POPULAR husband-and-wife team Aeril Zafrel and Wawa Zainal have now released their biggest and most ambitious movie, and it zooms in on a dystopian version of Malaysia called Lemuria.
Their new film, titled 'Abnormal: Buas', boasts a cast of A-listers as well as "golden oldies", besides marking the big screen debut of their eldest daughter, Hayla.
GOLDEN OLDIES
Aeril plays the vicious anti-hero Puzo, while Wawa plays the long-suffering heroine Hani, together with Hayla as Hani's daughter, Sya.
'Buas' also stars Shaheizy Sam, Nabila Huda Suhaimi, Johan As'ari, Adlin Aman Ramlie, Emelda Rosmila, Kodi Rasheed, Ahmad Yatim, Datuk Ahmad Tarmimi Siregar, Datuk Rahim Razali and Jalil Hamid.
NATURAL ACTRESS
At a recent preview of 'Buas' in Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur, Aeril and Wawa described Hayla as a "natural actress".
Aeril said: "Hayla was trained by acting coach Ellie Suriaty Omar and she loves the experience."
Wawa added: "Hayla learns fast despite this being her first 'real' acting credit."
She said she was pregnant with their youngest child, Jibril, who is now 3, during the 20-day filming of 'Buas' in 2021.
"That is why my character Hani is meant to be pregnant. However, she is a tough and resilient young mother who still goes all out to protect her daughter."
LAST FILM
Aeril, who is the film's executive producer, said 'Buas' was the last film directed by Azhari Mohd Zain's before his untimely death from stroke complications in 2022.
He credits the late director for building up the cast in his movie.
"It is great that Azhari could get a great mix of old and new stars in 'Buas'," he said.
THE RETURN
Aeril added that the "prized catch" was veteran, award-winning actor Ahmad Yatim, who agreed to come back to work in their movie after a long retirement.
"It is so good to have Ahmad back, he is a legend I've long admired from afar," said Aeril.
"Even if his character is a minor one, his screen presence was magnetic."
DIGNIFIED
Aeril said that sharing a scene with Ahmad was like "meeting and greeting a king".
"Ahmad was a dignified gentleman throughout the filming," he said.
Aeril described 'Buas' as a milestone in his career, as it was his first time producing a feature film and co-starring with his wife and daughter in it.
"Best of all, I get to share one scene with Ahmad and other 'golden oldies' like Datuk Rahim Razali and Datuk Ahmad Tarmimi Siregar."
ASSASSIN
Producer Shahriman Wahap said the movie tells the story of Puzo, whose mother Dahlia was an assassin.
"Lemuria has a secret organisation of assassins called E1 and their mission is to take down all corrupt politicians and businessmen, as well as the vengeful heirs of such people," he said.
"Puzo is trained by E1 to become an invincible killing machine."
HOSTAGE
The story begins when three "robbers" attempt to rob Villa Bahagia where Puzo is living with little Sya, who appears to be his daughter, but is actually his hostage.
The robbers are soon confronted by Puzo, who severely injures them.
Aeril said: "Another plot shows Johan's character Hady and his wife, Hani, driving to the same bungalow with their daughter Sya."
BIGGER PICTURE
Later in the evening, Hady is killed by Puzo, who is lurking inside the bungalow.
"Hani manages to escape and hide somewhere in the building. The two storylines gradually merge to reveal the bigger picture, and viewers learn that the earlier 'robbers' have something to do with Hani and Sya," said Wawa.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Aeril said several flashbacks of young Puzo are also shown, and they focus on how his loving mother Dahlia, played by Nabila, made sure that he did not follow in her footsteps.
"The film is about the animal instincts in humans and also about how things are not what they seem in social media," he said.
TRILOGY
'Buas', produced by Respected Citizens Productions, is a trilogy with the next movie serving as a prequel and the third one being a sequel.
"The movie also carries the message that humans have 'inner beasts', which can be turned into killing machines," said Aeril.
'Abnormal: Buas' opens in cinemas nationawide today (June 20).