By Niza Shimi
It will certainly be an epic movie. There’s probably nowhere else that such a story as his that’s ever been told. The story is that of former deputy prime minister and wannabe prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim fortunes and misfortunes, a biopic in the making.
According to NST, actor Farid Kamil has been chosen to play the lead role of Anwar while Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa as Anwar's wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Hasnul Rahmat as former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Oddly, the movie is a joint Indonesian-Malaysian production titled Jalan Masih Panjang (Far from The End) and is currently being filmed mostly in Indonesia. The Jalan Masih Panjang movie is produced by Bianglala Entertainment and directed by Viva Westi.
I wonder how much Indonesians understand about Malaysia’s Reformasi, the movement that was initiated by Anwar when he was sacked by Mahathir on September 2, 1998?
Indonesia also had a Reformasi that toppled President Suharto in May 1998. Both Reformasi movements were a result of the Asian Financial Crisis.
While the Reformasi in Indonesia changed the government, the movement in Malaysia has transformed into an odyssey to make Anwar the prime minister. Is that goal finally in his grasp this 15th general elections (GE15)?
Apparently, the biopic will zoom in on Anwar's political journey, from student leader and youth activist, to Cabinet Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Opposition leader. That’s a long journey. What are the chances that the biopic will be a blockbuster hit?
According to The Vibes, Political cartoonist and activist, Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, or more popularly known as Zunar, is one of the producers behind the movie.
The cartoonist believes the movie will be an important document of a dark period in the nation’s history for current and future generations and hopes it encourages Malaysians to fight against the culture of corruption.
Online news media Says, even shared some behind the scenes shots of the movie. It looks very interesting.
The biopic might be an insightful lesson in history for the younger generation on the events that unfolded before their time. However, how those events spanning many years will be interpreted and adapted to the silver screen will depend on the Indonesian director.
Once upon a time, Anwar was the darling of the international media.
The Washington Post’s Keith Richbourg wrote on September 8, 1998 “Anwar made the cover of the Asian edition of Time magazine as a new breed of Asian leader, Western in outlook and more interested in democracy and human rights.”
Richbourg wrote, ”The removal of Anwar - his handpicked heir who had emerged as a rival - now leaves Mahathir, 72, more firmly in control of Malaysia's politics than at any time in his 17-year tenure.
“When President Suharto fell in Indonesia last May, many in the region were speculating that Mahathir, now Southeast Asia's longest-serving leader, might become the next political casualty of the region's economic crisis and that Anwar, 51, affable and respected in Western financial circles, would replace him.” That didn't happen.
The Reformasi in Malaysia was all about Anwar.
Well, it’s 2022 and the country is about to face GE15 on November 19. Will Anwar finally get to be PM? Will the success of his biopic at the box office depend on him being PM? If he fails yet again, how will the movie fare?
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