Chin’s previous movie, “Miss Andy”, featured a transgender woman as the protagonist, and was censored here despite garnering critical acclaim in film festivals around the globe.
Unafraid of tackling so-called “sensitive” issues head-on, the 36-year-old director’s latest offering tells of a Chinese man, Jack (Wilson Lee), and a Malay woman, Sharifah (Qasrina Karim), and how they deal with family members who oppose their relationship.
With dialogue in Cantonese, Malay and Mandarin, “Kongsi Raya” features a star-studded cast that includes Harith Iskandar, Chew Kin Wah, and Erra Fazira.
In the film, Jack’s father (Chew) is strongly against his son’s relationship with Sharifah as he wants him to pass down the family name, besides taking over the family’s intergenerational business.
On the other hand, Sharifah’s father, played by Harith, comes across as open-minded and supportive of multiracial relationships – but only if it doesn’t involve his daughter.
When Jack quits the family restaurant and leaves home, his father fumes at having “lost” his son to a Malay family, whom he claims are lazy beneficiaries of government support.
In contrast, Sharifah’s father accuses Jack’s dad of being money-minded by prioritising the family business ahead of his son’s happiness.
Both fathers, who are celebrated chefs, end up having a cook-off, although the true “winners” are their wives who are more level-headed, empathetic, and readily accepting of their children’s partners.
Despite her husband’s stubborn resolve, Sharifah’s mother (Erra) believes every problem can be solved as long as one does not give up – words of wisdom that inspire the couple to fight harder for their relationship.
And in his bid to obtain Sharifah’s father’s blessing, Jack likens their relationship to that of “kuih seri muka”, saying the top layer, while usually green, can come in different colours and flavours.
It’s a bit of a messy metaphor that suggests love binds people regardless of their culture, much like the variation in colour doesn’t actually change the overall sweet, sticky kuih.
The themes explored in “Kongsi Raya” are surely relatable for the majority of mixed-race couples in Malaysia. And although the fictitious couple’s love prevails despite their families’ irrational “fear of the other”, real life doesn’t always have a happy ending.
Sadly, many Malaysians still oppose interracial marriages, allowing their prejudice and egos to get in the way of family members’ happiness.
Fortunately, as the film exemplifies, with greater compromise and understanding, racial stigma can ultimately be overcome.
All in all, “Kongsi Raya” reminds Malaysians of the beautiful things that can happen when differences are overlooked, and people are embraced as fellow human beings who have the same fears, dreams, and quest for happiness.
‘Kongsi Raya’ is playing in cinemas nationwide.