Malaysia’s Zunar on risks of making Anwar Ibrahim biopic: ‘we were prepared for the worst’

Zunar was often slated, and almost imprisoned, for satirising former PM Najib Razak, but has turned his gaze elsewhere

But his film about Anwar – who became PM last year after countless political challenges and jail time – was not without its own challenges

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Malaysian cartoonist Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, popularly known as Zunar, poses prior to a book-launch event in Kuala Lumpur. He has sometimes been in trouble with the authorities over his work. File photo: AFP

Published: 4:00pm, 27 Aug 2023

For many years, Malaysian political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, better known as Zunar, made his living lampooning former leader Najib Razak, often drawing ire from the government in the process.

With the now-disgraced Najib behind bars over corruption charges linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, Zunar turned to the big screen for his latest project.

It’s a biopic depicting some of the challenges faced by current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim from 1991 t0 the late 1990s, when he was sacked as deputy leader of the country and jailed, initially on corruption charges and later sodomy, in a case seen by many as politically motivated.

Working with Indonesian director Viva Westi, Zunar was the executive producer behind Anwar: The Untold Story, which opened across 120 cinemas in Malaysia in May.

Anwar, who attended the film’s domestic premiere in Kuala Lumpur, wrote in an Instagram post afterwards that although there was some creative licence taken with the dialogue and storytelling, the issues raised on screen were based on real events.

“I was touched by this movie that raised the story of my political struggles. This movie also reminds me of the pain and burdens faced by Azizah, our children and our friends,” he wrote, referring to his wife Wan Azizah Ismail.