SULTAN NAZRIN HOPES ‘PASKAL’ GETS A SEQUEL
He hopes sequel highlights more of navy commandos’ heroic missions
ACTION-PACKED navy commando adventure Paskal, which is still going strong in cinemas after almost a month, has been given the royal nod by Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.
Sultan Nazrin, who attended a special screening of the movie with his consort, Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, at a cinema here on Sunday, praised Paskal as “realistic and educational” with “great acting by a well-trained ensemble cast”, according to a news report.
More than 100 cinema-goers joined the royal couple, including the cast and alumni of the University of Strathclyde, the United Kingdom.
“It’s a great movie. Hope there’ll be a Paskal 2. Love it,” said Sultan Nazrin, adding that the sequel could highlight more heroic missions of Malaysia’s navy commandos locally and internationally.
Earlier this month, Paskal attracted the attention of Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, who saw it in Alor Star.
Mukhriz described Paskal as a “great story with quality acting”.
He said it was a must-watch action movie of Hollywood quality, which invoked a sense of patriotism among viewers.
Paskal collected RM2 million on its opening night, RM7.5 million four days after its release and RM22 million after 18 days.
It is the third best-selling local film after Munafik 2 (RM46 million) and Hantu Kak Limah (RM36 million).
Paskal, a joint production by Asian Tropical Films, Golden Screen Cinemas, Multimedia Entertainment, Granatum Ventures and Astro Shaw, depicts the story of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Pasukan Khas Laut (Navy Special Warfare Force), or Paskal, which was formed on Oct 1, 1982.
It focuses on the force’s antipiracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and the Sulu Sea, as well as its peacekeeping missions in Angola, and is based on the experiences of its commander, First Admiral Anuar Alias.
Hairul plays Paskal commander Arman Rahmat, who is based on Anuar, while Ammar Alfian plays his hot-headed teammate Zariff Zairudin.
Paskal also stars Taufiq Hanafi, Gambit Saifullah, Hafizul Kamal, G. Theeban, Henley Hii, Nam Ron, Amerul Affendi, Datuk Eizlan Yusof, Tiger Chen, Steve Yap and Jasmine Suraya Chin.