- 5 hours ago
- #lebaranawani
It’s the second day of Syawal, and the celebrations turn bold! Join Melisa Idris and Hafiz Marzukhi on #LebaranAwani as they speak to Nizam Razak, Founder and CEO of Monsta, on building iconic characters and taking Malaysian animation global. Then, Malaysian professional wrestler Shaukat steps into the spotlight with stories from the ring, the grind, and the man behind the persona.
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00:12LEBARAN AWANI SHAWAL 2
00:30As always, and well, Raya for me
00:32Yes, how's Raya for you?
00:34You have a new baby this year
00:36Exactly, first time celebrating Raya as a family of 4
00:39Along with my mum
00:40So it's been interesting, of course, you know, logistics and everything
00:45But we get everyone to be in the same suit
00:48But Raya is always fun when there are little kids around, right?
00:52Your son is 7 years old
00:54Yes, starting school
00:55And talking about my son, actually
00:58I wouldn't say I'm dedicating this episode to him
01:00But pretty much, he's a fan of Mekamato
01:04And for those who don't know, Mekamato is a local animation project
01:08And by Monster
01:09Monster, that's right
01:10And we all know how big Monster is with Boy Boy Boy
01:13Papa Pipi Zola
01:14Huge
01:14Yeah, so I got the chance to speak to the CEO, the founder
01:19Nizam Razak
01:20And let's hear that conversation with him
01:22B-A-B-A? Papa?
01:26Yeah, Protect and Prevent Agency
01:29Protect and Prevent it pun apa?
01:32Dari serangan makhluk asing
01:41Misi mereka adalah untuk kalahkan manusia
01:44Dengan mengubah bumi menjadi dunia game simulasi
01:51Welcome to Lebaran Awar ni
01:53I'm Hafiz Marzuki
01:54And as indicated earlier
01:56We are joined today by
01:58I would say one of the pillar of a Malaysian institution
02:02Nizam Razak
02:04Who is a Malaysian animator
02:06He's also the CEO of Monster Studios
02:08And founder
02:09Nizam, thank you so much for joining us
02:12Selamat air raya
02:12Selamat raya
02:19Selamat raya
02:20But I guess in the spirit of raya and kebersamaan
02:24And I guess Green is what we decided to go with
02:28Let me start with the conversation by framing it this way
02:33I think it's well documented the success of Monster Studios
02:37Alhamdulillah
02:38And as I said during the introduction
02:40It's one of a Malaysian establishment institution
02:44In the spirit of reflection kan raya
02:47What are you most grateful about
02:49When it comes to what Monster has achieved so far
02:53I think for me what I'm most grateful about is the team
02:58We manage to build our team
03:01So when we first started there's only like 7 of us
03:05Now we have 170 people inside the studio
03:10Mainly production
03:12But we do also have a department like do toys
03:16And diversify sikit
03:19Yeah, it's not only doing animation
03:21That's why dulu nama kita AnimonStar
03:23But now we're only doing animation
03:25We drop the Annie
03:26Which is animation
03:27So now we're only doing animation
03:29So you're not just doing animation then
03:30Yes, yes, yes
03:31So when you know
03:34You're often introduced in Malaysia
03:36As a leader of a successful animation studio
03:39But I'm sure back then you said 17 years ago
03:44Definition of success is different back then
03:47I think back then if you were to be given the vision of today
03:51You'll be like, okay I'm done
03:52But clearly Monster is still ever evolving, ever growing
03:56What is success for you in 2026?
04:01So 2026 the success is actually to
04:04For us as a team
04:05We want to be able to entertain
04:07Not only Malaysian
04:09But the rest of the world as well
04:10But also not to entertain but also to give positive message
04:14You know
04:15Because media is very powerful
04:16You know, everybody is watching
04:18Especially the kids you know
04:19Anak-anak kita you know
04:20Watching
04:20Yeah, yeah
04:22Tengok the tablet, tengok the TV, right
04:24So we want to be able to craft stories
04:26That can have a positive impact in the kids' life
04:29So I think that's success
04:30In terms of messaging, right
04:32So but of course in terms of business
04:34We want to be able to tell our stories
04:36To the rest of the world, you know
04:39So we have Malaysia
04:40We know we are quite doing okay
04:42In South Asia region
04:43So hopefully we want to go
04:45We are also in China, in Japan
04:47But hopefully our IP can travel further
04:49I don't want to out myself
04:51By saying that I'm a fanboy
04:53You know
04:55Because back in 2022
04:57When Mecha Matu first appeared
04:59Or rather the first season
05:00Or rather the first season
05:01Masa tu kan like
05:02Like just after post pandemic
05:03Yeah, yeah, yeah, betul
05:04My son was watching
05:06And re-watching
05:06And re-watching like 18 times
05:08Yeah
05:08So I think
05:09When you say about messaging
05:10For you know
05:11Good messaging for kids
05:13But I think it's also important
05:14To acknowledge the fact that
05:16IPs ataupun stories
05:18Yang dibawa oleh Monsta
05:19Is also
05:20Like family oriented
05:21Was that the intention
05:23From the start
05:24Or it's just somehow
05:26That you kind of
05:27Stumble
05:28So we have this
05:29Konsep
05:30Whereby kita kata
05:32Kids love
05:33Parents approve
05:35But you know what
05:36For the first like
05:3715-16 years
05:39We are more into
05:40We are like
05:41Bo-bo-boi kan
05:41Bo-bo-boi
05:43Mecha Matu
05:44Kan
05:44So they chonen lah
05:45Hero
05:46Anak-anak yang lawan kan
05:47Tapi then
05:48In 2023
05:50The post pandemic
05:5221
05:52Macam tu
05:53We start to explore
05:54What about family
05:55Like really family audience
05:56So this is where
05:57Papa Zola lah
05:58So Papa Zola
05:59Last year
06:00We launched Papa Zola
06:01Alhamdulillah
06:02The collection
06:03We are entering
06:04New market as well
06:05So this family
06:08Segment is really important for us
06:09This
06:10We want to
06:10The kids
06:12To be able to watch
06:13Our show
06:14With their families as well
06:15And then
06:16Papa Zola for example
06:17One of the most unexpected
06:19Thing that I have
06:20Dapat lah
06:20Dari comment-comment orang
06:21Dari social media
06:22Dia kata bila dia
06:23Keluar daripada wayang
06:25Anak dia peluk dia
06:26Kata terima kasih
06:28So
06:28So
06:29Isteri peluk
06:30Dia punya
06:32Suami
06:32Suami
06:33Anak peluk suami
06:34Takat terima kasih
06:35So I think this is very very
06:36Touching lah
06:37You know
06:37We know that there are certain
06:39Elements of
06:40Kesedihan
06:40Tapi tak sangka orang
06:42Sama betul-betul nangis lah
06:43I think family bonding time lah
06:45And then when you talk about family kan
06:47Of course
06:47Raya
06:48And all
06:50Is
06:50Monster
06:51Raya
06:52Like
06:53Do you actually slow down
06:55During the festive season
06:56Or is
06:57I mean
06:58You have
06:58Plans that you need to work on
07:00Or you know
07:01How is it like
07:02Is that a slowing down
07:03During the festive season
07:04Or
07:05Is business as usual
07:06I would say
07:07Ramadan yang kita slow down
07:09Okay
07:09So Ramadan is that
07:10Okay let's
07:13Relax sejap
07:14But not really direct
07:15We go into planning
07:16Planning mode usually
07:18So then after
07:19Raya
07:19We know a bit busy
07:20Then we're gonna start again
07:21So Raya pula
07:22And Ramadan kan
07:23They always go earlier
07:23So usually
07:25Our busiest
07:27Period
07:27Selalunya during
07:28Cuti Sekolah lah
07:29Bulan 6
07:30Bulan 12
07:31That's our busiest period lah
07:32But Ramadan usually
07:33We try to relax a little bit
07:35Do a lot of planning
07:36Retreat a little bit
07:37Before we
07:38Go
07:39Go again
07:40After Rahim
07:41So
07:42Here's a bit about
07:43The challenge of leading
07:45Monsta Studios
07:47What do you find
07:48To be the most
07:51Challenging
07:51Is it
07:52Is it
07:53Finding the right talent
07:54Is it
07:55The business aspect
07:57Or is it
07:58You know
08:00How hard it is
08:01To come up with
08:02Creative stories
08:02What was the biggest challenge
08:04As a leader
08:05I think
08:06For us
08:08We
08:09We want
08:09To be able
08:10To penetrate other markets
08:11Right
08:12You know
08:12It's very hard to find talent
08:14That have the experience
08:17And sometimes
08:18The
08:19Willingness
08:20To go into other markets
08:21You know
08:21For example
08:22If you want to go into
08:23Malaysia market
08:23It's our home round
08:25We have a lot of advantages
08:26Over here
08:27But if you want to go into
08:28Different market
08:29You are
08:30Foreigners
08:31There right
08:32Also they have established
08:33Establish
08:34It's there
08:35Yeah
08:35So it's very tough
08:37For us to go into other markets
08:39But Alhamdulillah
08:40In a few countries
08:40We are doing pretty well
08:41So I think the toughest thing
08:43Is to get
08:43A group of people
08:45You know
08:45Training
08:47Let's go together
08:47Because I also don't have
08:49That kind of experience
08:49This is our first time
08:51So
08:51Kita sama-sama
08:52I think
08:53That's one of the toughest
08:53But Mika Wattu is doing well
08:55In Japan
08:55And I think Papa Zola
08:57Papa Zola also does well in other segments
09:00Yeah
09:01Was that
09:02In the
09:03Conceptualization of that?
