MPOV: Ola Bola

Hubs got free tickets for any movie so we opt for this local venture which has been getting many rave reviews. True enough, it was a movie worth watching.

Ola Bola is a Malaysian made movie for Malaysians. It's based on the local football's most distinct historical event and fictionalised it into this awesome movie.

This movie basically brought us back to the late 70's when the national football team hits a slump with the retirement of their famous striker, Super 10 Samad. Without a coach, the team captain Tauke continued to train the team so that they are well-prepared for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Along came Coach Harry Mountain aiming to do his best but Tauke was not about to relinquish his duty and still ordered the team as he likes. This led the team to a chaotic turnaround causing them to lose the friendly matches. With no team work and ignorance, the team was left in shambles especially when Tauke left as he does not see eye to eye with Harry.

Through the eyes of ex-national striker Eric, a reporter Marianne brought back those memories of 1980 and the re-enactment from the slump to glory of the national football team. It was nostalgic watching these resemblance and the efforts they made to achieve their football dreams. Being hardcore poor did not deter them to try their best and still work till the sun goes down to make ends meet. The below extracted from Wikipedia:

Kisah OlaBola bermula ketika seorang wartawan bernama Marianne yang ditugaskan untuk membuat kajian tentang pasukan bola sepak negara yang telah mencipta nama pada era 80an dahulu yang mana ketika itu nama Malaysia dalam sukan bola sepak begitu digeruni oleh pasukan lawan khasnya di rantau Asia ini. Marianne mula merasa bosan dengan kerjayanya dan membuat keputusan untuk berhijrah ke England. Sebelum dia meninggalkan negara, dia membuat keputusan untuk menyiapkan tugasannya buat kali terakhir. Namun, dia menemui suatu perkara yang ternyata mengubah hidupnya.
 Mengimbau kembali ketika di awal era 80-an, pasukan bola sepak negara ketika itu berdepan dengan cabaran di mana pemain-pemainnya mempunyai perbezaan pendapat dan tidak sehaluan sehingga menyebabkan kekalahan dalam perlawanan penting. Keadaan semakin rumit apabila hampir setiap pemain mempunyai isu dan masalah masing-masing. Walau bagaimanapun, mereka hanya mempunyai satu peluang untuk beraksi di persada mata dunia. Jadi, barisan pemain harus mengetepikan hal peribadi demi mengharumkan nama negara. Ketika semangat kembali menyemarak dalam diri, pasukan negara sekali lagi diduga dengan satu cabaran yang mematahkan semangat mereka dan harapan negara.
 OlaBola yang diilhamkan dari peristiwa sebenar ini akan membawa penonton dari pelbagai bangsa untuk sama-sama merasai semangat bersatu hati dan muhibah. Kisah yang penuh ikhtibar ini akan membawa penonton melihat semangat, keunikan dan kekuatan yang terdapat dalam kepelbagaian bangsa di Malaysia.

It was mind-blowing on how they stay united in the end even though it was for nothing. Their true grit and integrity shone, with the multi-racial team members fighting till the end. Such a beautifully directed movie with an outstanding casts. Even the cinema-goers clapped their hands when the real Tauke, Dato' Soh Chin Aun, made a cameo appearance in the end.

What I loved the most was the multi-lingual which you can definitely never find in any other movies in the world! Light, hilarious, authentic even though with a bout of seriousness. A moving and meaningful movie worth watching in the cinema.

Hubs was even reminiscing who is who based on their jersey numbers but the most obvious would be the goalkeeper Muthu which could have been based on R. Arumugam.

After some Googling, I found this link too! Worth pondering on...
http://says.com/my/sports/mokthar-dahari-and-12-other-local-football-legends-every-young-malaysian-should-know

My rating: 5/5
Directed by Chiu Keng Guan
Starring: JC Chee, Luqman Hafidz, Saran Kumar Manokaran, Marianne Tan, Katrina Ho, Bront Palarae, Frankie Lee