Anwar Ibrahim's Biopic, 'Anwar: The Untold Story', Will Screen In Cinemas This May
Set between 1993 and 1998, the movie is an account of Anwar Ibrahim's time as Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
By Khadijah Amir — 10 Mar 2023, 01:05 PM
Anwar: The Untold Story will be screened in cinemas nationwide starting 11 May
The highly anticipated biopic was announced back in 2022 by producer Zulkiflee Anwar 'Zunar' Haque, who said the movie has been in the works for almost 12 years. Speaking to The Vibes, Zunar said he has been closely following Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's work since 1998, and was inspired to make a movie on historical events, depicted through the eyes of the politician himself.
The movie was produced in collaboration by Indonesia's Bianglala Entertainment and Malaysia's Rakyat Media Sdn Bhd.
Following the press conference on 1 March, the movie was finally given a release date, and is set to welcome audiences nationwide on 11 May this year.
The movie will centre around Anwar's political journey from 1993 up to his arrest in 1998, leading to the start of the Reformasi movement
Zunar explained to The Vibes that heavy research had to be done, with over seven revisions made to the screenplay to refine it as much as possible. He conducted interviews with Anwar's family, his relatives, and his lawyers, and obtained additional information about the abuse Anwar Ibrahim experienced in jail from government sources such as the National Archives and the Royal Commission Inquiry.
The producer noted in a statement to Bernama that although the movie is somewhat politically-based, the message the film intends to deliver is of a political figure who was headstrong and consistent in standing his ground against corruption, even though it landed him in jail.
Between 1993 and 1998, Anwar was the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance under Tun Mahathir. Tensions arose in 1998 due to differing views between the two political figures, which cascaded into a chain of events that led to Anwar's eventual arrest that year, and spearheading the formation of the Reformasi movement.
Actor Farid Kamil, who plays the titular role, says it took him one month to perfect the iconic hand-raising scene
Joining Farid Kamil is Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa, playing the role of his wife, Dato Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and Hasnul Rahmat as Tun Mahathir Mohamed. Indonesian actor and actress Piet Pagau and Dewi Irawan are in the cast lineup as well.
Farid Kamil, as mentioned in a report by Kosmo!, studied the political figure in depth, meeting up with the prime minister a couple of times to understand his story in order to do the role justice. He asked about the scar on Anwar's brow bone, and took over a month to perfect the iconic hand-raising scene, as pictured in the film's promotional poster.
