12 Mar – "It was not an easy feat managing a big shooting set with overwhelming manpower and also the uncontrollable weather. I could say that all the planned items each have its own unexpected challenges," shared Yusry Abdul Halim, the director of Malaysia's most promising epic film of the year, "Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa" at the recently held movie press conference. "When it rains, all the set will be destroyed and we have to redo the set within two days. Other than that, the script was changed a few times to suit the adjustments during filming," added Yusry who is also the Senior Vice President of KRU Studios, the production company that is helming the movie. Besides that, present at the press conference was Norman Abdul Halim, the Executive President of KRU Studios and also the older sibling of Yusry. He divulged that his younger brother had trouble filming if he was not at the set. "I could still remember the times when Yusry called me every night, crying because he doesn't know what to do if I didn't come to the set to visit," shared Norman regarding his brother's challenges in making the prolific movie that explores the story behind Merong Mahawangsa, a renowned Malay warrior who sires the first Sultan of Kedah.
Coveted as the most as the most expensive film in the past five years and coming second to the production cost of 2004's "Puteri Gunung Ledang", "Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa" stars Stephen Rahman Hughes, Ummi Nazeera, Khir Rahman, Dato' Rahim Razali, Jehan Miskin, Umie Aida, Nell Ng, Deborah Henry, Gavin Stenhouse, Craig Fong and Jing Lu. "Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa" is showing in all cinemas in Malaysia and Brunei while a Singaporean release date is scheduled to be on 5 May 2011 under the distribution of Cathay Keris Films. Yusry also added that "Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa" will be shown in 69 countries worldwide.