Local patriotic movie sets ‘Black Hawk Down’ legend straight

INTERVIEW | Director Adrian Teh’s next movie, ‘Malbatt: Misi Bakara’ is not just another action film.

He views it as a chance to set the record straight about an event in history in which the heroic actions of the Malaysian army were barely mentioned, and also remind Malaysians to be proud of our armed forces.

The movie is based on the Battle of Mogadishu, better known as the “Black Hawk Down” incident, which took place between Oct 3 and Oct 4, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia.

US forces were pinned down by the Somali National Alliance and armed civilians in the Bakaara market.

While much has been written and there was even a movie made about “Black Hawk Down”, not much was said about the UN rescue convoy that was made up of Malaysian and Pakistani troops.

As such, ‘Malbatt: Misi Bakara’ seeks to right that wrong by telling the true story of the 19th Battalion Malay Regiment, which rescued the trapped American soldiers following the “Black Hawk Down” attack.

Its star-studded cast includes Bront Palarae, Shaheizy Sam, Hairul Azreen, Zahiril Adzim, Ledil Dzuhrie, Adlin Aman Ramlie, Fauzi Nawawi and Tony Eusoff. The performance of its cast portraying real-life heroes promises to keep audiences mesmerised and engaged.

‘Malbatt: Misi Bakara’ is also breaking new ground as the first-ever Malaysian movie to be screened on IMAX screens. The movie is scheduled to be released on Aug 18 (in IMAX) and nationwide (2D format) on Aug 24.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Teh who is now 39, recalled that he was just 16 when the Ridley Scott-directed movie ‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001) came out. He was blown away at the time.

“I thought it was a very good action film. I did not pay attention to the team who went to the city to rescue the Americans because, in the movie, they didn't matter. That was the way it was portrayed in the movies.

“I think the moment I got to know that it was the Malaysians who went into the city to rescue them, I was intrigued.

“I started digging for more information and then I had the opportunity to interview some of the heroes who went into the city,” recalled Teh, who only found out the full story years later.

Director's pedigree

Teh is best known for directing Malaysia’s first action-paced military movie ‘PASKAL The Movie’ (2018), as well as ‘Wira’ (2019).

He has also directed several Malaysian Chinese movies such as ‘Lelio Popo’, ‘The Wedding Diary’, ‘The Wedding Diary 2’ and ‘King of Mahjong’; as romantic comedy ‘Pasal Kau’ (All Because Of You, 2020) - the first Netflix Malaysian original film which is available in over 190 countries.

He also produced the horror film, ‘Ada Hantu’ which will be streaming exclusively via Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia this month.

As for ‘Malbatt: Misi Bakara’, the shooting began in early 2022 and they shot in Turkiye as a stand-in for Mogadishu. There were some harrowing moments because they were close to the border of Syria.

At one point, Turkish troops crossed the Syrian border. There was also a misunderstanding as the sight of the actors dressed as soldiers, army vehicles, and guns being fired, gave the impression that troops were being stationed there and were even asked to shut down production at one point.

Once they cleared the air, the rest of the shoot went on without incident, and filming was completed by September last year.

The actors portray characters based on the real soldiers who were involved in the battle but are not playing the actual soldiers themselves.

Teh said that he felt it would be more complicated if he got the actors to play the real people.

“I would have to make them mimic an actual person’s persona, their characteristic, and this and that. I think that kind of hinders me a little bit in terms of storytelling and some of the soldiers (who were at Mogadishu) are still very much alive.

"So, I just want to avoid the controversy of ‘Hey, my dad is not like that. Hey, I'm not like that.’ You know, all sorts of things,” he explained.

Teh feels that the story will pay tribute to the brave soldiers involved.

‘Some heroes have passed’

The first person he interviewed to find out more about the movie was the late Major (R) Abd Aziz Abd Latif who passed away last year. Bront Palarae plays a character inspired by him.

