Syafiq and Syamsul continue Yusof Haslam's legacy

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Syafiq and Syamsul continue Yusof Haslam's legacy

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Writer: Nisa Irina

Yusof Haslam with sons Syafiq and Syamsul

10 May - Seriously, does anyone not know the director, producer, screenwriter and actor Datuk Yusof Haslam, one of the most famous figures in the local film world since 1972?

After starring in several films, Yusof Haslam decided to don the director's hat in 1991 with his directorial debut "Bayangan Maut". This was followed by other films including "Pemburu Bayang" (1993), "Sembilu" (1994) and "Maria Mariana" (1996). He retired as a director in 2005.

But what made Yusof Haslam deservingly earned the nickname 'Six Million Dollar Man' was after "Sembilu II", starring Datuk Awie, Erra Fazira and Ziana Zain, that collected more than RM6.0 million, making it the highest-grossing local film of all time in 1995.

The legacy of Yusof Haslam, now Managing Director of his production company Skop Productions, continues because his talents have been passed on to his two sons, Syamsul and Syafiq. As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The unique Syafiq Yusof touch

Syafiq Yusof's police-themed action film, "Sheriff: Narko Integriti" continues to dominate cinemas in 2024 with a box-office collection of RM52 million in 18 days of screening nationwide.

Jointly produced by Skop Productions and Astro Shaw, the movie has received positive feedback from audiences who are clearly impressed with the action scenes that are comparable to Hollywood films.

The film, which highlights the theme of "polis tangkap polis" (the cop who catches other cops), features a line-up of great actors such as Zul Ariffin, Syafiq Kyle, Azira Shafinaz, Elizabeth Tan and Aaron Aziz.

With its continuous impressive box office collection, "Sheriff" has the potential to break the box office record of comedy action film "Polis Evo 3", which was RM54 million during its two months screening in the cinemas.

It is no coincidence that "Polis Evo 3" is also directed by Syafiq. The film has been named as the No. 1 comedy action film in Malaysia of all time. "Polis Evo 3" remains at the top of the list of the best-selling films of 2023.

Syafiq had previously expressed his interest in directing movies of other genres. The key in the filmmaking industry is not to give up easily even when faced with many challenges and obstacles, he said. According to Syafiq, his father and brother are considered masters in the film industry and they have always supported him.

Syafiq's other successful films are "Abang Long Fadil 2" (2017) with a collection of RM18 million, "KL Special Force" (2018) with a collection of RM12 million and "Misteri Dilaila" (2019) which collected RM10 million.

Syamsul Yusof's works on the Malaysian film charts

Before donning a director's hat, Syamsul Yusof began his career as an actor, just like his father, starting with supporting characters until he became the lead actor.

There is no doubt that Syamsul is the director who dominates the local film industry in terms of the highest film collection. To date, Syamsul has directed 11 films with a total collection of more than RM160 million.

The horror film "Munafik 2" which he directed broke the record in 2018 as the film with the highest collection of RM48 million within 12 days of release.

It had been reported that Syamsul himself was overwhelmed with surprise at the success of the film. It is noted that the film is the second film from the "Munafik" trilogy. "Munafik 3" was completed in 2019.

2022 was an extraordinary one for Syamsul's career and the local film industry when he succeeded in triggering a phenomenon with the epic film "Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan" which recorded a collection of almost RM100 million.

"Mat Kilau" also became the No. 1 film in the weekly box office chart for five consecutive weeks, eliminating the record of Hollywood film, "Avengers: Endgame", which collected RM87 million in Malaysia.

With that astounding achievement, Syamsul has proved that local films can stand firm if they are of good quality and meet the audiences expectations. Syamsul also hopes that it can inspire the younger generation of filmmakers to continue producing quality works and advance the local film industry.

So it is not surprising that Syamsul has been crowned as the Best Director at the Malaysian Film Festival (FFM) three times through the films "KL Gangster", "KL Gangster 2" and "Munafik".

In the latest development, Syamsul has completed the filming of action movie "The Original Gangster" and will shift his focus to his fourth horror movie, "Khawarij". The film marks Syamsul's first collaboration with Astro Shaw.

Here is a list of the 10 highest grossing Malaysian films of all time according to Wikipedia sources: