Jagat (2015 film)

Jagat (Tamil: ஜாகட், slang derived from Malay word jahat, translated as ‘bad’) is a 2015 Malaysian crime drama film. Set in the early 1990s, the story follows a mischievous 12-year-old boy named Appoy and his relationships with his father, Maniam, and his uncles, former drug-addict Bala and local gangster Dorai. The boy faces pressure from his father to focus on school, but he is drawn to his uncle's life of crime.

The background of the film is a critical period in Malaysian Indian history, the coming-of-age story subtly underlines the plight of the Malaysian Indians community who were forsaken by the estate owners and forced to move to the cities, surviving under harsh circumstances.

The film is directed by Shanjhey Kumar Perumal. He has described the film as semi-autobiographical, having lived for two years in squatter areas with his family. It was released on 17 December 2015 in Malaysia.

The film receives positive reviews from critics. It had won the Best Malaysian Film award in the 28th Malaysia Film Festival in 2016, whereas its director Shanjhey Kumar won the award for Best Director. The film also represent Malaysia at Asean Film Fest 2017.

Plot
The plot centres on Appoy, a spirited kid who would rather watch gangster flicks and make prank calls than memorise his multiplication tables. Desperately trying to keep his son on the straight path, Appoy’s hard-working father becomes increasingly abusive, as the boy is inexorably drawn to the criminal lifestyle of his uncle, a henchman for a local gang. How will their story go?

Production
The film took around 10 years to be completed as the production team faced several financial issues.

Filming
The principal photography for the film was done across 13 different locations in Malaysia. Some of the locations are Klian Intan Pangkalan Hulu, Baling, Lenggong, Grik, Kuala Sepetang, Bukit Rotan, Sabak Bernam, Jasin, Jerantut and Kuala Lumpur.

Music
The film score and soundtrack album are composed by Kamal Sabran and the Space Gambus Experiment. There is also separate soundtrack done strictly for promotional purposes called 'JAGAT Naan Nalla Paiyen'.

Reception
The film was released on 17 December 2015 and is considered to be one of the best Tamil language movies to be made in Malaysia. The film managed to gross a moderate collection in box office despite facing intense competition from blockbuster movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Pasanga 2. It was also the first Tamil-language local movie to screen in cinemas for eight weeks running.

The film available for the international audience through Netflix platform starting from April 2019.

Disqualification in the 28th Malaysia Film Festival
Jagat became a subject of public outrage when it became one of the high-profile films to be disqualified from the Best Film shortlist in the 28th Malaysia Film Festival and lumped in the controversial Non-Bahasa Malaysia categories by the award organisers National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) and Film Producers Association Malaysia (PFM), because it contained less than 70% Bahasa Malaysia dialogue.

The action was deemed to be a "racist" move, as claimed by the president of the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Screenwriters Association (PENULIS), Alfie Palermo. Filmmaker Afdlin Shauki announced on his Facebook page of his boycott to express his dissatisfaction, which was supported by CIMB Group chairman Nazir Razak and Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes. One participating cinematographer, Mohd Noor Kassim, also followed suit; withdrawing his nominations in the occasion and returned two FFM trophies he won in previous editions to FINAS director Kamil Othman during a forum held by the agency in Kuala Lumpur. There had also been calls from both within and out of the film industry to boycott the award ceremony. The assistant-general secretary of the Film Directors’ Association of Malaysia (FDAM) Hafiz Ibrahim resigned in protest of the unfair segregation.