Award-winning director Zulkarnain Azhar conjures horror magic with "Polong"

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Award-winning director Zulkarnain Azhar conjures horror magic with "Polong"

Writer: Nisa Irina

Zulkarnain Azhar brings his cinematic prowess to the horror genre

4 Mar - Drawing inspiration from a true story about the practice of black magic, "Polong" marks the debut horror project for acclaimed director Zulkarnain Azhar, who believes the plot possesses a unique and captivating charm.

Seeing the high market demand for horror genre scripts in the film industry, Golden Star Pictures Sdn. Bhd. (GSPSB) is inspired to produce "Polong" as their inaugural venture into the supernatural genre.

The film explores themes of past sins, legacy, and the inevitable consequences of one's actions, particularly those related to the practice of black magic. "It is not just loaded with horror elements, but becomes symbolic of the darkness that we carry within ourselves, either through past sins or unresolved trauma," Zulkarnain explained when he, along with the producers and actors, were interviewed at the film's launch event held recently at the Damansara Performing Arts Center (DPAC).

The Chief Executive Officer of 10Star Cinemas and executive producer of "Polong," Onn Norshal Hamzah, revealed that the selection of the horror genre for their first project stemmed from the company's confidence in the high demand for horror films in the market.

"Polong" marks the debut horror project for Zulkarnain Azhar

CEO of 10Star Cinemas and executive producer of "Polong," Onn Norshal Hamzah

"The film has gone through a systematic discussion process with a view to its high commercial strength, in addition to being expected to have a competitive impact in the local and foreign film markets in the country. With the quality of storytelling, publishing and the strong market power of the horror genre, GSPSB is confident in our ability to offer variety in terms of works that include all aspects of publishing," he elaborated.

Onn expressed his full confidence in Zulkarnain as a director based on the latter's previous successes with acclaimed films such as "Takluk: Lahad Datu," "Air Force The Movie: Selagi Bernyawa," and "J Revolusi."

"We are confident that this film will definitely be another script that local film lovers who are always thirsty for energetic and commercial works are waiting for. The involvement of 10 Star Cinemas as a distributor and marketing agent for this film will be a strategic step to prepare this film before entering cinemas. We believe that 10 Star, which owns a network of community cinemas as well as a team of experienced distribution professionals, is able to lift films to the target market," he further explained.

Onn added that the film has a budget of RM3.0 million, with RM500,000 allocated specifically for marketing purposes.

Namron, Nadiya Nisaa, June Lojong dan Fad Anuar star in "Polong"

The plot of "Polong" centers on Maria Hadi, a woman who lives with the practice of black magic and her past sins, but tries to find forgiveness at the end of her life. Unfortunately, she releases the "polong" to the wrong people, and after Maria's death, the polong seeks revenge, creating a curse that must be faced by Maria's heirs.

The film features a talented cast of Malaysian actors including Mimi Lana, Fad Anuar, Namron, June Lojong, and Nadiya Nisaa. Filming is scheduled to begin this May.

Cinema Online, 04 March 2025