Dark and gritty undercover cops
Producer Datuk Yusof Haslam and the cast of Gerak Khas Undercover tell Dennis Chua about the gritty new spin-off of the long-running crime drama series
ONE of the country’s longest running drama series, Gerak Khas, may have ended after 23 years last March, but its conceptualiser Datuk Yusof Haslam is keeping the brand going with a gritty spin-off on TV3.
Titled Gerak Khas Undercover, the brainchild of his director son Syafiq Yusof, it focuses on the adventures of “supercops”, who infiltrate crime syndicates to take down kingpins.
Combining a mix of old and new cast members, Gerak Khas Undercover stars Erra Fazira, Salina Saibi, C. Kumaresan, Farid Amirul, Datuk Rosyam Nor and Datuk A.C. Mizal from the earlier series, plus newcomers Datuk Aaron Aziz, Datuk Seri Eizlan Yusof, Elizabeth Tan, Raja Afiq and Ruzana Ibrahim.
ORIGINAL IDEA
In a recent online interview, Yusof said Gerak Khas Undercover was about the challenges faced by undercover police officers.
“The syndicates include drug-processing syndicates, firearms smuggling syndicates, illegal immigration syndicates and prostitution rings,” he said.
Yusof, 67, added that the series, which Syafiq conceptualised a few years ago, was directed by a team comprising Kumaresan, Faizal Yusof, Iskandar Kamaludin and M.S. Hakim.
The 30-episode series, which began on Oct 1, is screened at 10.30pm on Fridays on TV3 and video-streaming platform iQiyi. Yusof and Syafiq are the series’ producers.
POPULAR DEMAND
Gerak Khas Undercover was created by Skop Productions for fans who wanted the brand to continue on.
“Unlike the straightforward Gerak Khas, Gerak Khas Undercover has characters, who appear morally ambiguous. Some undercover officers become so convincing as ‘criminals’ that viewers may think they are criminals,” said Yusof.
Filming took place around the Klang Valley over two months before the June 1 Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented, with six episodes completed.
“Eight more episodes are almost complete since the MCO forced us to take a fourmonth break,” said Yusof.
WEIGHT GAIN
During the break, some cast members gained weight and Yusof had to tell them to slim down.
“We are meticulous when it comes to portraying supercops. If they pack on the kilogrammes, they have to get back into shape,” he said.
He added that a lot of shots were required for fight sequences and it took five months to complete all episodes.
“We have two months more to wrap up our first season,” he said.
POLICE APPROVAL
Yusof said as in Gerak Khas, the police also scrutinised the script of every episode.
“Since it is a police drama, their participation is a must. Skop is always thankful for their feedback.”
Yusof and Syafiq wanted to create scenes involving the police and smugglers atsea.
“Unfortunately, the MCO put paid to such plans. However, it wasn’t a major loss, as we made up by increasing the fight scenes.”
MOVIE IN THE PIPELINE
If all goes well, Skop Productions may come up with Gerak Khas Undercover — The Movie next year.
“The film will be a prolonged version of the series, the beginning of a new season,” said Yusof, adding that Skop might also look at recruiting international talents.
He insisted that Rosyam appeared in the latest series, as fans found his character Castillo to be very convincing in Gerak Khas The Movie.
“We have given Rosyam a Hollywood name Tony Bono. He is a major criminal.
“Two of our heroes, DSP Jeslina played by Erra and ASP Salina played by Salina, must bust Tony’s empire in three months.”
ASPIRING DIRECTORS
Yusof chose lesser-known names for his directorial team, as he believed in bringing up promising directors.
“It is my duty to give newcomers a chance to shine.”
Yusof’s elder son, Syamsul, is also involved in the series as the singer of its theme song.
“It is the old Gerak Khas theme. However, Syamsul has given it a haunting reinterpretation to reflect the mood of the series.”
COMPLEX CHARACTER
Aaron plays ASP Zaki, one of the best undercover police officers in Kuala Lumpur.
He said: “Zaki goes deep into the biggest criminal empire headed by Tony and his exwife suspects he has gone to the dark side.
“Consequently, she does not allow their little daughter to see her father.”
Aaron, who had been suffering from a back injury over the last few years, said that he was on the mend and could handle basic fight scenes.
“The fight scenes are a lot lighter than those in KL Gangster. I am happy to be reunited with my mentor Yusof after so many years,” he added.
A MENTOR
Erra said her character Jeslina was a mentor to the new police officers.
“She does take part in the action at times, but she is mostly office-bound.
“What I like about Jeslina is that she is brave, a mistress of disguise and a strategic thinker. Such qualities make her a great leader,” she said.
Erra added that of the new cast members, Elizabeth had shown great potential.
“She is brilliant as the brave Inspector Elly. Elizabeth is multi-talented, a star to look out for.”
WORKING WITH LEGENDS
Elizabeth is thankful to Yusof, Erra and Rosyam for guiding her in her first police role.
“Wow! At first I sang about police in Police Entry, now here I am in Gerak Khas Undercover,” she said.
“I go undercover as a girlfriend of Tony's. He is initially charming, but when he finds out the truth, he gives me hell!”
Growing up watching Gerak Khas, Elizabeth said: “I did a few of the less dangerous stunts, and got bruised a little. I enjoy appearing in action-packed films and Gerak Khas Undercover is a dream come true.”
LAW ENFORCER FOR A CHANGE
Raja Afiq, who plays Tony’s right-hand man Malik, said his biggest challenge was to be “nasty”.
For Ruzana who plays Inspector Rozita, a no-nonsense policewoman who is skilled in martial arts, the series was definitely a great opportunity to show off her kickboxing skills.
“Rozita is a mean law-enforcer, she fights bad guys physically. It is great to play a cop, as I have previously played a communist in Kanang Anak Langkau,” she said.