'SPILT GRAVY'TOOK 10 YEARS TO COMPLETE DUE TO TECHICAL DIFFICULTIES BUT IT WAS WIORTH THE WAIT! NOW SHOWING IN CINEMAS NATIONWIDE THIS IS ONE MALAYSIAN MOVIE TO BE MISSED AT YOUR OWN PERIL! SO CATCH IT NOW!
DATOKEEHUACHEE@GMAIL.COM
‘SPILT GRAVY / KE MANA TUMPAHNYA KUAH...’ TO FINALLY REACH MALAYSIAN CINEMAS ON 9 JUNE 2022 AFTER DECADE-LONG DELAY
The highly-anticipated black comedy Spilt Gravy / Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah... is finally getting a nationwide release on 9 June 2022 after decade-long negotiations with local authorities. Initially deemed Not Suitable for Public Viewing (TUT) by the Malaysian Censorship Board (LPF), its filmmakers revised the film several times, finally gaining approval in March 2020, but had to wait a further 2 years for a cinematic release due to pandemic restrictions.
Adapted from the award-winning play Spilt Gravy On Rice by the late Jit Murad, Spilt Gravy / Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah... is the premier film by Dato’ Zahim Albakri. An acting and directing powerhouse with a stage and screen career spanning over three decades, Dato’ Zahim helmed all three stagings of Spilt Gravy On Rice when it took to Malaysian and Singaporean audiences back in 2002 to 2003.
Spilt Gravy / Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah... features Dato’ Rahim Razali, Na’a Murad, Bernice Chauly, Sean Ghazi, Juliana Ibrahim and Dato’ Zahim himself as the main cast, with many popular stage, TV and film personalities in supporting roles. Set in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, the film revolves around a dysfunctional upper middle class Malay family.
Spilt Gravy / Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah... takes place over the course of one day, the 8th of June 2011. Bapak senses that he does not have much time left, so he invites his offspring to dinner the next evening to discuss matters concerning their inheritance, a large part of which comprises the family home that sprawls an acre of prime real estate in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
An unexpected visit from two strangers leads Bapak to change his plans and bring the dinner forward to that evening instead. He sends his children a message to inform them but do they find out in time?
The screenplay of Spilt Gravy / Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah... is based on the play Spilt Gravy On Rice by the late Jit Murad, originally staged in The Actors Studio, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur in 2002. The play was a critical and commercial success, playing to packed houses during its three runs from 2002 to 2003. It received four accolades at the 1st Boh Cameronian Arts Awards in 2003, namely Best Original Script, Best Director, Best Lighting Design & the Audience Choice Award.
The original director’s cut of the film is titled Spilt Gravy on Rice. Since its international premiere at the Colombo International Film Festival on 9 November 2015, it has not been released nor screened anywhere else. The film was first submitted to the Malaysian Censorship Board (LPF) in 2012 but was deemed unsuitable for wide release. Upon official and unofficial submissions of re-edited versions of Spilt Gravy on Rice for review in subsequent years, Spilt Gravy / Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah... was finally approved by censors in March 2020.
The film is dedicated to the memory of Dato’ Zahim’s late father, Dato’ Haji Ikmal Hisham Albakri, a well-known architect in Malaysia. A number of his architectural works feature as backdrops to the action on screen. The main location in the film is the family home of Dato’ Zahim which housed his family for over 40 years. His father renovated and extended the property in the 1960s and then again in the mid 1970s, incorporating his unique style of architecture in the process. Dato’ Zahim’s father passed away in 2006 at the age of 75. When the Albakri family reluctantly decided to sell the property in 2010, knowing that it would inevitably be lost to development, they wanted to find a meaningful way to preserve a part of their father’s architectural legacy and their love for the home they grew up in, and so Dato’ Zahim suggested using the home as a backdrop to the film adaptation of Spilt Gravy on Rice he always wanted to make.
And so they sold the property in January 2011, on condition that they could have 6 months to vacate the premises but also to shoot a film there. The film shoot started on 7 June 2011 and ended in July 2011, just days before they had to vacate.
The film has garnered glowing praise from select individuals who managed to view it before its cinematic release. The late academic and musician Prof. Dr. Wan Zawawi Wan Ibrahim earlier in February deemed it “a gem for all Malaysians to savour—it’s got everything about what makes us Malaysians tick.”
Spilt Gravy / Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah... will open on 9 June 2022 in more than 30 cinemas nationwide. It has a total runtime of 115 minutes and is rated PG-13.
