GAYONG: October Martial Arts Biopic Prod Taps ‘Mat Kilau’ Co-Star For Malaysia’s Answer To ‘Ip Man’!

I highly suggest looking into Malaysian actor Beto Kusyairy’s filmography, particularly if you’re a reader of this website and others like it. One quick-to-point title I’ll throw out is Syamsul Yusof’s Mat Kilau, readily available on Netflix and has Kusyairy joining lead actor Adi Putra in the story of a band of warriors rebelling against British colonial rule in the 1890s.

Kusyairy has one of my more favorite moments in the movie that really got my action fanboy blood flowing and ultimately put him on the map for me as someone I’d like to see more of. That day finally arrived in recent weeks with Sol Pictures Sdn Bhd putting the word out for director Faisal Ishak’s upcoming production of Gayong, taken from the name of the titular Malaysian fighting style of Silat Gayong.

What’s more is Kusyairy will star in the lead role of Silat Gayong grandmaster Datuk Meor Abdul Rahman Daeng Uda Md Hashim; As history tells it according to whatever one may find online these days about historical figures, Meor Abdul Rahman was born in 1915 of bugis descent, and began martial arts training under his grandfather at the age of twelve. After excelling at nineteen, he would finally get to perform the necessary ritual to grant him the title of Mahaguru, thus allowing him to share and spread his teachings.

Gayong will also feature actress Nabila Huda, and actor Mohd Syafie Naswip, along with Indonesian action star Yayan Ruhian and Thai stunt performer Chevanon Phukaokaew. In addition, action sequences will be directed by none other than Ruhian who also played some of the antagonist beats opposite Kusyairy in Mat Kilau.

The news comes by way of a recent press conference announced in multiple Malay/English websites. Here’s more from the New Sarawak Tribune:

Inspired by the life story of the late grandmaster – the first Malay to become a British Navy combat instructor in 1939 – and driven by a desire to honour this national martial arts hero, SOL Pictures Sdn Bhd decided to produce a film about this remarkable figure.

“If Hong Kong has the story of IP Man, who is famous for Wing Chun, it’s time for us to create a film about a local martial arts icon that we should be proud of – the Gayong film,” said executive producer Khairul Anuar Latip.

“To that end, we interviewed the late grandmaster’s eldest daughter, Siti Fadzilah, who shared many fascinating stories and fully supported our efforts to produce this film,” he added.

I also recommend diving in a little more into this dated, albeit English-friendly Blogger platform which talks up quite a bit on all things Malaysian martial arts. From the looks of it, it’s rich with history on the art as well as Meor Abdul Rahman himself and should make for a fun revisit for martial arts fans and film fans alike with a curiosity for history pertinent to the craft.

Given the fifteen years of fan craze Donnie Yen sustained after Ip Man, I’m keen to seeing where Gayong goes. All I know is that I’m probably gonna give Mat Kilau a few rewatches between now and next year to help pass the time, and if you haven’t seen Mat Kilau yet, I advise watching it. Simple as that.

Check out a quartet of preliminary cast photo posters in the gallery below!