This Malaysian Film That Took 10 Years To Make Is Now Receiving International Acclaim

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**The search for Appoi took years, Shanjhey said and then one day, he got a lucky break. He was shooting a documentary on school dropouts in a rough neighbourhood in the city and one of the young boys caught his eye.**

"I spotted this boy in a Melawati school… he was fighting with some boys, running around displaying so much energy and I liked that very much because in acting, you need a lot of that," he said.

And that was how Shanjhey got 12-year-old Harvin Raj, who came from a rough background but who demonstrated a spark that immediately made the director think of his main character.

"If you see his face, there is innocence and he is also capable of bringing out a wild character and balance characters," he said.

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But it was not easy getting Harvind to star in *Jagat*. Shanjhey said it took several attempts to convince the school – which is Harvind's guardian at a children's home where he is placed – and his family to get the boy's involvement in the movie.

The approval for Harvind to join the cast came three days before production was scheduled to start. **The director revealed that he never had a Plan B if Harvind couldn't star in his movie.**