There’s no stopping this action hero
Hairul Azreen injured his right leg on the set of his new film Wira, but Dennis Chua learns he chose to soldier on
HE may have a baby-faced appearance, but Paskal action hero Hairul Azreen Idris is a true professional. Late last month, he showed how tough he was. He injured his right leg while performing a stunt on the set of his new action film Wira. In a pivotal action scene, the 31-year-old had to leap off the first floor of a building. However, he did not fall as planned and tore a ligament in his right leg. The doctor advised him to take eight weeks of rest, but Hairul chose to cut his medical rest short.
“I only rested for three days. My director Adrian Teh did not have much time left so I told myself to brave it. After all, I could always ease the pain with painkillers and, furthermore, all the heavy stunt work had already been completed before I got hurt,” he said when met on the set of Wira in Sentul Park, Kuala Lumpur recently.
Hairul revealed that his wife, blogger and television host Hanis Zalikha warned him not to over-exert and worsen the injury.
“I appreciate her concern for my wellbeing but I believe in the saying that the show must go on, and that means if you can bear with the pain, you should get the job done as quickly as possible.”
Hairul had also injured himself on the set of Paskal, but got back to work sooner than the doctor and director Teh had expected. “I also rested for three days after injuring my right arm in an action scene in Paskal. What makes me so stoic is my passion for playing action heroes. Action heroes are born to bear pain!”
The father of one began his career as a stuntman, and said that he wanted to inspire his 3-year-old son Yusof Iskandar to be tough and strong, more so since Yusof is awaiting the arrival of a younger sibling in August.
MMA TRAINING
“I believe in the ‘built tough’ outlook,” said Hairul. “If my boy falls down, I encourage him to get up on his own, and withstand the pain, for that’s what I learnt from my parents when I was a kid!”
In Wira, which will be screened by year’s end, Hairul plays Hassan, a former soldier who chooses to help his tomboyish younger sister Zainab, a.k.a. Zain, win a mixed martial arts tournament.
“Hassan’s sister owes money to the unscrupulous MMA organiser Raja, who, together with his henchmen, persistently harassed the family while Hassan was away in the army. Raja has two children who are formidable MMA exponents, and in order to be rid of the debt, Zainab must find a good MMA partner to help her defeat Raja’s children in a rematch. This is where Hassan comes in!” Hassan’s life as a soldier is hardly shown in Wira, and that means Hairul did not have to go for military training. However, he said that the MMA training which he went through was as gruelling, if not more, than the military training he underwent for his role in Paskal.
“Training in Paskal was based on a module. But training in Wira was no holds barred, just like a street fight, and that means I got battered and bruised like mad, sparring with some real-life MMA exponents on the set.
“To get into character, I watched Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible movie series, and observed carefully how he fought the bad guys unarmed. Adrian pushed me hard, telling me to slim down until I was lean and mean.”
Besides undergoing gym training daily, Hairul also watched what he ate and cut down on carbohydrates. “My weight went down quite drastically, since I took only protein, fruits and vegetables. I am now 68kg, down from 75kg three months ago.” To keep himself alert at all times, Hairul underwent a threeminute ice bath almost daily. “That’s a fantastic way to be recharged and energetic. Shock treatment minus the electricity!” Teh said he was amazed with Hairul’s commitment on the set of the RM8 million film.
“He’s a real superman amongst all the actors I’ve worked with, putting the show before everything else. Hairul’s work ethics are amazing, he’s always challenging himself to do better in every scene, and my only ‘grouse’ is that he doesn’t give himself sufficient rest even if he’s hurt,” he said.
ADRIAN TEH’S CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
Besides Hairul, Wira also stars Dewi Remaja 2015 finalist Fify Azmi, Dukun director Dain Said, Josiah Hogan, Hairul’s Paskal co-star Henley Hii, and Indonesian martial artiste and actress Ismi Melinda.
Filming began in April and is scheduled to wrap up this weekend. Most of the scenes are shot in Rawang, Kajang, and Kuala Lumpur.
Wira will be part of Teh’s very own “cinematic universe” involving stories of society’s unsung heroes. He plans to direct four or five such films.
Dain said he was honoured to play a “baddie” for the first time. “I had a cameo in Mrs K some years ago, getting bumped off rather early. This time, I’ll be around for the entire show, but most of the time, Josiah and Ismi do the talking, or rather the fighting,” he said.
Hii, who plays a law enforcer in Wira, said that it felt great to be reunited with Adrian and Hairul in another action-packed, fulnothly-Malaysian story.
Fify said she knew ing about martial arts prior to being cast as Zainab. “I auditioned for this role as I wanted to do something different. I’ve been playing girl-next-door roles all this while, so this action role allows me to snap out of my comfort zone and be a tomboy for a change.”
She also said that the MMA trainers who coached her on the set were “demanding, yet kind” to her. “They had lots of patience with me since they knew I was a beginner. I’m glad Hairul, Josiah and Ismi helped me a lot too.”
For Ismi, Wira marks her second Malaysian film after KL Vampire (which was filmed in 2012 but never released). “I’ve had three years of experience in Muay Thai, so Wira is my kind of film. I’ve become close friends with Fify on the set, and while action films are my favourite, I’d love to appear in some romantic comedies too,” she said.
Wira executive producer and Astro vice president and head of Malay and NusanKhairul tara content, Datuk Anwar Salleh, says action films have always been popular with Malaysian viewers, and that this film explores the world of MMA fighters.
“Wira is meant to be a humanising tale, of the good, bad and ugly of this sport. We’re telling it through the eyes of Hassan, who is not an aspiring champion but a faithful son, who wants to protect his family from gangsters.”
Wira is a co-production of MM Entertainment, Act 2 Pictures, and Astro Shaw.