'Gemencheh Boys' celebrates teacher who used cricket to reach students

The inspirational tale of a group of misbehaved schoolboys from Felda Bukit Rokan Utara, Negeri Sembilan who made a name for themselves on the international cricket scene is what forms the backbone of the film Gemencheh Boys, that would be screened in cinemas beginning Oct 26.

This film is narrated by national cricketer Shafiq Sharif, who represented Malaysia in the 2019 Cricket World Cup qualifiers and won the gold medal at the 2017 SEA Games.

The story revolves around six young boys who are nicknamed “6 Jahanam” (six rascals) whose lives were changed when their teacher introduced them to the game of cricket.

Gemencheh Boys is directed by Jason Chong and Eric Ong, who previously won Best Original Story for Adiwaraku at the 2017 Malaysian Film Festival. Chong also wrote the script for Gemencheh Boys, along with Sky Khor.

Adiwaraku was also about a rural school teacher, Cheryl Ann Fernando, who inspired her students to excel at academics. The role won actress Sangeetha Krishnasamy the Best Actress award (the first non-Malay actress to do so) at the 29th Malaysia Film Festival.

A teacher’s love

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Chong said, “I was actively in search of another story after Adiwiraku. I wanted to continue the legacy and spirit of Adiwiraku: seemingly ‘ordinary people’ who are extraordinary - the unsung heroes. For that, I’ve interviewed several people.“

He received a call from Shahril Hamzah, who introduced him to cricketer Shafiq, who in turn, told him the story of the teacher known as Cikgu Azman (Azman Abd Aziz).

The love and respect Shafiq showed when he talked about Cikgu Azman were apparent, piquing Chong’s interest in how a teacher who didn’t know anything about cricket was able to bring up 10 national players over the years.

“There was so much to explore, we were excited, touched and hooked. Soon after that, we drove up to Gemencheh to meet the real Cikgu Azman.

“When I met him, that’s when I knew for sure - we have our next film,” said Chong.

Good support came through

When asked if it was hard to get this project off the ground, Chong admitted there were challenges as cricket is not as popular as football or badminton in Malaysia.

However, they had Finas on board since day one and Siva Ananthan - the film’s executive producer - also backed the project to help realise the film.

“We also had a lot of support from Cricket Malaysia and the locals when we were shooting in Gemencheh. This support gave us a lot of encouragement and confidence to keep pushing on. For that, I’m forever grateful,” he said.

Chong explained that 70 to 80 percent of the film is based on true incidents, including small details such as Shafiq’s bicycle that has a van steering wheel as a handlebar.

“That’s what Shafiq used to ride in his childhood, modified by his dad. We took a creative licence with the character “Azad” - the 6th kid in the “6 Jahanam”.

“We weren’t able to interview the person who inspired the character in time during development. So, ‘Azad’s’ storyline is more of an ‘inspired by a real person’ than of a ‘based on a real person’,” Chong revealed.

So far, he noted that Gemencheh Boys has been receiving positive responses from the real-life people whose lives were depicted in the film.

“I saw some of them wiping away their eyes in secret during the first screening. I take that as a good sign,” he said, adding that they were excited about their stories being turned into a film.

“I’m extremely thankful to them for giving us the trust and support in everything,” Chong said.

When asked what he wants the audience to take away with them when they watch this film, he said, “It only takes one person to believe - to change the lives of others. Anyone is capable of being a positive influence in another person’s life, so be that positive influence.

“Cikgu Azman’s story is touching because he never asked for anything in return, he cares about his students and all he ever wanted was for them to do well in life and excel,” he explained.

Among some of the stars featured in the film include Pekin Ibrahim as well as six newcomers Aqil Yaya, Syed Ahmad, Ayiet Harith, Kimi Norais, Izzue Deen and Amir Kuziq.

When asked if there are plans to make a series of movies about inspirational teachers, Chong said they are putting their focus on Gemencheh Boys for now.

Gemencheh Boys was created with the support of the Malaysian Cricket Association and the Youth and Sports Ministry. This includes a collaboration with the International Cricket Council and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, which was held in Malaysia for the first time this year.

Instilling discipline through sports

Azman Abd Aziz, 57, is the real-life teacher at the heart of the inspirational story Gemencheh Boys.

He hails from Gemencheh and taught at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Rokan Utara before he was transferred to Sekolah Kebangsaan Datuk Abdullah.

At the time of the interview with Malaysiakini, he was helping the filmmakers at a publicity event in Astro.

“I’m still teaching children how to play cricket,” said Azman, who only has two-and-a-half years left before retiring.

A huge fan of cricket and a big fan of the Indian and Australian national cricket teams who are playing at the World Cup 2023, Azman had no clue about the game until he was instructed by the headmaster (from Bukit Rokan Utara) to teach the game to his students.

“That was in 1997. I watched some games on a video player and started teaching my students,” he said.

He is a strong believer that sports can help change a student’s life.

He is proud that many of his pupils went on to study at the university level and ended up with good careers. He added that he enjoyed watching Gemencheh Boys.

“The best parts are when they are down, they rise up. I also like the fact it is an inspirational story,” he said.

Azman remains in touch with five of the boys depicted in the film and is unsure where the sixth one is.

Considering the fact that this story is narrated by one of his former pupils who has fond memories of him, he said, “If we are really sincere in what we do, our students will always remember us.”

When asked if he plans to coach young kids in cricket after he retires, Azman replied in the negative.

“I have grandchildren and my family has sacrificed a lot for me over the years.”

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