MALBATT: MISI BAKARA A TRIBUTE TO UNSUNG HEROES

The month of August marks many things. It's the month of Malaysia's Independence Day, it's Augustman's Merdeka issue, and it's also the month when Malbatt: Misi Bakara is set to hit theatres.

- STUART DANKER

The movie tells the story of the 19th Battalion Malay Regiment (Malbatt) that was sent to Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 to rescue trapped American soldiers, which was also depicted by the movie Black Hawk Down.

And Adrian Teh, the movie's director as well as the Augustman Men Of The Year alumni, shares his journey of creating his biggest budget movie to date, alongside cast members Bront Palarae, Shaheizy Sam, and ledil Dzuhrie Alaudin.

Mention the Battle of Mogadishu and the first movie that comes to mind is Black Hawk Down. Today, we have Malbatt: Misi Bakara to add to that mix, which is directed by Adrian Teh.

The difference between Teh's version of the 1993 event is that his story highlights the many other parties that weren't properly portrayed in the Hollywood flick, particularly Malaysia's involvement in the mission.

"This movie was a huge undertaking." Teh says. "One that was five years in the making. The moment I wrapped up shooting Paskal, I already began research for the Malbatt story. And I can say that I've used every trick I've garnered throughout my time in this industry to see this movie through."

Thankfully, the filming of his previous movie Paskal was a timely project that acted as a springboard to Malbatt. This is because Paskal gave Teh the contacts he'd needed to conduct his research for his latest movie.

With his new contacts in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Teh was able to talk to the soldiers assigned to the mission in Mogadishu, as well as visit the army libraries, read the mission reports, and unearth other unknown facts behind the mission.

This is what gives Malbatt: Misi Bakara its authenticity. The fact that Teh did years of legwork before actually beginning filming speaks of the detail he puts into his craft.