09:04Were you
09:05Creating stories
09:07That appear
09:08Across
09:09For a lack of better word
09:11Country borders
09:11Or
09:12You just happen to do it
09:13And a good story happens to
09:15Just
09:15Boy Boy Boy yes
09:16Boy Boy happens to be lah
09:17So
09:18Of course
09:19We start
09:20Boy Boy
09:21Lepasatu I pun baru
09:2220 plus years old
09:24Okay
09:24Just about tell a good story
09:26Tell a good joke
09:26And then it became popular
09:28So then we need to strategize lah
09:30So Boy Boy
09:31You see the foundation of Boy Boy
09:32More into South Asian country lah
09:34So Malaysia, Indonesia
09:35Vietnam
09:36Brunei, Singapore
09:37You know
09:38So these are the areas
09:39Boy Boy can really excel
09:40But then we gain the experience
09:42From Boy Boy
09:43So there are certain things
09:44That you gain from Boy Boy
09:45You cannot apply back to Boy Boy
09:47Because it will change a lot
09:48Of their story
09:49A lot needs to be undone
09:51And
09:52Retool again
09:53So that's not practical right
09:54So then we introduce
09:55Mechamato
09:56So when we introduce
09:57Mechamato
09:57When we design Mechamato
09:58We actually work closely with the Japanese
10:00You know
10:01Learn from them
10:02And we want to target
10:04North Asia market
10:05That's why
10:06Mechamato
10:06Can go into Japan
10:07Can go into Korea
10:09Can go into China as well
10:10And
10:11Getting good numbers as well
10:13Over there
10:14But for Papa
10:15It's different
10:15No single IP
10:16That can sort of
10:18Can be target to the whole world
10:19To the whole region
10:20So
10:20Bawa Boy is more South Asian
10:21I would say
10:22Maybe one day
10:23It can go into North Asia
10:25But
10:26For Mechamato
10:26More for North Asia
10:27More for international
10:29Market
10:29For Papa Zola
10:30It's different
10:30Papa Zola
10:31We are targeting more global south
10:32You know
10:32So
10:34Our region
10:37Middle East
10:39Latin
10:39So
10:40You look at Papa Zola
10:41Muka dia
10:49Muka dia
10:50Papa Zola
10:50So Papa Zola
10:52It looks like
10:52From Middle East
10:54So the people
10:54From Middle East
10:55Then we actually presented
10:56To European
10:57Italy
10:58You know
10:58Like
10:58So we thought
11:01Okay Papa Zola
11:02Actually
11:03It's quite universal
11:05But not to the European
11:07Market
11:07Not to the Western Market
11:08More to the
11:09The global south
11:10The other markets
11:11Termasuk European
11:12I think
11:13When we look at
11:14Monsta
11:15And I think
11:15I'm talking like
11:16In terms of
11:17Young Malaysians
11:18They
11:18Like you
11:20Back then
11:21You don't have
11:21We can't look at Monsta
11:23But these days
11:24They look and they can see
11:25Like
11:26Oh Monsta
11:27I can be that
11:28I can do that
11:29What do you think
11:30That
11:31A helpful lesson
11:33For people
11:34Who
11:34Simpan those dreams
11:36Of me
11:37Because
11:37I think usually
11:38I think kita Malaysians
11:39We are white
11:40We are quite like
11:41You know
11:42Maybe we are just
11:43You know
11:44Dekat level
11:45You know
11:46National right
11:47But you are
11:48Pushing boundaries
11:49Not just
11:50Malaysia, Japan, Turkey
11:51I understand
11:52Middle East
11:53Latin America
11:54I mean who would
11:55Have taught Chile
11:56Or Brazil
11:57Would be a market
11:58What would
11:59Your advice
12:00Or your lesson
12:01To be given
12:02This kid
12:03So this advice
12:04I think
12:04Advice that I have given
12:05to myself
12:05I say
12:08You are
12:08You are
12:08You are
12:09You are
12:09You are
12:10You know
12:10Always
12:10So why not
12:15Dream big
12:16And
12:17Dreaming is not enough
12:18You need to assemble the thing
12:19You need to have the vision
12:20You need to have
12:21The
12:23Willingness
12:23To work towards you
12:24But it is not guaranteed
12:25You know
12:26In the spirit of
12:27Raya ni pun
12:28Kita hanya
12:29Berdoa kepada Allah
12:29Kita berusaha
12:30Tapi yang kita berusaha
12:31Berusaha yang terbaik
12:32Terpaling baik
12:34Sebab
12:34You know
12:34All the big companies
12:35You know
12:36The likes
12:36From Hollywood
12:37From Western
12:38They
12:39Sometime
12:40They can achieve that
12:40In 10 years
12:41Sometime
12:42They can achieve in 20 years
12:43But
12:44Most big companies
12:4530-40 years
12:46Mostah
12:47Tahun ni
12:49Baru habis SPM
12:50Baru habis SPM
12:51Baru kata 5
12:52So
12:53Hopefully
12:54We will drive
12:55To certain
12:57Threshold
12:57Perhaps
12:58Then the next generation
12:59Will continue
12:59Hopefully insya Allah
13:01So
13:01It is what we think
13:02Just try our best
13:03Talking about
13:04The next generation
13:05If we were to zoom out
13:06Where are we
13:07In terms of
13:08Malaysian animation
13:09Are we
13:10I think
13:11I like to think
13:12That we are growing
13:13But
13:13I don't know
13:14Maybe some critics may say
13:15We are just
13:17Stuck on
13:17In the same mindset
13:18But
13:20As a
13:21As a critical player
13:21In the industry
13:22How would you describe
13:23The state of
13:24Malaysian animation
13:26Okay
13:26Very good question
13:28We have seen
13:30Success after success
13:31So it is not only
13:32Bobo
13:32Papa Zola
13:33We have different IP
13:34We have
13:35OpenNDP
13:36D.D.M.French
13:37So these are
13:38IP that I think
13:39Can go beyond
13:40Malaysia's border
13:41So I think
13:42It is a very good sign
13:43That actually
13:44We can
13:45Push our stories
13:46And there are
13:47Demands out there
13:48They want to
13:49Okay for example
13:51Let's not look at
13:51Malaysia
13:52Let's look at
13:53The Korean industry
13:54So
13:55K-pop Demon Hunter
13:56So you look at
13:57If
13:58I will
13:59I will tell you
14:0010 years ago
14:01Or 20 years ago
14:02Sorry
14:02Sorry
14:0330 tahun lepas
14:04Kalau cakap
14:05Okay
14:05Satu hari nanti
14:06The
14:06Apa yang paling besar ialah
14:08The K-pop wave
14:10Termasuk animation
14:11Drama
14:12Music
14:13I think
14:13Waktu itu kita dengar
14:14More from the Western
14:15But you see
14:17How they actually transform
14:18And manage to be accepted
14:19Into the world
14:20So actually
14:21The world right now
14:22I think they want
14:22Different kind of story
14:24You know
14:24Not only from the west
14:25Part of the world
14:27The Japan side of the world
