KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Malaysian rally legend Karamjit Singh has given Terbang, the new film inspired by his life, his seal of approval — calling it about 60 per cent true to his story and hoping audiences will take inspiration from his refusal to give up.

The film, which opens in cinemas nationwide tomorrow, held its gala premiere at TGV Suria KLCC on Monday following months of production, with filming taking place in locations including Sepang, Perlis and New Zealand.

Directed by Chiu Keng Guan, the filmmaker behind acclaimed Malaysian films The Journey and Ola Bola, Terbang chronicles Karamjit’s journey to becoming an international rally champion and putting Malaysia on the global motorsport map.

‘Until the end, we never gave up’

Karamjit, who attended the gala premiere, said the film was about 60 per cent accurate to events in his life.

Several scenes were drawn from real experiences, including moments involving his wife, misunderstandings with his rally teammates and an international tournament where some competitors suspected he was cheating because they believed the car he was driving must have been illegal.

While Terbang dramatises those events for the big screen, Karamjit said he was proud to see his story become a film.

“Personally, I feel very proud about the movie.

“It is a true story and not fiction, and the story is about me until I became world champion.

“It is also about the teamwork of the Malaysian team — the driver and co-driver, mechanics, and everyone.

“Of course, I feel very proud, and I hope everybody will go and watch it and get inspiration from the movie because we never gave up.

“Until the end, we never gave up.

“There were times when the car broke down, and we thought we wouldn’t win it, but we did, in our first attempt in the first year,” he said.

Enough stories for a series

Speaking to Malay Mail, Karamjit said his rally career contained enough material for several more chapters should another film ever get the green light.

“This is only about the world championship (Terbang).

“We can talk about the Asia Pacific Championship, the Malaysia Championship and how I started with my father’s car, so it can actually be like a series, if you ask me,” he said.

“There is a lot more to be said.”

Produced by Astro Shaw in collaboration with EJJ Films, Enotech Pictures and Aventure Space, with WooHoo Pictures serving as the production house, Terbang marks a rare Malaysian foray into the rally-racing genre.

The film stars Irfan Zaini as Ajeet, a character inspired by Karamjit, alongside Jack Tan, Zizan Razak, Namron, Diana Danielle, Qasrina Karim and Shweta Sekhon.

The story follows Ajeet, who leaves rally racing behind in pursuit of a quieter life with his wife, Lisa, played by Shweta.

Five years later, fate draws him back to the track.

Teaming up with Kitt, a talented but hot-headed young driver played by Tan, Ajeet must confront his inner turmoil, fierce competition and a lingering guilt he has never truly shaken.

With Lisa’s support, the leadership of Rahim (Namron) and the expertise of Imran (Zizan), Ajeet and his team come together for a shot at competing on the world stage.

‘Our Malaysian way’ of telling the story

Head of Astro Shaw Raja Jastina Raja Arshad described Terbang as a Malaysian film made for audiences around the world.

“This is the first local film of this kind of genre or production quality you have seen,” she said, adding that Malaysia had not previously produced a film centred on rally racing.

“We hope that audiences in Malaysia will support Terbang, as this will give us an opportunity to do more of this and be braver in introducing more genres to Malaysians.”

She also touched on the extensive research that went into bringing Terbang to life, with Hazwani Mahayuddin contributing to the screenplay alongside the Astro Shaw writing team.

Hazwani said some of the scenes and stunts in the film were not exaggerations but were drawn from research into real-life rally tournaments.

“We used our Malaysian way to tell our Malaysian stories,” Chiu added of the approach taken with Terbang.

He said the film was not made with the intention of competing with other racing movies.

Terbang opens in Malaysian cinemas on September 17 and will also be available in 4DX.

For Karamjit, the film’s message is ultimately a simple one.

“Never giving up, you must believe in yourself, and also the takeaway is that if you work as a team, you can achieve wonders,” he said.