“I think the thing about our Malaysian armed forces is that they are very low profile despite being very good at what they do. They don't like to be seen as showing off or anything,” explained Teh.

Teh’s work on ‘PASKAL The Movie’ helped pave the way for approvals from the army to shoot ‘Malbatt: Misi Bakara’.

In fact, during a premiere screening on Aug 8 that was attended by some of the soldiers on that fateful mission as well as the top brass of the army, the response was overwhelmingly good and gave their seal of approval.

“They liked it. Some of them cried after watching the movie,” said Teh who valued their opinions.

Asked if he ever felt the pressure to live up to expectations that people have for the movie and ensure it was ready for screening during the Merdeka month, Teh simply said the pressure is always there.

“It is about how you plan things and execute them accordingly and eventually, make it happen.

“So, it is not just my effort, it is a lot of people's effort. I might be the one who is spearheading it but I have a team behind me who works very hard to make it happen,” he said.

“I think half the battle was won after I got the approval from the army to do this movie. It is a good story and a true story.

“It is based on history. To be able to be given this opportunity and blessing from the army, I think half the battle is already won. I am sure Malaysians will like this movie, they will appreciate this movie,” explained Teh, who added that his stellar cast is a huge plus too.

A wider audience

‘Malbatt: Misi Barkara’ will be screened in Malaysia and Singapore at the same time. He is not entering the movie into the festival circuit but is in discussions to release it in some European countries and the US.

Teh feels that ‘Malbatt: Misi Barkara’ is one of those movies that can bring Malaysians together.

“It tells a story that Malaysians should know. That is when Malaysians stand up together and they are actually great. So, let’s just not try to separate ourselves for whatever political reasons.

"This is the kind of movie we should watch on Merdeka Day. Stand in unity and be proud of being Malaysian,” said Teh.

On future ventures, while Teh enjoys directing action films, he wants to try other genres as well.

“In fact, I just wrapped a badminton movie, which is also based on a true story. He is a Paralympian,” he said, referring to Cheah Liek Hou, an 11-time winner (both Class SU5 singles and doubles events) of the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships.

Cheah won the gold medal in the men’s singles SU5 event of the 2020 Summer Paralympics, which not only makes him the first Malaysian athlete to win a medal in para-badminton, but also the first-ever Paralympic champion in para-badminton.

After that, Teh sees himself directing a love story next.

“I see myself as a storyteller. I tell whatever story or whatever genre that I like, so I don’t just limit myself to action,” explained the prolific filmmaker.

While we have actors such as Academy Award-winning Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding making waves in Hollywood, Teh said he was in no hurry for overseas recognition.

He said it was easier for artistes to be recognised for their talent because people can see their work on screen.

But for those behind the scenes, apart from talent, luck and opportunity also come into play.

“Of course, I would very much hope to be there one day, but that doesn’t mean that I would not make films for Malaysia in the future.

“Malaysia is still my country, it’s still my main market, but let’s see how it goes.”

‘Stunned by Godzilla’

A huge fan of Christopher Nolan, Teh became interested in filmmaking when he watched Roland Emmerich-directed ‘Godzilla’ in 1998.

“I was stunned by the movie, totally impressed by it. I was like, why? How was it made? How did they do it?

“I remember staying at the cinema watching all the credits, the rolling credits, and then being puzzled by it.

“It took so many people to make one film. Back then, I had zero knowledge about filmmaking, I just thought it was cool.

“When it came to the director’s credit, Roland Emmerich’s name was bigger than the rest. So, I was like, okay, I'm going to be a director one day. That's how the journey started!”

To aspiring filmmakers, Teh advised them to be bold.

“Don't do what other people are doing. Don't follow the trend. Don't do what people tell you will sell.

“Of course, if you have a good story that you're kind of in line with that genre, that is currently ongoing or very popular in the market right now, do it.

“But if you have something different, don't be disheartened by what others say.”

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