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LIST OF CAST & CREW
Cast
Bapak Zakaria Kalsom Darwis Husni Zaitun Captain Co-Pilot
Hortense Concepcion Michelle Sujatha Asri
Faizal
70s Cast
Bapak Jackie IPGM Roslinda Salamiah Hawa Nordin
Zakaria Kalsom Darwis Husni Zaitun
Dato’ Rahim Razali Dato’ Zahim Albakri Bernice Chauly Na’a Murad
Sean Ghazi Juliana Ibrahim Jit Murad Harith Iskander
Bernie Chan
Junji Delfino
Dara Raziana Othman Joelah Charles
Carliff Carleel
Amerul Affendi
Hairi Safwan Aznan Diana Danielle Nanu Baharudin Melissa Saila
Ida Nerina Sabrina Hassan Nam Ron
Mika Aaron Jenewein Badrika Baluch Bahadur Amir Johan Nadim Badrish Isnin Bahadur Farah Nadiah
Crew
Director
Executive Producer
Screenplay
Casting
Production Designer
D.O.P. Editing
Multimedia & Projection
Art Director
Costume & Makeup
Original Music
Additional Music
Nanyang Nancy Choreographer
Dato’ Zahim Albakri Zarul Albakri
Jit Murad
June Tan
Dato’ Zahim Albakri
Wyn Hee Raja Malek
Y.H. Cheong
Isazaly Isa
A. Samad Hassan Ken Khan
Imri Nasution
Gan Siong Kin Wong Taysy
Rosada Abdul Hamid
Daniel Veerapen Reuben Samuel Elaine Pedley
MAIN CAST & CREW BIOGRAPHIES
DATO’ RAHIM RAZALI (Cast Member: Bapak)
Dato’ RahimRazali is a veteran actor,
Rahim Razali played Bapak in the original stage production of Spilt Gravy On Rice.
BERNICE CHAULY (Cast Member: Kalsom)
Beyond theatre and film, Bernice Chauly is best known as a writer, poet, educator and curator who has worked extensively in the creative industries for over 30 years. She is the author of seven books, which include prose and poetry, and has even received praise from Nobel Laureate J. M. Coetzee for her writings. Born to Chinese-Punjabi teachers, Bernice read Education and English Literature at the University of Winnipeg, Canada, as a government scholar and is recognised as one of the most significant voices of her generation.
She is currently writing a AAA video game.
Bernice Chauly played Kalsom in the original stage production of Spilt Gravy On Rice.
NA’A MURAD (Cast Member: Darwis)
Na’a Murad does many things in the entertainment industry, including directing, writing and acting. His work spans film, theatre, television and even comic book publishing. Na’a is highly-selective with his acting roles: his recent appearances on stage include Kee Tuan Chye's Swordfish + Concubine (2017) and Tan Sri Mohd Ali Hashim & Omar Ali's Dato Seri (2018). Though he found his role in Spilt Gravy / Ke Mana Tumpahnya Kuah... “unexpected and scary”, he was happy to take over from Reza Zainal Abidin who originally played Darwis in the stage production.
Na'a Murad played the Co-Pilot, opposite his brother Jit Murad, in the original stage production of Spilt Gravy On Rice.
SEAN GHAZI (Cast Member: Husni)
A celebrated actor, singer and musician, Sean made his breakthrough into the world of music and performing arts with his West End debut in Miss Saigon at the young age of 22. He subsequently appeared in RENT and The King & I at the London Palladium. Back home in Malaysia, Sean is one of the nation’s most respected vocalists. In addition to being the frontman of Malaysian band TARAKUCHA, Sean also serves as artistic director for the entertainment lounge BOBO Kuala Lumpur.
Sean Ghazi played Husni in the original stage production of Spilt Gravy On Rice.
JULIANA IBRAHIM (Cast Member: Zaitun)
Juliana Ibrahim has been in the entertainment industry for more than two decades as an actor, TV host, emcee and voice over talent. She made her silver screen debut in Yasmin Ahmad’s Gubra (2006) and went on to star in Mark Tan’s Jarum Halus (2008). Juliana has resided in The Netherlands since 2014 with her husband and three children. She is trained as a yoga instructor specialising in hatha, yin, family, and kids yoga.
HARITH ISKANDER (Cast Member: Co-Pilot)
Harith Iskander is a nationally-renowned actor and comedian. With over 30 years of experience as a stand-up comedian, he is considered to be the ‘Godfather of Stand-Up Comedy’ in Malaysia. In addition to his numerous live and on-screen performances, Harith is also one of few Malaysians with a Netflix special, titled I Told You So (2018).
JIT MURAD (Cast Member: Captain, Screenwriter, Original Play)
The late Jit Murad was widely-regarded as one of the brightest voices in Malaysian theatre. His writing, replete with warmth and wit, earned him a level of acclaim that few across the nation could match. Jit was best known for his plays Gold Rain & Hailstones, Visits, The Storyteller, Malam Konsert, and the award-winning Spilt Gravy on Rice. He was also recognised for his acting, having appeared in films such as Mat Gelap (1990), Selubung (1992), Beyond Rangoon (1995), Mimpi Moon (2000) and Talentime (2009).