14:29Maybe right now
14:30They want to see
14:31More than South Asian
14:32Part of the world
14:33It's our story
14:34So I think
14:34There will be more and more
14:35Demand
14:36Just need to be able
14:37To reach certain quality
14:39For us to be able
14:40To supply that demand
14:42I think
14:43I think it's easy
14:44For you know
14:45People to say
14:45Oh you know
14:46Just create
14:48New IP
14:49If like
14:49You know
14:50If this IP doesn't work
14:51Create new IP
14:52Could you like
14:53Pick a bit
14:54Share
14:55How hard it is
14:57To not just create an IP
14:58But maintain the quality
15:00Of IP
15:00And ensuring the success
15:02Of the IP
15:03Because
15:04It's easy to say
15:04Oh we just create a new character
15:06You know
15:06More characters means
15:07More money
15:07More movies
15:08More work right
15:09But maybe you can
15:10Provide us a bit of insight
15:12In terms of how measured
15:13That we need to be
15:15When it comes to
15:16Yeah
15:17There's no guarantee right
15:18So if you have a big success
15:19For example
15:21Papa Zola the movie right
15:23That's movie one
15:24You know
15:24So what about movie two
15:26You know
15:26Tak tahu lagi
15:27Kalau you buat
15:28And you take it for granted
15:29You leka
15:30You cakap okay
15:31People will accept
15:32Because we are monster
15:33Because this is Papa Zola
15:34You know
15:34It's not guaranteed
15:35Because there are other IPs
15:37That have sequels right
15:38Nombor 1 band
15:39Nombor 2 band
15:40Nombor 3
15:40Kurang
15:41Then the brand
15:42Will be tarnished
15:43After that
15:43That diluted
15:45You know
15:45And then
15:46Satu lagi lah
15:46Kalau best
15:47Then best
15:47Same IP
15:48For example
15:49Boy Boy Movie 1
15:502, 3, 4, 5
15:51Orang pun akan rasa fatigue
15:52Orang rasa bosan kan
15:54So we need to diversify
15:55So in 2019
15:57We released Boy Boy Movie 2
15:59So the logical thing to do
16:01Is to go to Boy Boy Movie 3
16:02So we decided not to
16:04Because for us
16:04In the long run
16:05If you keep on doing that
16:06People will get bored
16:07You know
16:08So we need to
16:09Have a different
16:10Projek
16:11So we introduced
16:11Mecca Matuk
16:12Then we
16:13Go to Papa Zola
16:15You know
16:15Because I think
16:16People want to have
16:17Different kind of experience
16:19From our IPs
16:20So
16:21But every time
16:22You do it
16:22It's very nerve-wracking
16:24You know
16:24Because it's not guaranteed
16:26For example
16:26Papa Zola
16:27So
16:28We were not confident
16:30I mean
16:31For us
16:32If we get certain number
16:33You know
16:33That's already good enough
16:34You know
16:35But we couldn't
16:36I didn't
16:37Dream of
16:38Sampai
16:39Nampu
16:40Berapa Juta
16:40Right
16:41So
16:42Every time
16:43Kita buat tu
16:44Memang ada
16:44Risiko yang sangat-sangat besar
16:46There's a bit of fear
16:47There's a bit of fear
16:48A lot of fear
16:48So bila kita dah nampak
16:50Okay actually
16:51They start to pick up
16:52Then kita rasa lebih lega
16:53Not because of the box office
16:54Because the acceptance of our IP
16:56So because
16:58For example
16:58Kita buat Papa Zola
16:59Maybe
17:00Orang kata
17:01I didn't ask Papa Zola
17:02I really want
17:03Boboiboy
17:04I really want
17:04Mechamato
17:04Why you
17:05Buat Papa Zola
17:06And we go into ordinary hero
17:08Boboiboy elemental hero
17:10Mechamato
17:10Amat hero
17:11Very fighting
17:12Bare silat
17:13Tapi Papa Zola
17:14Very ordinary
17:15You look at the story of Papa Zola
17:16Delivery guy
17:18Struggling father
17:18Of course
17:19We inject
17:20Ex-operative
17:22Alien invasion
17:23But
17:24It's a huge reach
17:24But Alhamdulillah
17:25I paid
17:25But
17:26But
17:28And I think
17:29The thing about
17:29Is this monster animation
17:31World
17:32Or
17:33Universe
17:34Right
17:34I think is unique
17:35In the sense that
17:36You guys have
17:39Just keep on creating characters
17:41Within the universe
17:42Is that something
17:43If you don't mind sharing
17:44Is that something
17:45That you will be
17:46Moving forward with
17:47Is that what it is
17:48Can we expect
17:50You know
17:52What's next for Monsta
17:53When it comes to
17:54Like IP
17:54Punya creation
17:55You know
17:56Are you just centering on this universe
17:58Or
17:58You consider
17:59Building other universes
18:01Yeah so
18:02For us
18:03What we call the Monsta Universe
18:05Right
18:06So this fictional universe
18:07We started with Boboiboy
18:08Then kita tengok bapak dia
18:09Amato
18:10Amato
18:11Spoiler alert
18:12Ha
18:12Tapi
18:12I was shocked
18:15So Amato
18:16So Amato
18:17The story is about
18:18When Amato was small
18:19By Boboiboy
18:20Right
18:20Then dalam Boboiboy
18:21We have Papa Zola
18:22Then we take out Papa Zola
18:23To become a standalone IP
18:25Standalone show lah
18:26So
18:27In Papa Zola pula
18:28Kita ada otoy
18:29Kan
18:29So during Ramadan ni pun
18:30Ramadan baru ni
18:32Kita release actually otoy
18:34As character yang
18:35Lebih ke arah
18:36Ramadan
18:37Ke arah Islamic
18:38So
18:38We are very
18:39Character focus
18:40Character centric
18:41As a company
18:42Because for us
18:43If the character is interesting
18:45Ramai orang nak tahu tentang
18:46Apa character tu buat
18:48Kan
18:49So we focus on the character
18:50And then from the character
18:51Then we build story around the character
18:53And then this story
18:54Will be interconnected
18:55With other stories lah
18:57Some connection are very strong
18:59Macam
19:00Boboiboy Amato
19:01Some might be less strong
19:02Tapi they belong to the
19:04Same
19:05Monsta Universe
19:06I hate to bring this into the
19:08Conversation
19:09But I have to
19:09Because I'm such a big
19:11Movie buff
19:12And also animation
19:13But when you look at Malaysia
19:17And what you're doing with
19:18Monster
19:18And when you compare it to other
19:20For example Disney
19:22Disney had this issue where
19:24They were just pumping too many things
19:27What are the lessons learned that
19:29You can learn from that episode
19:31Because there was a time
19:32Marvel was just producing like
19:34Five, six TV shows a year
19:37And
19:38You know
19:38People
19:38Reception
19:40Is quite bad
19:41On the
19:41On the scene
19:42What are the lessons learned
19:44From that?
