Malaysia’s Zunar on risks of making Anwar Ibrahim biopic: ‘we were prepared for the worst’
- Zunar was often slated, and almost imprisoned, for satirising former PM Najib Razak, but has turned his gaze elsewhere
- But his film about Anwar – who became PM last year after countless political challenges and jail time – was not without its own challenges
Working with Indonesian director Viva Westi, Zunar was the executive producer behind Anwar: The Untold Story, which opened across 120 cinemas in Malaysia in May.
Anwar, who attended the film’s domestic premiere in Kuala Lumpur, wrote in an Instagram post afterwards that although there was some creative licence taken with the dialogue and storytelling, the issues raised on screen were based on real events.
“I was touched by this movie that raised the story of my political struggles. This movie also reminds me of the pain and burdens faced by Azizah, our children and our friends,” he wrote, referring to his wife Wan Azizah Ismail.
While some critics have described the film as being too deferential to Anwar, Zunar said the plot drew from his own personal experience following the politician – who became prime minister in November – for 20 years, as well as from events recorded in court documents and interviews from people involved.
Production, which began in 2021, was about as risky as any of his cartoons, said the artist, who faced up to 43 years in jail for sedition in 2015 after criticising the authorities – in charge for decades – online. The charges were dropped due to the change in government after the 2018 general election.
“We started filming this before Anwar was prime minister, and it was a sensitive topic to make this movie about the opposition figure at the time, so we had to film in Indonesia,” Zunar told This Week in Asia after a screening of his film during this month’s Asean Film Festival in Hong Kong.
We were prepared for the worst … under the previous government, the film would likely not have been shown … as it wouldn’t have passed the censor boards
Casting for the film was also a challenge, with most of the crew and a large portion of its cast, including actress Acha Septriasa, who plays Wan Azizah, being Indonesian.
The production team did not even know if the fruit of their hard work would air in Malaysia.
“We were prepared for the worst,” said Zunar. “Under the previous government, the film would likely not have been shown … as it wouldn’t have passed the censor boards.”
He said he also considered the risk of being barred from returning to Malaysia if he released the film online.
“But to our luck, Anwar became prime minister, and we were able to show this movie in Malaysia,” he said. “I think it is important Malaysians see what happened during that time to Anwar when he was trying to fight this deep-rooted system of corruption in our country.”
A poster advertising the film was inspired by a photograph of Anwar’s bruised face snapped after his initial arrest in 1998, which led to widespread condemnation of his treatment in jail.
The well-known Malaysian actor Farid Kamil Zahari, who portrayed Anwar in the film, said he remembered seeing the “iconic” image when he was in his late teens.
“I saw this photo where Anwar had a black eye, and I wondered, how could this have happened to him? How could the deputy prime minister be treated in such a way?” he said.
Casting for the film was a challenge, Zunar said, with several Malaysian actors turning down the role because it was too politically sensitive before Farid signed on.
“I knew the risk of taking this role, of course,” Farid said. “But when I started to immerse myself in this character, some part of me had faith that Anwar Ibrahim would become prime minister and I had to do my part to tell his story.”
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The film raked in 1 million ringgit (US$215,000) on its opening day in May, but Zunar said that since then, reception domestically had been average.
“We didn’t think this movie would make a lot of money, but that doesn’t mean it is not an important story,” he said, adding that there were plans in place for the film to be put on streaming sites.
Speaking at a press conference after the film’s premiere, Anwar said: “This is a story that must be told. The battle against corruption continues, and if you see, now that I’m prime minister, that has been the thrust of my campaign.
“I want to save this country and fight corruption,” he added.