Jit co-founded The Instant Cafe Theatre Company and served as co-director of Dramalab, where he helped nurture Malaysian writing. He held a Bachelor’s degree in Urban sociology and a Masters in Art History. Numerous Malaysian talents and industry leaders mourned Jit’s passing in February 2022, with national arts & culture publication Dewan Budaya comparing his death to “Malaysia losing a crown jewel of the arts.”
Jit Murad played the Captain in the original stage production of Spilt Gravy On Rice.
DATO’ ZAHIM ALBAKRI (Cast Member: Zakaria, Director, Screenwriter)
An acclaimed actor and theatre director, Dato’ Zahim Albakri is the artistic director and executive producer of Dramalab, as well as a founding member of Instant Café Theatre Company. He has appeared in a number of television, theatre and film productions. His accolades for acting and directing include winning Best Actor at TV3’s Anugerah Skrin for his role in Odissi (1999), and five Boh Cameronian Arts Awards for his work in theatre: Best Solo Performance for Huzir Sulaiman’s The Smell of Language (2004), and Best Director for Spilt Gravy on Rice (2002), Separation 40 (2005), Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical (2006) and P. Ramlee The Musical (2007). He received the prestigious Anugerah Seni Negara for Theatre Directing in 2006 and the Darjah Dato’ Paduka Mahkota Perak in 2008, which earned him the honorific Dato’. Highlights from his experience directing for the st
Dato’ Zahim’s stage performances range from acting in PH7’s critically-acclaimed staging of Julia Cho’s The Language Archive (2016), to narrating Khazanah Research Institute’s star-studded musical showcase Malam Terang Bulan (2014-15). Dato’ Zahim was professionally consulted on the establishment of PJ Live Arts (PJLA) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, where he served as its first artistic director from 2008 to 2011.
He is also a council member and Vice President of the Malaysian Heritage Trust.
Zahim Albakri directed all three runs of Spilt Gravy On Rice, and also took over from Charon Mokhzani in the role of Zakaria for the restaging of the play.
JUNE TAN (Screenwriter)
June Tan has a degree in Biology from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. Before screenwriting, June worked in corporate finance, software management, toxic waste management and renewable energy. June uses her diverse background to help create the varied lives and experiences for the different characters in her scripts. She has written for all major Southeast Asian platforms – Netflix Asia (The Ghost Bride, 2020), iflix now WeTV (Ombak Rindu, 2019), Viu Malaysia (The Bridge Asia 2020; Seribu Nina, 2022), Disney+, Astro and Channel 5 in Singapore. June’s film credits include writing for Interchange (2016) and Split Gravy. She is also active in the performing arts scene with the arts collective, Five Arts Centre, and is a producer for the collective’s experimental work.
ZARUL ALBAKRI (Executive Producer)
Zarul produced Matinya Seorang Patriot (1983), Kembara Seniman Jalanan (1986), and Mat Gelap (1990) which he also directed. Zarul’s screen appearances include Abang 92’ (1993) and Sangkar (2019). He currently co-owns OurBodySpace, a boutique studio in Kuala Lumpur dedicated to community wellbeing and healing.
CINEMA DISTRIBUTION LIST
W. P. Kuala Lumpur
GSC Mid Valley Megamall GSC NU Sentral
GSC Melawati Mall
GSC Berjaya Times Square TGV KLCC
TGV Cheras Selatan
TGV Wangsa Walk
TGV 1 Shamelin
TGV Aeon AU2 Keramat DADI Pavilion Bukit Bintang*
Selangor
GSC 3 Damansara* GSC Paradigm Mall PJ TGV
Bukit Tinggi
TGV Aeon Rawang TGV DPulze
Putrajaya
GSC Alamanda
Melaka
GSC Dataran Pahlawan MMCineplex Mahkota Parade
Johor
GSC Paradigm Mall
TGV Aeon Tebrau
Paragon Cinemas Batu Pahat Mall
Pahang
GSC Kuantan City Mall* GSC Star Mentakab
Perak
GSC Ipoh Parade
TGV Aeon Taiping MMCineplex Kerian Sentral
Kedah
GSC Amanjaya
Pulau Pinang
TGV Gurney Paragon
Terengganu
LFS Kuala Terengganu
Sabah
GSC One Borneo Growball
Sarawak
GSC Cityone Kuching TGV Imperial Miri
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MAIN STAR DATO RAHIM RAZALI AND DATO KEE HUA CHEE
PHOTOS FROM THE MOVIE 'SPILT GRAVY'
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