19:44So
19:45For example in our
19:47Character's lineup right
19:48So there's one character called
19:49Masmana
19:50So Masmana ni belong to
19:52Mechamato punya
19:53World lah story
19:54So people want to see
19:56More Masmana
19:58But then we have to ask ourselves
20:00You know
20:00Sometimes what people want
20:01Is not what people gonna
20:03Enjoy or like
20:05Right
20:05For example Masmana
20:06They don't know what you want
20:07So they have the mysterious
20:09Aura
20:09So I wonder to myself
20:12And I tell from my team
20:13If we take Masmana ni
20:15Make it a standalone
20:16Adakah dia cukup ke
20:17That
20:18Kekalkan mysteriousness tu
20:20So
20:20Because the origin story
20:22Of course
20:23We plan to develop
20:24Right
20:24But there are certain
20:25Consideration that
20:26We have to take
20:26For example like
20:28People will say
20:28Okay let's go
20:29Boy Boy V3
20:30Boy Boy V4 V5
20:31But if you want to
20:32Lampu banyak
20:32Adakah nanti
20:33Orang akan rasa fatigue
20:34So these are the things that
20:36On Monsta
20:37I think we are pretty
20:38Early days
20:39You know
20:40So early days we have
20:41Boy Boy, Mechamato, Papa Zola
20:43We do have other characters line up
20:45So I think people
20:45Can get excited
20:46But we also very careful
20:48Not to make sure
20:49It's not diluted
20:50So it's not
20:51That long
20:52It's come from that
20:53Two letters
20:54The time has come from
20:55The two letters
20:55That I guess
20:56Elibators will be
20:58Worried about
20:58AI
21:00Keen to hear your take
21:02What you make of AI
21:04Is AI
21:05Something that
21:06Monsta Studios
21:07Is
21:07Utilizing
21:08And
21:10What are your thoughts
21:11About
21:11You know
21:12AI
21:12Producing
21:13Or rather
21:15Taking away
21:17Animations
21:18What's your take on that?
21:19Okay
21:19AI
21:20This conversation of
21:21AI
21:22I still remember
21:24In 2023
21:26So we have a town hall
21:28So I can talk about AI
21:29Masa tu baru lagi
21:29I think
21:31Very very
21:32Very
21:32About generative AI
21:34So I think AI
21:36Dia kena differentiate
21:37Right
21:38So there are kind of AI
21:40Yang you boleh guna
21:41You know
21:41Macam for research
21:42You know for market study
21:44Itu boleh
21:45Tapi yang jadi issue lah
21:46Data
21:47Semua tu kan
21:47Crunch data
21:48Take away
21:49Benda yang tedious
21:50You know
21:50We need to be able to do that
21:52Tapi ada pula AI
21:53Yang menggunakan
21:55Dia punya data tu
21:56Datang daripada
21:57Data yang sumber
21:59Yang tidak sah lah
22:00Sort of
22:01Basically any
22:01Bond star punya
22:02IT set
22:04For example
22:04I wouldn't want
22:05People
22:06To take my movie
22:07Our movie
22:08Put into data
22:09And then start
22:10Let the machine learning
22:11Learn and then
22:12Produce same output
22:13As us
22:14We don't want that
22:14So we also don't want
22:15To make
22:16We don't want to use other people
22:18Without their consent
22:19So the issue is about consent
22:20You know
22:21Machine learning
22:22Ethical lah
22:23Sebenarnya ialah satu issue
22:24Ethical
22:25Ethics punya issue
22:26So
22:26We can use AI
22:28Tapi
22:28Kena tengok
22:29Apa bergunaan tu
22:31Dan adakah
22:31Consent
22:32In terms of generative AI
22:34I would
22:35You know
22:35We are so amazed
22:36With AI
22:36Tapi again
22:38AI is artificial intelligence
22:40Real intelligence
22:41At manusia
22:41Dan manusia
22:42Can really connect
22:43You know
22:43For me lah
22:44I still believe that
22:45Kreativiti manusia ni
22:47Akan mengatasi AI
22:49Because
22:49AI can never replace
22:51Ya
22:51Sebab kita
22:52So I cerita tentang
22:53My story
22:54To you
22:55Because you're human
22:55I'm human
22:56So I can connect with you
22:57Right?
22:58Kalau AI
22:58Walaupun mungkin dia bagus
22:59Tapi kita tak dapat
23:00That kind of connection
23:01You know
23:01Jiwa
23:01So I think
23:04I always tell my team
23:05Don't worry about AI
23:08Kalau kita kreatif
23:09Insya Allah
23:09Terjaga
23:10Satu lagi lah
23:11AI
23:11I think
23:12It's an advantage
23:13For sort of a smaller company like us
23:15In a global scale
23:16Right?
23:16We can actually compete
23:18With the
23:19Bigger studios
23:20You know
23:21Not to say
23:21Generative AI
23:22Tak
23:22Data for example
23:23You know
23:24Market Study for example
23:26Yes we do have internet
23:28Tapi dulu
23:29You nak upah orang buat research
23:30It's that's
23:30Now you can have
23:315%
23:32Doing the work of 1%
23:34Yes, exactly
23:35Okay, okay
23:36So
23:37Looking ahead
23:39What can we expect
23:40From Monster
23:41Because
23:42Because I understand
23:43That of course
23:43You've prepared a slate
23:45For a certain right?
23:46Is there anything
23:47That you can tease
23:48Or just give a vision
23:50Of where
23:50Actually you're going
23:51With Monster
23:52Because
23:53Seventy years
23:55Insya Allah
23:55There will be another
23:57Seventy years to go
23:58Even more than that
24:01Maybe you can share
24:02What's in the plans
24:04Yeah, so next
24:05Memang
24:05War Boy 3
24:06War Boy 3
24:07Next one
24:09Then
24:09We have
24:10Then
24:11Of course
24:12It's leading
24:13I think
24:13The
24:15Conversion
24:16Of
24:16Boy Boy
24:17With
24:17Makamato
24:19That's the movie
24:21That's the movie
24:21That's the movie
24:23That's the movie
24:23That's the movie
24:25That's the movie
24:26So I think
24:27People are
24:28Looking forward to that
24:29That's also in the plans
24:31In the plans
24:31I see
24:33Maybe before
24:34Before we end
24:35Maybe
24:36You know
24:37Something that
24:37Macam kata-kata
24:39Hikmat
24:40Ataupun
24:41Persanan
24:41To the creative industry
24:43What
24:44What would be
24:45Your advice
24:46In terms of
24:47People
24:48Who have
24:49Ambition
24:50And vision
24:51To do
24:52To do more
24:53Than whatever
24:53That we've seen
24:54What would be
24:56Your advice
24:57You will
24:58Once
24:58That
24:59And you've managed
25:00To create
25:02Institution
25:02Like Monster
25:03I think
25:05For
25:05For me
25:06It's important
25:07For you to follow your dreams
25:08But also
25:09To be realistic as well
25:11You know
25:11So like
25:12Like
25:12Like
25:12I said
25:12We need to
25:14Hidup
25:14Sekali
25:15We need to try your best
25:19As a Muslim
25:20That's your job
25:20Yes
25:22We're going to the akhirat
25:23But in the dunia
25:23It means Allah
25:24So
25:25We want to make it
25:26We want to make it
25:26We want to make it
25:30Let's not focus on the result
25:31But rather
25:32Focus on your hard work
25:33You know
25:35Effort
25:35And then also
25:36My advice is to find
25:37Like-minded people
25:39Maknanya
25:39Macam
25:40Yang ada interest
25:40Sama
25:41Yang willing to go
25:42One step further
25:4410 step further
25:45Together you're
25:45Buat sama-sama
25:46So I'm very
25:48Alhamdulillah
25:49Rezeki saya dah
25:49Saya dapat jumpa ramai orang
25:50Yang macam tu
25:51You know
25:53Sometimes
25:53I'm so surprised
25:54Bila saya
25:55Bayangkan satu project
25:56Macam Pakauzola
25:56For example
25:57Saya bayang level ni
25:58My team yang buat lebih
26:00So because
26:01You have the vision
26:01And then people build
26:02But that's where the
26:04Strength in diversity
26:05People build on your ideas
26:07Alright
26:08Thank you so much
26:08Thank you so much
26:09Nizam for your time
26:10And that was
26:12Nizam Razak
26:13Who is the founder
26:14And CEO
26:15Of Monsta Studios
26:16Sharing his insights
26:17Not just about the future
26:19Of Monsta Studios
26:19But also
26:20The state of the
