Sheila Majid releases ‘Wira Hatiku’ from soundtrack for COVID-19 frontliner tribute movie ‘Juang’

Malaysian diva Sheila Majid has released ‘Wira Hatiku’ from the soundtrack of Juang, a movie dedicated to COVID-19 frontliners billed as Malaysia’s biggest production.

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The single and music video for ‘Wira Hatiku’ was released on July 26, featuring instrumentation from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. In the post revealing the music video, the social media channels for the movie said that “only the best” would be fitting to the “grand story” of the film itself, thanking the frontline workers who served during the worst of the pandemic.

Watch the music video for ‘Wira Hatiku’ below.

In a press release shared with The Vibes, Majid said that she had always wanted to do something to thank frontline workers, explaining, “So being involved in this project and singing ‘Wira Hatiku’ is a big honour for every sacrifice they made to all of us.”

Juang is set to be released this September 8 after a year-long delay, having first been announced in 2020 for an early 2021 release. The movie, which has a reported budget of MYR8 million, is the first Malaysian film to feature five directors in Aziz Osman, Kabir Bhatia, Osman Ali, Yusry Abdul Halim and Matt Lai, and will reportedly feature the work of 100 artistes.

Among the actors announced for the film are Adibah Noor, Janna Nick, Zul Ariffin, Puteri Rayyana Rayqa, Norish Karman, Joyce Harn, Cedric Loo and Luqman Hafidz.

Details on the film’s plotline and concept are scarce, but the movie’s trailer indicates that it will portray a dramatised version of the struggles Malaysians and frontline workers experienced during the early days of the pandemic as people adjusted to new social distancing and masking measures, as well as extended stay at home orders.

One scene appears to show a police officer clinging to the fender of a vehicle as it furiously hurtles down a road, while another shows a tense staircase apprehension, presumably of a person who broke quarantine orders.

In comments made to Malay Mail in 2020, actor and producer Rosyam Nor told the newspaper that ‘Juang’ would be a “debut in terms of a large production team bringing an unfortunate real-life story to the big screen” for Malaysia, noting the ensemble cast and multiple directors.

“It is not the vision of only one director. The contribution is from various people in the industry. We try to merge different ideas from as many people as possible,” he said.

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