‘Anwar: The Untold Story’ Facts You Need To Know About the Movie

Anwar: The Untold Story had its night on the red carpet yesterday with full VIP attendance including PM X Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim accompanied by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The film is getting lots of fanfare currently and many of DS Anwar's supporters since the 90s are champing at the bit to catch this bit of history turned into cinema. In case you're not in the know, here's some facts you'll find useful before watching Anwar: The Untold Story in cinemas 18 May 2023.

1. The film is written and directed by Indonesian director Viva Westi

Viva Westi is credited as the writer of the screenplay as well as the director. She was the Best Director recipient in the 2008 Indonesian Film Festival and she's probably best-known for her film Rayya, Cahaya di Atas Cahaya and Mursala. According to Viva it is not a 100% true retelling of events, but she is happy if viewers can glean some truths from the film.

The Prime Minister himself has reviewed the film on Twitter and here's what he had to say about its accuracy:

An error occurred while retrieving the Tweet. It might have been deleted.

2. The film cost RM10 million to produce

According to this interview with MalaysiaKini, the film was in production since August 2011, way before the role of Prime Minister was even a possibility in the eyes of PM X. The film will be released in 140 cinemas nationwide.

3. Dato' Sri Siti Nurhaliza sang the theme song Menjaga Cintamu...

...and netizens can't wait to listen to the full song! The song was composed with Indonesian film score composer Andi Rianto and Siti herself admitted that it's been a dream of hers to collaborate with the composer. The lyrics were written by Sekar Ayu Asmara and are a reflection of the strength and devotion of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah.

4. The film is a mostly Indonesian production

Farid Kamil plays the titular Anwar while Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa plays his wife Wan Azizah. The two-time former Prime Minister TS Dr Mahathir was played by Hasnul Rahmat and Nurul Izzah, the daughter of DS Anwar, is played by Indonesian actress Saskia Chadwich.

Filming was partly done in Indonesia and Malaysia, but the rest of the crew are Indonesians. Expect to hear Indonesian actors speaking in heavily-accented Malay as well as some unfamiliar backgrounds. It's a little strange to us that Indonesia would be the one to produce a film about a Malaysian politician, but here we are.

5. The plot of the film follows Anwar's turbulent career from 1993 to 1998

Malaysians who are old enough will remember the events of 1998 when Anwar was sacked from UMNO amidst sodomy allegations and how he appeared black-eyed to the public after his arrest.

Early reviews are mixed with some calling it complete propaganda while others praised Acha Septriasa's portrayal as Wan Azizah. Broadly, the film is a little straight in its portrayal of Anwar as an unsung hero battling against corruption, so your enjoyment of the film really depends on where you sit in the political chasm.

You may follow this Twitter thread for the incoming reviews of the film:

An error occurred while retrieving the Tweet. It might have been deleted.

The film is being distributed by DMY Creations, an as-yet unknown film distributor in Malaysia whose credits on their website include bringing A.R. Rahman to Malaysia for a concert. We couldn't find much else about them aside from this film.

Are you going to watch this biopic? Let us know your thoughts when it hits cinemas.