26:22Malaysian animation industry
26:23That's all for me
26:24Back to you
26:26Oh my gosh
26:27Hafiz I didn't know
26:28Any of that
26:29I didn't know
26:30Monster animation projects
26:32Traveled all the way
26:33To Latin America
26:34Actually that
26:35That was a surprise
26:36To me too
26:36Back when I was talking
26:38To him
26:38But I knew
26:39It would travel to Japan
26:41Et cetera et cetera
26:42But going all the way
26:42And that shows
26:43The strength of
26:44Our Malaysian animation
26:46Amazing
26:46Excited to see
26:48What's next for Monsta
26:49But before that
26:50We also have
26:51Other conversations tonight
26:52But we'll take a short break
26:54Here on Lebaran Awani
26:55Stay tuned
27:16Hi welcome back to Lebaran Awani
27:19I'm Melissa Idris
27:20With me is
27:21Hafiz Marzuki
27:22Yes I hope you have
27:24Have had your feel
27:24Of kuih raya
27:25And lemang
27:26And rendang
27:27All throughout the day
27:28You know I'm sure
27:29Lots of people
27:30Are kind of
27:31Over the raya food
27:32And going back to
27:34What they were doing
27:35On a regular night
27:37It's pretty much
27:37The downtrend of the raya
27:39Absolutely
27:40What would you be doing
27:41If you weren't
27:42Stuffing yourself
27:43With raya food
27:44Well usually
27:44I mean raya
27:45Will be at home
27:46You know talking
27:47To family members
27:48You know entertaining
27:49People coming over
27:51Of course TV
27:51Would be
27:52Mostly on
27:54Will be on
27:54And what will be on TV
27:55Yeah on TV
27:57Everything
27:57That you know
27:59Anything that
27:59My family watches
28:00And interesting tidbit
28:02And you may not
28:03Know this
28:03You know that I'm a fan
28:04Of pro wrestling
28:06I have heard
28:08This before
28:09I feel like I know
28:10This about you
28:11So do you
28:12Just enjoy watching
28:15Wrestling
28:15Or do you
28:16Partake
28:17In the
28:18Activity
28:19Of wrestling
28:20I'm not a professional
28:21But I'm heavily invested
28:23Which means
28:23I actually watch it
28:25Throughout the year
28:25Which means
28:27I'm invested in the
28:28Storylines etc
28:29What do you like
28:30About pro wrestling
28:31Well I think
28:32It's pretty much
28:33Why people watch TV
28:34And movies
28:35For just good
28:36Storytelling
28:37And what you may not know
28:39Actually we have
28:41Quite an interesting
28:42Or intriguing scene
28:44Building up here
28:44In Malaysia
28:45In Malaysia
28:46Yes
28:46In fact
28:47I got a chance to speak
28:48To one of the pro wrestlers
28:50Malaysian Peace
28:51Wow
28:52Let's hear
28:55Look at this
28:56Look
28:57Oh my god
28:59Looks like a David
29:00And Goliath situation
29:01Here
29:04I'm not sure
29:05I'm not sure
29:05If this is what
29:06Shawkat was expecting
29:07When he issued
29:08That global challenge
29:10Yes Mel
29:11As indicated
29:12Here I am
29:13With
29:14Malaysia's very own
29:16Pro wrestler
29:17Shawkat
29:18Thank you so much
29:19Shawkat for being
29:20Here with us
29:21Of course
29:22Shawkat is
29:22The founder
29:24Of pro wrestling
29:25In Malaysia
29:26And other than that
29:26He's also the founder
29:27Of APEC
29:28Wrestling
29:28Of course
29:29But before that
29:29Before we delve further
29:31Into your journey
29:31First of all
29:32Selamat Hari Raya
29:35Before we delve further
29:36Into your journey
29:37I think
29:38There's this misconception
29:39Or rather
29:40Like every time
29:41Because as I've
29:42Told to my colleague
29:43That I'm a fan of pro wrestling
29:45And every time
29:46If let's say
29:46I was to
29:48Sembang
29:48With kawan
29:49Then they'll have
29:51This comment
29:52Like
29:53Isn't it predetermined?
29:55Isn't it fake?
29:57And my answer
29:58Has always been
29:59Like
29:59It's for the same reason
30:00You watch movies
30:01You watch for the good
30:03Stories
30:03And one of the things
30:05That drew me to actually
30:06Pro wrestling
30:06Is the
30:07Kefeb nature
30:08And I don't think
30:09I'm well positioned
30:11To describe
30:12Kefeb
30:12But maybe
30:13You can start the ball rolling
30:15By explaining
30:16What is it about
30:17Kefeb
30:17Or blurring the reality
30:18Yang berdarik
30:19So
30:20Kefeb basically
30:21Is in the
30:22Pro wrestling
30:22Between workers
30:24We call ourselves
30:24Workers
30:25So what we do
30:27Is we try to
30:27Protect
30:28The
30:29The element
30:30Of
30:32Realism
30:32In pro wrestling
30:33So when we talk about
30:34Kefeb it's about
30:35Protecting the business
30:36In a sense
30:37Where you know
30:37We don't try to reveal
30:38That it's predetermine
30:39We try as much
30:41As best as we can
30:41To hide the secrets
30:42Of the industry
30:44But nowadays
30:45In my opinion
30:45In the past
30:46In the past
30:46In the past
30:47I think it's very difficult
30:49To do that
30:50Because
30:51There's information
30:52Everywhere
30:53Just your fingertips
30:54Right
30:54So for me
30:55It's very difficult
30:56But it depends
30:57You can try your best
30:58But I'm pretty sure
31:00That most people
31:01In today's
31:02Day and time
31:03Would definitely know
31:04But just to add on
31:06I think like
31:07Yeah of course
31:08The technical aspect
31:09Of wrestling
31:09Is beautiful
31:11In terms of
31:12The technique
31:12And the moves
31:13That I use
31:13But also there's
31:14The story element
31:15Maybe you can share a bit
31:17About what makes
31:19Pro wrestling
31:20Different
31:20I always describe
31:22Pro wrestling
31:22As action theater
31:23I don't know
31:23If you agree with that
31:25For those who
31:27You know
31:28I have a lot of
31:28Because I'm also
31:29In the film industry
31:30So I'm a director
31:31And actor as well
31:32So I have a lot of
31:33Friends in the industry
31:34Who are also actors
31:35But once they find out
31:36What a beast
31:37Pro wrestling actually is
31:39A lot of them
31:39Memang respect us
31:40Because
31:41Pro wrestling is
31:42Like I said
31:42It's a whole beast
31:44It's not just
31:44Acting for the sake of acting
31:46It's not just performance
31:47It's not just action
31:48But what is the most
31:49Beautiful aspect of
31:50Pro wrestling
31:51Is the art aspect
31:53Of pro wrestling
31:53Because
31:54Imagine
31:55You are a combination
31:56Of a stage actor
31:57And a screen actor
31:58You are performing
31:59For the live audience
32:00And at the same time
32:01Performing for the cameras
32:02So imagine
32:03You have to
32:04Remember
32:05Every single thing
32:06Every single cues
32:07Every single story points
32:08That you need to hit
32:10In the ring
32:10During a match
32:11At the same time
32:12Working for the audience
32:13Making them feel
32:14What you feel
32:14And at the same time
32:16Working for the cameras
32:16So the audience at home
32:18Who watches the videos
32:20Can feel
32:20What you feel as well
32:21Okay
32:22So I know
32:23Why I'm drawn
32:24But what
32:26What makes you
32:27Go into pro wrestling
32:28Because
32:29I'm sure
32:30Growing up
32:31Wrestler
32:32Is not like
32:33One of the
32:33Jobs
32:34Usually
32:36The usual
32:37You know
32:37Doctors
32:38Lawyers
32:39Maybe you can share a bit
32:41About your journey
32:41Into
32:43Venturing into
32:44Pro wrestling
32:45So
32:45Like you mentioned before
32:47Every single time
32:48When I say
32:49That I want to become
32:49Pro wrestler
32:52You know
32:52The only response
32:53That we get
32:54Is often
32:54Is
32:54Kena gelakkan
32:55To laugh at the dream
32:56And then
32:57At the same time
32:58Not just laugh
32:59But there's a lot of skepticism
33:00Like
33:01What is the first wave?
