Adrian Teh (The Wedding Diary, Paskal, Wira) will direct I Am Vash, an original action crime series that will star award-winning talents, actress Sangeeta Krishnasamy (Best Female Actor winner at the 29th Malaysian Film Award, Adiwiraku) and actor Bront Palarae (Gundala, Fly By Night). 108 Media is producing the series with Zainir Aminullah’s premium production shingle Revolution Media as co-producer, with eight one-hour episodes to commence principal photography next May for an early 2023 premiere.
I Am Vash takes its cues from historical events, iconography, and real-life superheroes, written and authentically developed with a cross-border writers’ room for both local and international market appeal, with the show’s dialogue to be primarily written in English and Malay, as well as in Tamil and Cantonese dialects. The series revolves around the crime-ridden seaside town of Port Klang during the groovy 1970s in Malaysia, where we meet Vash, a rebellious policewoman who stands up against societal and political pressures while working the biggest case of her career as she tirelessly hunts down her big whale – an ambitious gang leader creating carnage across the country in his pursuit of dominating the Southeast Asian criminal underworld. Palarae will play Vash’s partner, Rahman.
108 Media’s Justin Deimen, Abhi Rastogi, and Micah Tadena are exec producing with Zainir Aminullah and Anne Low for Revolution Media, along with a creative and producing team spanning from Southeast Asia to Los Angeles, consisting of David Chang, Choong Chi-Ren, Tony Pietra Arjuna, Justin Wong, Shern Chong and Leon Tan.
“A female lead from an ethnic minority in a retro setting with action? That’s intriguing to me as a director. I’m in!“ said Teh.
“I’m so thrilled to be involved in a project that has its focus during an era in which the local criminal justice system faced some of its biggest challenges and notable stories in our country’s history, and I’m even more excited that it’s led by a female protagonist. Here’s to celebrating women in the forces.” Krishnasamy stated.
Palarae, one of the most awarded actors in Southeast Asia adds “I am incredibly excited to work on I AM VASH, bringing authentic Southeast Asian stories and characters to international audiences. And to be able to do it with the team at 108 Media and Revolution Media, I am confident we’re going to make this an awesome experience.”
Deimen, president of production for 108 Media said “A character like Vash is so important for minorities and our communities in the region to rally around and having her played by a stupendous performer like Sangeeta is so motivating to the team. Marrying cultural and commercial ideals can be a driving point for a new wave of region-specific content which extends to global markets and I’m confident audiences will respond to the series’ incredible vibes and intrigue, and its sense of time and place and style longed for but never forgotten.”
Revolution’s Aminullah, who has executive produced global projects like Dirk Gently and The Ghost Bride, also weighed in: “1970s Malaysia was an interesting era with sensational events. I AM VASH is an amazing story interlaced with actual incidents, and we are excited to bring this to the screen.”
108 Media is financing and producing the series, and will handle international sales rights while Revolution, based in Malaysia with a slate of series and feature film projects at home and abroad in North America, Australia and Indonesia, sets domain in Malaysia and throughout Southeast Asia.