By Teo Pau Lin

SINGAPORE STRIFE

EVEN GANGSTERS NEED TO UPGRADE THEMSELVES

In Liang Po Po- The Movie, gangster hire Hong Kong "consultants" to help them upgrade themselves to international standards. This is one of the many tropical Singaporean practices that are made fun of in the $800,000 comedy which, as its executive producer Daniel Yun says, has a serious message too.

Caption 1: More than slapstick is what you'll get in the movie, says executive producer Daniel Yun, seen here with director Teng Bee Lian.

"It's not even the equivalent of what I get for making a guest appearance (in a Hongkong movie) for a day!"

Life's like that GANGSTERS ALSO MUST UPGRADE THIS IS ONE OF THE HUMOROUS TAKES OF PEOPLE AND SITUATIONS THAT DELINEATE THE WAY
OF LIFE HERE. BUT BEHIND THE LAUGHS, THERE ARE SERIOUS MESSAGES.

When Liang Po Po hobbles across cinema screens on Feb 12, you will not see merely slapstick humour from Singapore's well-loved geriatric.

While the television's Comedy Night character has always delivered barrels of laughs with slapstick, Liang Po Po- The Movie, will offer an added message with a lot of heart.

That, said the executive producer, Mr Daniel Yun, has been the aim of the movie right from the beginning.

"On TV, Liang Po Po is all slapstick and fun. But movies have a beginning and an end. When you present Liang Po Po in a movie, you need to have a message to engage the audience," he said at a press conference to launch the movie on Wednesday.

The $800,000 comedy was produced by Raintree Pictures, the movie-making arm of Television Corporation of Singapore, in association with director Eric Khoo's production company, Zhao Wei Films.

Mr Yun, 40, is also the chief executive officer of Raintree Pictures, which was set up last year.

Directed by Teng Bee Lian, a veteran producer of TV shows like Channel 8's Comedy Night and Different Cuts, Different Strokes, the movie stars Jack Neo who reprises his role as Liang Po Po.

It also ropes in the familiar faces from Comedy Night cast. Mark Lee and Henry Thia play good-hearted triad members while Patricia Mok is a loud-mouthed Ah Lian from a rival gang.

Shot in 30 days and in more than 30 locations in Singapore, the films traces misadventures of the 85-year-old Liang Po Po, who leaves her old folks' home only to get tangled in a sticky web of secret-society activities.

The film is the first homegrown production to boast a high-speed car chase scene and choreographed fighting sequences involving hundreds of extras.

Celebrities like TCS artistes Zoe Tay, Chen Liping, Evelyn Tan, Kym Ng and Robin Leong make cameo appearances, as does Malaysian singer Ah Niu, who plays a petrol-kiosk attendant.

Hong Kong actors Eric Tsang and Shereen Tang guest-star, playing triad consultants hired by the Singapore gangsters to "upgrade" themselves to international standards.

Mr Yun added that in the movie, which is in Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese, Liang Po Po encounters many issues that Singaporeans face.

"We want to use her to uncover the truths about Singaporean life- gangs, speaking in dialects, anti-piracy problems, and a funny depiction about engaging consultants," he said.

"It will also emphasise to audiences the need for elderly people to be respected, and for them to have friends."

There are even lessons that can be learnt from the plot. Said Neo, 39, who penned the screenplay: " Teenagers would learn that it is no good to join gangs, and that elderly people need friends too.

"There is a very touching scene in the movie where Liang Po Po shows that she is willing to sacrifice everything for friendship."

This is the first film Raintree Pictures. As its main maiden project, it has chosen to bring lovable TV character to the big screen because it would help to make a big splash in the regional movie scene, and " rewrite certain ground rules for Singapore Films" said Mr Yun.

He noted that there had long been lack of confidence in Singapore films until the success of Money No Enough last year, which raked in $5.8 million and also star Jack Neo and the Comedy Night gang.

" We want to show that Money No Enough was no flash form the pan. The bottomline is, if you make a good movie, people will come to see it."

With the popularity if Liang Po Po's character, he is confident that the movie could take on those which star Chow Yun Fat or Jackie Chan in ticket sales here.

The movie will also be released in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan later.

Its main strength, he added, is that it has "the ability to give depth without being heavy".

And Liang Po Po's message is a lot more than just familiar pants of " hoo hoo hoo".