USD500,000. It was dubbed the most ambitious film crowdfunding project in Asia in terms of pledge amount.
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Namewee also shared in the interview his unusual method of casting for 'Banglasia'. This involved walking into a 'Bangla' DVD shop in Malaysia and trying to find the DVDs in which the same faces popped up the most number of times. He would then ask the shopkeeper who they are. He would only contact these actors after several rounds of shortlisting. What followed was flying to Bangladesh and meeting them face to face. Eventually, they ended up choosing a lead guy who was touted the 'Andy Lau' (famous Hong Kong actor) equivalent of Bangladesh!
A real pity that Malaysians will not get to watch the film. Meanwhile the road to getting it worldwide screening time is also rocky. As of 19thJanuary, the kickstarter fundraising did not meet its target and has since closed. It is not clear what alternatives are available to the team.
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Stay tuned while we keep a lookout for this film's latest developments and how you can help!
A real pity that Malaysians will not get to watch the film. Meanwhile the road to getting it worldwide screening time is also rocky. As of 19thJanuary, the kickstarter fundraising did not meet its target and has since closed. It is not clear what alternatives are available to the team.
Stay tuned while we keep a lookout for this film's latest developments and how you can help!
Article by Teenli Tan
Check out the film's trailer here: