However,
with the arrival of reinforcements and a disinformation campaign
accusing them of betraying the sultan of Pahang, the British managed to
stop more locals from joining the resistance.
Isolated from their
community, they were forced to go on the run. With the British army in
pursuit, some of the resistance leaders died and many others
surrendered.
Not much was known about what happened to Mat Kilau,
but he was said to have gone from place to place seeking refuge, each
time using different names.
After being on the run for many years,
he returned to Pahang and settled down in Gambang, Kuantan, using the
name Mohamed bin Ibrahim @ Mat Siam.
He was said to have finally
revealed his true identity after Friday prayers at the Pulau Tawar
mosque in Jerantut on Dec 26, 1969. After months of investigations, the
Pahang state government confirmed that he was indeed Mat Kilau.
Unfortunately,
10 days after the confirmation, Mat Kilau died on Aug 16, 1970, at his
home in Kampung Batu 5. He was said to be 122 (based on his estimated
birth year of 1847) and was buried with full honours at his birthplace,
Kampung Masjid Pulau Tawar, Jerantut.
This unlikely age is itself an indication of how fast and loose one could play with the facts.
The
first controversy was when Pertubuhan Kebajikan Adat Budaya Malaysia
pointed out that the keris tucked in Jalaluddin Hassan’s sarong band was
a Javanese Keris and not a Pahang Keris, which was what the Malay
warriors would have used then.
Critics also poked holes at the plot, saying it was historically inaccurate and was compared to Ip Man
(that starred Donnie Yen), a Hong Kong production that took a lot of
liberties in telling the story of Wing Chun kung fu martial arts legend.
Also, in a Berita Harian
report, Finas’ CEO reportedly said that Studio Kembara failed to give
proper credit to Finas in the film as per their agreement.
Mohd
Nasir added that the producers failed to include Finas’ logo in the
printed materials relating to the film even though this was stated in
the agreement with the film development body.
At its heart, the
message was seen as playing to the right-wing Malay gallery, a fertile
field ploughed by Umno, PAS and other such parties.
PAS ulama wing chief Ahmad Yahya called for more films to be made about independence figures following the success of Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan.
“Films
have a strong influence and pull and can also frame the behaviour and
emotions of the public. Films are also useful when trying to get a
message across to the public. By bringing our independence figures to
the silver screen, we can instil a spirit of identity in the hearts of
the public,” he said in an article published on June 30.
However, Malaysiakini columnist Zan Azlee said that the film was full of Malay pride.
“It
is also full of Islamic and religious pride too. Every five minutes,
there is a dialogue that repeats the importance of how they need to
fight for their bangsa and agama (race and religion) and how if they lose these two elements, they lose everything.
“Again, I stress that there is nothing wrong with being proud of who you are. I am also Malay and Muslim and very proud of it.
“However,
the film is so one-dimensional that there is nothing more to it than
just a group of Malay warriors who are fighting foreign forces (those
who are not Malay and Muslim) because they are considered a threat to
their bangsa and agama,” Zan added.
Writer Terence Aaron noted: “But why am I bothered about all this if I have a high tolerance of dumb action flicks?
“All
of these characters, who aren’t Malay-Muslim men, are brutally killed
off, maimed, and not given any humanity. All Malay-Muslim characters are
treated as victims of oppression.”
Historian Ranjit Singh Malhi
pointed out that it was essential to separate facts and actual events
from fiction as depicted in the movie to avoid disseminating wrong
messages to the public, particularly in a multi-ethnic and
multi-religious society like Malaysia.
Who is promoting it?
Cinemas are banned in Kelantan, but the ban courted controversy again after Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari watched Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan at a cinema in the Klang Valley.
Fadhli
had, in 2016, opposed having cinemas in Kelantan because it would lead
to social problems, prompting netizens to accuse him of double
standards.
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Abdullah,
in an interview with the FengRenGuan YouTube channel, said Kelantanese
have other options to watch films, and the state government does not
stop them from doing so.
“Kelantanese are not making noise about the cinema (ban) because they can watch Netflix (at home). They can watch everything.
“Thus, why pay money for a cinema ticket when you can watch (films) at home while chewing kuaci (sunflower seeds),” he said.
Despite
the criticism that the movie portrays non-Malays in a poor light, some
members of the opposition party DAP have been having special private screenings for their constituencies.
“We
want to promote the importance of (supporting a) local production,”
said DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii said in an interview with Malaysiakini.
On July 3, Pemuda Isma, in a social media post, said that 218 tickets were sold for a special screening of Mat Kilau.
The Malaysian chapter of United Sikhs has expressed concern that the film may cause religious and racial misunderstanding.
“Whilst
the controversial scenes in the movie were fictional, it is distasteful
and hurts the sentiments of Sikhs,” the group said.
The Malaysian Gurdwaras Council also issued a statement, saying that the way nationalism was promoted in Mat Kilau can cause divisions in a multi-racial country like Malaysia.
The
council said the film has the tendency to promote ill-will against the
minorities as they were shown as barbaric oppressors in the film.
Political commentator Lim Hong Siang opined that the film has a hidden political message.
“While
the non-Malays and non-Muslims might feel uncomfortable with the
characters which were written based on stereotypes, there is a more
crucial question - in present Malaysia, how should we interpret the film
narrative of ‘uniting the Malays to fight outsiders?’” he said.
Lim said Umno has been playing up Malay sentiments since the 2008 general election.
He said more than 12 years later, Umno took it further to team up with PAS and Bersatu in a coup dubbed as Sheraton move.
“In
other words, the film's message echoes the main theme of the Malay and
Muslim politics,” Lim wrote in his Chinese column on ATV News Online.
What do you learn from the movie?
This movie is set in 1892 and begins with a disclaimer that the story of Mat Kilau inspired it.
There is a strong message that this land is only for Malays and all outsiders should leave.
There
is less emphasis on Malay traditions and more on Islam as the
characters often quote from the Quran to emphasise points such as
bravery and honour.
The Chinese are depicted as quiet miners or the token manipulative stooge who gets his comeuppance.
There
is an old saying “don’t bring a knife to a gunfight”. In this movie,
despite having guns, the Indian army is unable to take on a single
warrior who beats them off using silat. It screams the supremacy of the
Malays and their culture.
When it comes to race, it is cut and dry, and black and white. No shades of grey.
The movie portrays all Malays are being persecuted or as powerful superheroes. Those of other races are bad guys.
Another
aspect that is noticeable in the movie is that the older village heads
and noblemen passed the baton of taking care of Malay rights to younger
leaders such as Mat Kilau. Maybe that is the filmmaker’s way of saying
it is time the old politicians make way for young people.
At the
end of the film, Mat Kilau tells the villagers that the only thing that
will keep the Malays united is Islam. This is one message that was loud
and clear throughout the movie.
The movie has been such a huge hit among its target audience that Abdul Rahman told Utusan Malaysia that a sequel for the movie is in the works and a storyline is ready.
Finas said it would not hinder or obstruct anyone from releasing films after an NGO voiced concerns over the negative portrayal of Sikhs in Mat Kilau.
It
said funding was supplied to the filmmakers behind the movie through
the Digital Content Fund, which aimed to provide a conducive
post-production environment for the film development.
Nevertheless, Finas urged filmmakers to respect multicultural sensitivities.
