The movie earned widespread critical acclaim, including for Best Film at the Malaysian Film Festival in 2016 – the first non-Malay-language film in 28 years to take home the prize.
Now, “Jagat” will be returning to Malaysian theatres in a nationwide re-release on Oct 3. And as an added treat for fans, “Macai” and “Blues” – the film’s two “spiritual sequels” – will be screening in cinemas in the following months.
“Ten years after ‘Jagat’ first reached audiences, we wanted to honour that moment while pushing the story forward,” Sun-J said at a special media screening of “Jagat” at the Lotus Five Star Cinema here recently.
“This is for the fans who watched the original and for new viewers curious about the characters’ choices and the world that shaped them.”
He shared that originally, there had been no plans to release the films in this unique style.
“I was writing ‘Blues’ and ‘Macai’ as separate movies, and one of our friends realised there was a connection with this world and the characters. My producer and I agreed with this, so we decided to release it as the ‘Jagat Multiverse’.”
Sun-J added that the re-released version has been edited to make it more concise without affecting the plot.
Set in the 1990s, “Jagat” is a coming-of-age story focusing on Appoy (Harvind Raj), a mischievous 12-year old boy who prefers watching gangster flicks and playing pranks rather than paying attention in school.
While his father tries to keep him on the straight and narrow, Appoy is drawn to the lifestyle of his uncle, a henchman for a local gang.
“Macai” and “Blues” are being referred to as “spiritual sequels” as they explore alternative life paths or destinies for Appoy. The multiverse aims to explore themes of alternate choices, parallel timelines, and the consequences of character decisions.
In “Macai” – which was nominated for the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam this year – Appoy’s life takes a dark turn as he descends into the drug trade; while in “Blues”, he is reimagined as a driven student who becomes a filmmaker, a path where perhaps his creativity and curiosity are nurtured.
“Macai” is due to be released on Nov 13, while “Blues” will be out on Dec 4.
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