Bara (1999 film)

Bara
Bara
	Poster
Directed by	Yusof Haslam
Written by	Yusof Haslam
Produced by	Yusof Haslam
Starring	Awie; Nasha Aziz; Rosyam Nor; Zamani Slam
Cinematography	Omar Ismail; Omar Man
Edited by	Salehan Samsuddin
Music by	Saari Amri
Production; companies	Skop Productions; Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd
Release date	25 March 1999;
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Malaysia
Language	Malay
Box office	MYR 2.8 million

Bara (English: Embers)^[2] is a 1999 Malaysian Malay-language action romance film directed by Yusof Haslam and starring Awie, Nasha Aziz, Rosyam Nor and Zamani Slam in his acting debut. Rosyam Nor won the Best Supporting Actor award and Nasha Aziz won the best actress at the 14th Malaysian Film Festival. This film was released on 25 March 1999 to positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success grossing MYR 2.8 million.

Plot

Effa almost becomes a victim of prostitution in a syndicate led by Carlos. Effa meets Amri and asks him for help, but she does not go to the police station. Amri and Effa eventually fall in love with each other. One day, Carlos goes up to Effa and interferes with her life so that she will rejoin the syndicate. When Effa unexpectedly dies, Amri becomes the prime suspect. How Amri finds the killer and becomes vindicated forms the rest of the story.^[2]

Cast

Main characters

Awie as Amri, a mechanic & part-time nightclub singer and best friend of Ziman
Nasha Aziz as Effa, a girl from the village who became a victim of Carlos' prostitution.
Rosyam Nor as Carlos, Head of the prostitution syndicate and Effa's killer (main antagonist character)
Zamani as Ziman, Amri's friend & Arni's boyfriend

Supporting characters

Arni Nazira [ms] as Arni, Amri's friend & Ziman's girlfriend
Azza Elite as Mona, Amri's colleague and Effa's housemate
A. Galak [ms] as Father Arni
Raja Noor Baizura as Arni's Mother
Jojet as Jojet, the nightclub bartender
Farid Amirul [ms] as Ah Boon, Carlos's right-hand man
Yank Kassim as Dino, Carlos II's right-hand man
Ning Baizura as Zety, prostitute for Carlos' syndicate
Riezman Khuzaimi as the Mystery Man
Shaharon Anuar Abdul Latif as ASP Saiful
Wendy Wong as Inspector Susan/Nancy
AC Mizal as Hisham, Arni's ex-fiancé and boyfriend
Deen Maidin as Maniam
Shah Slam as Musician
Invite Slam as a Musician
Lili Slam as a Musician
Man Slam as a Musician
Majed Salleh as Club Manager

Production

The character of Effa was offered by Erra Fazira but declined due to personal problems and was replaced by Nasha Aziz.^[2]

Reception

The film was critically acclaimed upon release.^[3] Sajahan Waheed of The New Straits Times called the film "watchable" since it incorporated many of the director's tropes from his previous films and since the plot was used in many films. He praised the acting and music but felt that Awie should have had a more challenging role.^[2]

At the 14th Malaysian Film Festival, Rosyam Nor won the Best Supporting Actor award.^[4]

Home media

The film was telecast on Astro Ria several times between 2000 and 2001.^[3]^[5]

References

^ "A nose for movie grossers". The New Straits Times. 7 October 2000. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Waheed, Sajahan (29 March 1999). "Yusof goes for a stronger plot". The New Straits Times. p. 3. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^ ^a ^b Samat, Hafidah (8 January 2000). "Today on Astro". The New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^ Waheed, Sajahan (28 December 1999). "Astro News". The New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
^ "Yusof Haslam specials". The New Straits Times. 25 April 2001. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.