33:03You know
33:03You know
33:03Malaysia
33:04You know
33:04How do you want to become wrestler?
33:11So
33:11For me
33:12When I first
33:12Watch wrestling
33:13I was 4 years old
33:13I remember
33:15Very clearly
33:15I can still remember
33:17That time
33:17Time to
33:18When I first
33:19I remembered
33:19Me
33:19Because
33:19Wt1
33:19Time
33:21Time
33:22Raya
33:22Back
33:23Kampung
33:24Lepas tu
33:25I went back
33:26To WWF
33:29So
33:30Undertaker
33:31I
33:31Was
33:34Walaupun
33:36Budak
33:36To
33:36I knew
33:44Somehow
33:45Umur
33:46that's his performance.
33:47That's always me.
33:48Oh, from the poor?
33:49That's my performance.
33:50You know, like for me,
33:51I'm surprised that
33:52Undertaker and Kane
33:53are not actually brothers.
33:55I'm glad that you...
33:57I'm drawn more to the characters
33:59in Legend and Life
33:59punya watak yang mereka bawa kan.
34:02Like Undertaker, Kamala,
34:03that we have,
34:04Hillbilly Jim at that point kan.
34:06Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan,
34:08Hexor Jim Duggan,
34:09all those guys.
34:10The OGs lah.
34:10The OGs were like very character-character
34:12and I believe that was what initially
34:15brought me to the professional.
34:16So, I mean, okay,
34:17that was the dream, right?
34:18But of course, like,
34:19I mean like,
34:20when did you start the journey?
34:22And how did you start the journey?
34:23Like, I'm sure,
34:24do you actually go to America to,
34:27you know, study?
34:29What's the story behind that?
34:30I would say that,
34:31throughout my whole life,
34:32I've already susun
34:33daripada kecil lagi.
34:35I've already set my mind
34:36I want to become a pro-restler.
34:37Okay.
34:37So, there's no pro-restling
34:38in Malaysia whatsoever.
34:39Memang tak wujud,
34:40even in Saudi Malaysia at that point.
34:42So, the best thing that I could do
34:44is I gravitate myself towards anything
34:46that could be relatable to pro-restling.
34:49So, I delve into martial arts,
34:50I took karate,
34:52I kiddo,
34:53I took Muay Thai.
34:55But all in the quest to be pro-restling.
34:57Yeah, because I,
34:59it's,
34:59because pro-restling is simulated combat,
35:01so what,
35:02by the way,
35:02to get yourself closer
35:03by doing actual combat.
35:04At that point,
35:05I was even working in Malaysia
35:06at one point for Muay Thai.
35:08That was how serious
35:09I was in combat sports.
35:11And then I delve into film making,
35:13I started doing stuns.
35:14I was in a stunt department,
35:15I was a stunt performer.
35:15And all of these are skills and elements
35:19that I know
35:20someday can be translated into pro-restling.
35:23And I was also acting as well.
35:25So,
35:26um,
35:27it's true.
35:28That is what makes me
35:29the wrestler that I am today.
35:31A lot of the pro-restlers,
35:33the veterans in the States,
35:34they are so surprised
35:35by the way I move in the ring,
35:37by the way I act,
35:38by the way I am able to evoke emotion
35:40from the audience.
35:40And I credit all to
35:43starting early.
35:44In martial arts,
35:45and in acting,
35:45and in stuns for me.
35:46Okay.
35:47And, uh,
35:48at age,
35:50twenty-five.
35:52At that point,
35:53still no pro-restling in Malaysia.
35:55That was when I decided,
35:56you know what?
35:57I'm gonna start,
35:58I'm not gonna become pro-wrestling.
35:59Okay.
36:00So, that's when I went outside to the States,
36:02um,
36:02train pro-wrestling.
36:03Okay.
36:04But it was just a crash course,
36:05nothing much,
36:06came back down.
36:07That's when I opened up my PW.
36:09But at that time,
36:10it was called,
36:11Perseketuan Gusti Malaysia.
36:12Perseketuan Gusti Malaysia.
36:13I mean,
36:14it starts as a sports association,
36:15isn't it?
36:16Not really.
36:17It was, uh,
36:18funny story is,
36:19at that point,
36:19I didn't know that you cannot just simply name your
36:21club,
36:22anything,
36:23because, uh,
36:24I'm a buta business,
36:25basically.
36:26I didn't know the such thing as,
36:27as ROS,
36:29or any,
36:30registrar,
36:31and stuff,
36:31and everything.
36:32So,
36:32I just put the sign board and everything,
36:34like,
36:34Perseketuan Gusti Malaysia,
36:35until I receive a letter,
36:36like,
36:36excuse me,
36:37you cannot use this name.
36:38I see.
36:39Then,
36:40I rebranded it to my PW.
36:42So,
36:43I think,
36:44there's also,
36:44there's interesting story,
36:46if you were to look into,
36:47like,
36:47I understand that you actually met,
36:49at Booker T,
36:50and for those who don't know,
36:51Booker T is actually one of the,
36:52I would say,
36:53historic,
36:54pro wrestlers,
36:55back in the 2000s,
36:57I mean,
36:57it's famous.
36:58Maybe you can share a bit of your,
37:00you know,
37:00your encounter with him,
37:01and what led to,
37:02you know.
37:03So, at that point,
37:04WWE was still being shown on national TV,
37:08at that point.
37:09So,
37:09this specific channel,
37:10they made a contest,
37:12cosplay a pro wrestler.
37:13If you win,
37:14you can get lunch with Booker T.
37:16So,
37:16I cosplay as a king,
37:18and then I won,
37:19and I had lunch with him.
37:21So, we had this conversation,
37:22and I asked him the same question.
37:23I said,
37:23I want to become a pro wrestler,
37:25but here in Malaysia,
37:26we don't have any.
37:27So,
37:28he gave me a simple advice.
37:29He said,
37:29you can do two things,
37:31either you come over to the States,
37:33and you train to become a pro wrestler here,
37:35or you yourself start to become a pro wrestler in Malaysia.
37:37So,
37:37that was actually what inspired me to start my journey.
37:40I see.
37:41So,
37:41okay,
37:42starting the journey,
37:42when did you start pro wrestling?
37:44I mean, here in Malaysia.
37:45That was,
37:45when I was 25 years old.
37:46That was 2015.
37:482015, okay.
37:49So,
37:50I mean,
37:51between 2015 to 2026,
37:53how the journey has been?
37:56Because I'm sure,
37:57yes,
37:57I think,
37:58back then when you started,
37:59because there was no pro wrestling.
38:00But,
38:01I think now,
38:01you have events,
38:03you have other,
38:04you have other Malaysian wrestlers,
38:06you have,
38:06you know,
38:07regional wrestlers coming over.
38:09What's that like?
38:10Looking back,
38:10I think it's crazy.
38:13Like,
38:1423-year-old me wouldn't believe that I'm able to create something out of nothing to what it is today.
38:19To the point that,
38:21last year,
38:21WWE mentioned our brand,
38:23is that they worked out.
38:24They wanted to be a manager with a leader on their team.
38:26And,
38:26even after that,
38:27they featured me and my superstars who were wrestling with their development superstars.
38:31And,
38:32that is something that no one can achieve.
38:34Because,
38:34WWE wouldn't just mention any brand on their TV show.
38:40So,
38:40we got that.
