ARTICLE
Director Adrian Teh hopes to challenge the action filmmaking industry with “Wira”
By Flora / 20 Nov 2019 (Wednesday)
Photo by: InCinemas.sg
After the box office success of Paskal, director Adrian Teh is back with another action film, “Wira”, starring Hairul Azreen, the lead actor of both films.
“I started off wanting to work on an action film like this,” shared Teh, who was in town last week to promote the film in Singapore together with actor Azreen and Yayan Ruhian, who also served as the film’s fight choreographer.
“In Paskal, we talked about a group of men who sacrificed their time and lives to serve the Navy and to protect their country. That’s the recurring theme of Paskal. This time, ‘Wira’ talks about a commando who decides to retire early to go back to his hometown to help his family. The main focus is his dedication towards his family,” continued Teh.
He added: “To me, I’ve always wanted to do an action film like this, something close to realism kind of fighting scenes. Before Wira, the level of action choreography (in Malaysian films) has been stagnant and I wanted to have a breakthrough in terms of the fight choreography and action sequences in a local action film. The success of Paskal showed that there is actually a market for an action film in Malaysia.”
Image Credit: Golden Village Pictures
And to turn up the notch with the action sequences, Asia’s famed fight actor-choreographer, Yayan Ruhian was roped in to choreograph the action scenes. Having appeared in Hollywood action films like John Wick: Chapter 3, Star Wars: The Force Awakens as well as known films like The Raid and The Raid 2.
Having filmed in Malaysia, Indonesia and Hollywood, Yayan felt that Wira was up to an international standard. “I believe this movie will be a milestone for Malaysian films and I hope it shows that filmmakers in Southeast Asia can be as good.”
Even his co-stars like Azreen have praised the professionalism that Yayan showed on set. “First of all, I feel so happy to be able to act with Abang Yayan because it feels like working with a Hollywood actor. It’s great because Abang Yayan is a very down-to-earth and humble guy, and really a good example to everyone.”
Image Credit: Golden Village Pictures
To get the actors into shape and to be able to look convincing in their roles, Teh had them train together for 3 months, which include fight choreography, combat training and strict dietary programmes.
After Paskal and Wira, Teh has plans to continue his ‘hero’ movie series. While he can’t divulge much information about his next movie, one thing is certain - it’s going to be an action film. “In the realm of action films, there are many things for me to explore. I am currently exploring more themes, something new and refreshing for my next film.”
Wira opens InCInemas 21 November!