Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa (2010)


Original link: www.youtube.com

This film, which tells the story of one of my ancestors, Merong Mahawangsa, is expected to hit the cinemas in Malaysia, the UK and US on 30 September this year.

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa or The Kedah Annals is an ancient Malay literature that chronicles the bloodline of Merong Mahawangsa and the foundation of the Malaysian state of Kedah. Although there are historical accuracies, there are some assertions. The era covered by the text ranged from the opening of Kedah by Merong Mahawangsa, allegedly a descendant of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, until the acceptance of Islam.

Merong Mahawangsa was a Hindu and there were nine Hindu rulers before Phra Ong Mahawangsa converted to Islam in 1136 and took the name Sultan Mudzafar Shah. The annal also describes Chola's attack on Kedah. The descendants of Phra Ong Mahawangsa, whom are still ruling Kedah, are able to trace their lineage from Merong Mahawangsa.

The film focuses on how General Merong Mahawangsa is charged to escort a Byzantine Roman prince on his way to marry a Chinese princess of the Han Dynasty in Langkasuka. Soon, they encounter various difficulties as the princess is kidnapped, and Merong Mahawangsa and his group of soldiers are attacked. The film will be released as The Malay Chronicles for the international audience. I look forward to seeing it!

2 comments:

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Skyjuice:)

This seems to be interesting. I am sure this movie will be played in Kochi and I look forward to seeing it.

Many thanks for the information and also for the lovely comment in my post.

Best wishes:)
Joseph

SkyJuice said...

Hi Joseph,

It does, doesn't it? I was thrilled to find out about the film. It'd be interesting to watch a portrayal of one of my forefathers on the silver screen. I hope the film will be played in Kochi, so you do get to watch it.

You're welcome. It's no big deal.

Have a good day! :-)