WORLD PREMIERE
The Devil’s Deception
Talbis Iblis
Malaysia, 2022, 98’, Malay
Directed by: Kabir Bhatia
Screenplay: Ajami Hashim
Photography (color): Norhanisham Muhamad
Editing: Adilan Azemi, Kabir Bhatia
Production Design: Mazalan Zulkifli
Music: Ken Hor
Producers: Dato’ Seri Robin Tan, Gayatri Su-lin Pillai, T.P. Lim, Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, Joanne Goh, Vicki Yeoh, Melvin Ang, Muhammad Fasya Daud
Cast: Azira Shafinaz (Hajar), Nasha Aziz (Mak Ju), Zul Ariffin (Nasir), Amir Nafis (Arshad)
Date of First Release in Territory: TBA
Hajar is haunted by nightmarish visions throughout her life, stemming from a traumatic event where a game of hide and seek with her younger brother resulted in his untimely death by drowning in a water tank. She blames herself, leading to a rebellious life of excess and unfulfilling relationships. Her latest nightmare is experienced on the car ride to a remote mansion. Hajar is very pregnant, and is accompanied by her “baby’s daddy” Arshad, a musician of sorts, who is ambivalent to said pregnancy. When they arrive at the mansion, they are met by Mak Ju, an elegant but ominous woman, along with the groundskeeper Nasir, a quiet and hulking figure, with equally mysterious scars on his visage.
We soon learn that Hajar is to convalesce at the mansion under the care of Mak Ju, and this is all underwritten by Hajar’s mother, a celebrity psychologist. Almost immediately, she sees strange happenings, from a lone dog figure in the bushes, to a mysterious figure lurking in the nearby banyan tree. This stirs up suspicions that things are not afoot. These spark more nightmares that become more demonic, fire and brimstone et al. Hajar slowly loses her mind as time ticks to the eventual due date.
Inspired by The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby and Sinister, as well as Joko Anwar’s Satan’s Slaves and Impetigore, veteran and prolific director Kabir Bhatia has crafted an effective folk horror tale that extends the recent wave of Malaysian genre films making an international splash.
Kabir Bhatia
Mumbai-born Kabir Bhatia is a seasoned producer-director with over 26 years of experience and more than a dozen films under his belt. His career in the entertainment industry started in TV in Mumbai, until he moved to Malaysia where he made his successful directorial debut with Cinta (2006). After Cinta snatched the Best Film Award at the Malaysian Film Festival in 2007, it led to the production of Love (2008), a commissioned project with the same story for the Indonesian audience. In 2021, Bhatia was awarded the Best Director at the Malaysian Film Festival.
FILMOGRAPHY
2006 – Cinta
2008 – Love
2008 – Sepi
2009 – Setem
2011 – Nur Kasih: The Movie
2013 – Sembunyi: Amukan Azazil
2014 – Dollah Superstar
2014 – Gila Baby
2017 – Bisik Pada Langit
2018 – Pulang
2019 – Sangkar
2021 – Kerana Korona
2022 – Juang
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