38:41and then we are tied up with a WWE developmental now, it's called WWID, so to be the ikhtiraf oleh
38:50a company as huge as WWID, it's not a company, it's a corporation, a behemoth as huge as WWID is
38:57something crazy, and then it's not just me, myself, I'm the first Malaysian to be invited to WWHQ in Orlando,
39:05and I met the bosses there in Edite, I trained with the wrestlers there, I trained the new
39:11wrestlers as well there, so it's not just me per se, but also the fact that I'm my student, like
39:17Nora Phoenix, Diana, she's been scouted, and then she was called for a tryout as well recently, with WWE, so,
39:25WWID, right, there was an announcement of WWE ID as well, yeah, that was, she wanted a number of content
39:31there for WWID, and then she got a WWE tryout at NXT, so for me, from a CD
39:39to be able to accomplish things like we do today, it's very crazy, in fact, malam, I saw Mercedes Money,
39:47our women's champion, posted a photo with our championship belt, so to see an A-list superstar holding championship belt
39:55that I designed by hand, with the logo of the brand that I created from scratch, that learn tells that,
40:01you know what, our brand is power gila, and it's known worldwide, it's building its momentum, exactly, but I think
40:08back when you started in 2015, I mean, what was the, what was the challenge that you're scouting for talent,
40:15like, do you suddenly after you started, then you discover like,
40:18like, oh, banyaknya, banyaknya orang yang actually want to be pro wrestler, is that, what was the story like for
40:24that?
40:25So, I did a simple post on Facebook, and a few fan groups, Malaysian wrestling fan groups, and saying that,
40:32I'm opening up this wrestling school, and I'm looking for students,
40:35who want to try pro wrestling, so for the first full two years, I only had four students, so you
40:42imagine, burning a lot of money into trying to sustain the thing,
40:49but that's the thing, at that point, until sekarang, I have that, that feeling of tanggung jawab, in where, if
40:54I give up, pretty much give up on their dreams as well, because these guys want to be pro wrestlers
40:59as well,
41:00and even at that today, I'm going to be honest with you, the shows that we do and everything in
41:04Malaysia is burning a huge hole in my pocket, so whatever money that I make from my American trips,
41:10or whatever money that I make from film making, a huge chunk of it goes to running a pet wrestling
41:15every year, and we run on the loss, but for me to give up,
41:18like, I can easily, you know, like, just, you know what, bye-bye, a pet wrestling, I'll go migrate to
41:23the States, because I have offers there, like, a lot of offers, a lot of vouchers from veterans,
41:28go the individual route, exactly, I can just go and focus on myself, but if I do that, then what
41:33happens to my 30 plus students that I have now,
41:36who have the exact same dream, so from 4 plus to 30 plus, oh definitely, and over the years, I've
41:42trained like more than 300 people, I would say,
41:44but, like I said, for wrestling, people come and go, because number one, it's not sustainable in Malaysia, only the
41:50truly passionate ones stay,
41:52and second is, a lot of people think it's easy, but once they try it, they cannot take care.
41:57What's the, what's the, what's the, what's the first misconception, or other, other than, you know, people saying that it's
42:04predetermined,
42:05but people who actually say, oh, I want to be a pro wrestler, and then they get in, like, oh,
42:09I didn't know it was, what was the thing that they didn't know about that?
42:15In my opinion, I think a lot of people thought that it was just performance or acting per se, like,
42:21a lot of them forget about the aspect of,
42:23you need to be athletic, to be a pro wrestler, and the way we train is a world standard, my
42:29syllabus is the same as the WWE syllabus,
42:32so we train, I train my boys and girls, like, elite athletes, the conditioning, the strength program, the way they
42:41move around the ring, the mechanics and everything,
42:43and even the way I coach is very coach-coach, like, very garang, and, you know, these days, the new
42:50generation, a bit susah to terima this kind of coaching,
42:53but I'm still, I'm very, I'm very determined with my ways of coaching, because if I didn't coach the way
43:00I coach,
43:01then I wouldn't be on a world stage today, and then, four of my other boys, actually, have been on
43:07the radar of the WWE as well,
43:08so if I didn't coach the way that I coach, they wouldn't be there, so I'm very steadfast with what,
43:15with the way I coach people,
43:17but, but, you said you're very steadfast in the way you coach, who coach you, like, what were the inspiration
43:24behind, you know, that, that method of coaching,
43:27that, you said, creates really resilient pro-wrestlers. Okay, so, the final thing is, it's not, it's not even a
43:34pro-wrestler,
43:34he's not even a pro-wrestler. I see. But I grew up watching, have you watched the movie, Remember the
43:41Titans? Yes.
43:42Denzel Washington? Yes. So, I grew up watching that movie and repeat over and over and over, because I love
43:46that movie so much.
43:49but maybe I've watched it 3 times.
43:51I've watched it more than 20 times throughout my lifespan.
43:55So my entire coaching philosophy is based off of Herman Boone
43:59from Remember the Titans, film by Dancer in Washington.
44:03What was it if you don't bank sharing, what was the nuggets of wisdom?
44:09I think one of the lines he said, not per se, not verbatim,
44:13but one of the things he said is that if I'm not the mean coach that I am today,
44:18they wouldn't be able to survive the mean world that they're going to face outside.
44:23It's a bit of parenting. There's an element of parenting.
44:27Kind of. I remember I train my kids like budak-budak.
44:31They are like my children.
44:33So those are your journey and your students.
44:37I mean, what's the scene like?
44:39I mean, are you still the only...
44:41I mean, is EFFECT Wrestling the only pro wrestling promotion in Malaysia?
44:45What's the scene like?
44:47So in Malaysia, I would definitely say EFFECT is one of the best out there,
44:52not just in Malaysia, even in the region.
44:54Because like, out of all the promotions in the region,
44:58EFFECT is the only promotion that has ties with PWWE.
45:01And it's the only one that has been mentioned by name.
45:03But there's a lot of others out there.
45:05In Malaysia, there's one more called MyPW, Malaysia for Wrestling.
45:07But that was also a company that I founded.
45:09I see.
45:10But I left in 2020 due to differences in goals,
45:15direction between me and the other director.
45:17That was the pandemic.
45:19Yeah, that was the pandemic.
45:20So I had my epinephi during the pandemic.
45:23You know what? I had my own goals and vision.
45:27And then in South Asia, we have...
45:30In Singapore, I think we have three.
45:32In Philippines, we have three.
45:34And then in Indonesia, Baru Baru Ni Baru Buka this year.
45:37I think there's two, Bali and IDPW.
45:40And then in Vietnam, we have about one.
45:44Thailand, two.
45:45So it's the scene is pretty going.
45:48It's pretty going.
45:49It's just that I'm very happy that our promotion has been chosen as one
45:53to plug talents from the region.
45:56So like I get to scout people and bring to my promotion
45:58and they'll be watching my show.
46:00So you said, you mentioned that Diana has a tryout with WWE.
46:04I also know that based on my reading that we have a Southeast Asian represent
46:10in WWE, Dante Chen, who I believe is with the developmental brand Evolve or maybe NXT.
46:18How far are we from an actual Malaysian wrestler competing at the WWE or AEW for that matter?
46:29By the trajectory that we are at, I doubt it's far.
46:35I think it's quite true.
46:37It's just to the point where we have tryouts and then even on the 4th of April,
46:41the WWE scouts are going to come down as well to watch more talents.
46:44And I think it's crazy.
46:46It's about, you know, like this kind of things don't happen very easy for any promotions in the world.
46:51So for them to be able to have their eyeballs on us, it's a huge thing.
46:56And I've been invited to the PC the day to talk to the bosses and everything.
46:59To the point, they even, they were impressed with the work that the Airpods are doing,
47:06that they wanted to know my method of coaching.
47:08And that's crazy.
47:09And that is coming from people who has been in the industry for more than 40, 50 years.
47:14That's reassuring, right?
47:15Well, exactly.
47:16I felt lost throughout my whole life doing pro wrestling.
47:19Only in 2020, when I reconnected with Buketi, that was when he told me like,
47:23that I was able to do the correct thing and the right path.
47:25But then I felt reassured and then my confidence just grew.
47:29So you mentioned about, you know, about, you know, the realities of running a pro wrestling
47:35promotion here.
47:36What's next for FDAP Wrestling?
47:38Because I think, of course, in this day and age, it's all about sustainability.
