GEORGE TOWN, July 11 — Portraying legendary Malay warrior Hang Tuah in the action film The Keris, now showing in cinemas nationwide, has been the biggest challenge of Syazlie Syazz’s career after spending nearly a decade better known as a stunt performer.

Admitting that the responsibility was no easy task, Syazlie, whose real name is Mohamad Syazlie Shah Ninam Shah, said he was determined not to waste the confidence placed in him, especially as it marks his first opportunity to lead a feature film after 10 years in the industry.

To convincingly bring Hang Tuah to life, the 28-year-old actor spent more than a month studying the history of the legendary Malay warrior, learning classical Malay and undergoing intensive physical training before filming began.

“I have no experience as a film’s leading man. Throughout my career, I have mainly worked as a stunt performer, doing stunt impacts for action films involving fight scenes, explosions, car and motorcycle stunts, as well as fight choreography.

“When producer Dr N. Matheyalagan offered me the lead role, I initially felt it was a huge responsibility because I had no acting experience as a lead and was more accustomed to stunt work,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama recently.

According to Syazlie, he was cast after Matheyalagan and director Viknes Perrabu searched for an actor capable of performing complex action sequences without relying heavily on stunt doubles or rigging systems, allowing the fight scenes to appear more realistic.

To do justice to the role of Hang Tuah, Syazlie, who hails from Kota Tinggi, Johor revisited the history of the legendary warrior through earlier films, including those starring the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee.

Besides understanding the storyline, he also studied the speech patterns, dialogue delivery and use of classical Malay appropriate to the film’s historical setting, while undergoing physical training to achieve the commanding appearance envisioned by the director.

“I also had to portray three different voices — Hang Tuah’s voice, Daeng’s voice (the hero’s character), and another voice after the character undergoes a certain transformation in the film. I carried out almost all the dangerous action scenes myself, including jumping through fire,” he said.

Sharing the challenges encountered during filming, Syazlie said the climactic fight sequence was among the most demanding, requiring three consecutive nights of shooting that continued until the early hours of the morning.

However, he said he was grateful that veteran actor Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan provided guidance and encouragement throughout the filming, giving him greater confidence in carrying the role.

Meanwhile, A. Devadas, 50, better known as MJ Deva, said creating fight choreography that met the director’s expectations was no easy feat, as it required blending traditional Malay martial arts with modern, internationally styled action.

The production manager and action specialist for The Keris said the action team spent nearly two weeks before filming planning and rehearsing every fight sequence, including the actors’ movements, attack angles and safety measures.

With more than three decades of experience in martial arts, including taekwondo, and action choreography, Deva said the climactic battle scene was among the most challenging, involving aerial kicks, jumps, acrobatics and weapon combat.

“As a stunt performer, Syazlie Syazz understands the techniques and is able to execute them well. That is one of his greatest strengths, enabling us to produce action scenes without relying heavily on stunt doubles or safety wires,” he said.

Besides Syazlie, Deva said more than 20 stunt performers played various roles in the film, with every movement involving silat reviewed by martial arts experts to ensure the techniques, body positioning and use of weapons remained faithful to the traditional martial art.

Combining thrilling action, silat, cultural heritage and the spirit of unity, The Keris, which also stars Julia Larica, Firdaus Luthuffi, Zainal Isa, Raja Azrey and Jalaluddin Hassan, has been screening in cinemas nationwide since July 2, while its Singapore release began Thursday (July 9). — Bernama