Interview conducted on 25 February at Cathay Cineplex, e@Curve. Actor-turned-director Farid Kamil makes his directorial debut in "V3: Samseng Jalanan", sequel to Ahmad Idham's "Remp-it", which will be released on 11 March 2010. After a year long wait for the film to be approved due to the Malaysian Film Censorship Board's newly implemented rules on prohibiting elements of street racing, transexuality and homosexuality, the film passed with an 18PL rating and was required a title change (originally titled "Remp-it V3") and some editing. Cinema Online met up with the young talent at the "V3: Samseng Jalanan" press preview recently and this is what he had to say.
Congratulations on your first movie! What are you feeling right now? I feel grateful and relieved! It has been my dream to direct a movie since my studying years in University Technology of Mara (UiTM) and seeing "V3: Samseng Jalanan" on the big screen has been a dream come true. Tell us more about the movie? It's about two close friends who flee towards Kuala Lumpur to get a better life. But things didn't seem to turn out well when they lost in a huge bet and their life takes a turn for the worst. Why did you choose to direct a film relating to mat rempit (illegal motorcycle street racers)? Since "Remp-It", I felt that the culture is a dangerous habit in Malaysia. As I was writing the script, I took on the responsibility to introduce the culture as not many people know the true background and lifestyle of these mat rempits. This movie is just a view of my idea and through it I hope that we can all help to solve the issue together.
It has been rumoured that "V3: Samseng Jalanan" is the last movie with rempit elements? This was a guideline that was given to us by the Home Ministry. I'm not really sure that this is the last movie as I'm just a director and I can't really speculate it. Why Kedah as the filming location besides the Klang Valley? According to my research, the rempits in Kedah are a daring bunch and are not afraid to get into an accident. In your own opinion, why should audiences watch "V3: Samseng Jalanan"? Fans out there need to watch "V3" because it displays various dramatic action sequences that are especially for the movie. The movie is completed with Dolby Digital Surround EX audio recording when the movie was filmed. So this is a must see! "V3: Samseng Jalanan" will race into cinemas on 11 March 2010!