47:43What's, do you have a, do you have a vision of how you want to make sure that this thing
47:50runs sustainability or even pass you or, you know, post you?
47:53I think we're going very well.
47:55Because like, even on social media, our reach, monthly reach is about 10 million per month.
48:00I think that's huge.
48:02But although we have the stats, a lot of sponsors still
48:04don't want to enter because they think you're very niche.
48:07And at the same time, they're afraid to enter something that they don't know or
48:10unfamiliar with.
48:12Because everyone who doesn't watch pro wrestling has a negative stigma on it.
48:17Is that, is that, is that the situation?
48:20Usually when I approach sponsors, that's what they, that's what the common response is.
48:24Okay.
48:25And not just that, I also believe that there will come a time when one of the networks
48:30or TV stations or cables or whatsoever will have a visionary content manager
48:38who will want to get us on TV.
48:40And I think my goal is that for now, like, I really hope that we get picked up
48:44to have our own TV slot.
48:46But that's the vision.
48:48But also, if you were to just, like, look back, I think growing up, wrestling was,
48:53or rather, WWF or WWE, there's a lot of sensory, right?
48:57There's a lot of content deemed unsuitable.
49:00But I think WWE today is a lot more, I would say, kid-friendly?
49:07It's a lot more umum for masyarakat.
49:08Yeah, WWE today is rated PG-13.
49:11Yeah.
49:11As compared to dulu, it was 18.
49:13So, that's an obvious answer, because they want to reach out to a wider market.
49:17And they also understand that a lot of the spending power comes from children.
49:21Anak-anak minta bapak belanja.
49:22And then the whole family sit down and watch.
49:24Exactly, yeah.
49:25So, that is the main reason why they changed from 18 to PG-13.
49:29Yeah.
49:29So, you know, if I'm sure you don't have you growing up, right?
49:35Like, you don't have someone on TV talking about wrestling or rather Malaysia.
49:38What would be your message or, you know, words of wisdom that you can share to someone
49:43who's probably watching this and like, thinking like, oh, I want to be a pro-wrestler,
49:48but, you know, I don't know the path.
49:50What would be your message or lesson to that?
49:54For pro-wrestling specifically, I would say that the pathway is there through
49:58a path wrestling, through me, it is proven.
50:02You can see by yourself, we have scouts reaching out to us.
50:05We have North Phoenix Diana, who has wrestled Mercedes money,
50:09who has been on a WWE tryout.
50:12And then we have links with huge other companies as well,
50:18AWWE, OVW and everything.
50:20So, the pathway is there.
50:21It's just that you need to understand what you need to invest to get yourself there,
50:25because there's no industry in Malaysia.
50:27It's not sustainable in Malaysia.
50:27But if you put 200% of effort and everything into your dreams,
50:32pretty sure we will have that perfect platform for you to get you to where you want to be.
50:38But if I'm speaking to everyone who has dreams that are unconventional,
50:42that are not just pro-wrestling, you're going to be anything you're going to be,
50:45I would say that number one is screw everyone who, oh, sorry, can I say screw?
50:50It's okay, don't worry about that.
50:51I would say that, what's the nicer word for that?
50:55I would say forget every naysayers who say that you cannot do what you want to do,
51:00because it's your life, you only live with one.
51:03So, me myself, I do do what my parents did not give me.
51:06They want me to become a doctor.
51:08Hence why I'm a graduate for a diploma in Medical Life Technology.
51:11Okay, that's your official one.
51:15That's my official one.
51:16First class honors as well.
51:17And I did it for them, because I wanted them to understand,
51:20yeah, okay, I respect you and your plans for me and everything.
51:24But now that's my backup, let me pursue my dream.
51:27So that allowed me.
51:28So, you need to be very realistic with your goals as well,
51:31because a lot of people say, I want to be this, I want to be that.
51:34But then they don't set realistic goals and steps to get themselves towards there.
51:39So the first step that you need to do is identify what are the steps
51:42that needs to take you towards where you want to be and start working.
51:45So, before we end, and you know this is fascinating for musician,
51:50I think one of the things that I also see you do is the fact that the
51:54Shaukat, of course, I'm speaking to Shaukat,
51:56but then so there's the persona Shaukat, the wrestler,
51:59and you full with Tanja and all.
52:03What has the response been and what's the inspiration behind the
52:06characterisation of Shaukat, the pro wrestler?
52:11Okay, so I am a Malay Eurasian.
52:14And growing up, I felt like I was more proud of being Eurasian
52:20than from Melayu.
52:21Okay.
52:21And I'm being very honest.
52:23Like, oh, I'm Eurasian, I'm Eurasian.
52:26But as I got into my adulthood, I started appreciating,
52:33it started with appreciating architecture.
52:35Okay.
52:36I loved watching the structure and the design of anything that is beautiful,
52:42like, you know, like, Arabic-nya, punya architecture, and then like,
52:46European architecture.
52:47Okay.
52:48For me, it's very melenangkan hati.
52:51Okay.
52:51And then that's when I studied the Malaysian,
52:54punya architecture.
52:56Not just architecture, it's a design.
52:59It's not just architecture, it's a design.
52:59And it felt even closer to heart.
53:02Okay.
53:02It's very melembutkan my jiwa.
53:03Okay.
53:04To the point, I started loving the Malay culture so much.
53:07Okay.
53:07That I started becoming, I started, I told myself, you know what?
53:11Actually, I'm proud to be in Malay.
53:13So, that was when the very first time I debut as a pro wrestler was
53:18memang a Malaysian pahlawan.
53:20But then, the Malaysian audience didn't buy it sangat
53:24sebab I think they are used to watching this kind of imagery.
53:29Yeah.
53:29So, I had to change to a more metal, you know, like brutal character.
53:34But then, when Bukerti offered me to appear on his TV show,
53:37Realty Opera Wrestling, that was when I said,
53:39you know what?
53:40This is the perfect time for me to bring back my character.
53:42And when I pitched to him, they saw my here,
53:46they saw my presentation and everything, and they were like,
53:48this is money.
53:50In fact, I think I saw from one of your TikToks,
53:53if you can permit me for taking it.
53:55It's basically, I think one of the fans people watching
53:58were excited when you put on the tanjak.
54:01Oh, definitely. That was a kid, I remember.
54:02And it has been a normal thing.
54:04Now, if I was in the States, I would give the tanjak to one of the people
54:07in the audience.
54:08Like how Brad Hart used to give these classes, right?
54:10Yeah, and it's a huge thing in the States now.
54:13They love my character.
54:14It's something new.
54:15It feels very mystical to the adults,
54:17but it feels very superheroic to the children.
54:20So, it works very well there.
54:22So, blessed that even like WWE, for example,
54:24they finally sang praises of the way that I present the Malay culture.
54:29And let's be honest, there's not much
54:33Melayu-Malaysia punya representation on mainstream delegation in the world.
54:37Yeah, globally, right?
54:38Yeah, so that's my effort to try and represent the culture.
54:41Alright, on that note, thank you so much, Syavkat.
54:43For spending time.
54:45Selamat Hari Raya to you.
54:46And that is pretty much my conversation with Malaysian Pro Wrestler, Syavkat.
54:51Back to you.
54:54Well, I didn't know there was such a thriving scene, wrestling scene in Malaysia.
54:59Yeah, I'm sure you're surprised like both genres there also.
55:02Yeah.
55:02Yeah, it's quite a big thing and we're kind of excited to see it through
55:07and I think I'll probably just keep on watching.
55:10Do you think you will join them one day?
55:13Oh, I mean it's a bit too late for me Mel.
55:16I wish, I wish I might.
55:17If I'm not appearing on TV, I perhaps may in another timeline,
55:21like lifetime, baby.
55:22It's never too late.
55:23It's never too late to start.
55:24Yeah, I guess that wraps up this edition of Labaran Awani.
55:29That's all from me, Hafiz Mazuki.
55:31And I'm Melissa Idris.
55:32Thank you so much for watching.
55:33Selamat Hari Raya.
55:34Selamat Hari Raya.
55:35Bye.
55:52You