Actor Tay Ping Hui had ‘no clue what was going on’ while promoting Malaysian film Magik Rompak

SINGAPORE – Local actor Tay Ping Hui had to apply rote learning when it came to memorising his lines, as well as his co-stars’ lines, for Malaysian heist movie Magik Rompak because he is not familiar with the Malay language.

During a joint video interview with director Adrian Teh with Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao on Sept 11, the 54-year-old also admitted he was clueless during a recent promotional event that took place across the Causeway.

“The interviews were conducted mainly in Malay, and I understood only 10 per cent of what was said,” he said. “When others were speaking, I just smiled and nodded. But honestly, I had no clue what was going on.”

He joked that the Malay he picked up during the shoot came in handy only when he was shopping during the press trip across the Causeway.

Magik Rompak, which is showing in Singapore cinemas, marks Tay’s first collaboration with Malaysian film-maker Teh, 41.

It is also Tay’s Malay-language movie debut, with reportedly 80 per cent of his lines in Malay. He played a Michelin-starred chef in his first Malay-language drama, Suria show Korban, in 2021.

Teh said of Tay: “He gave his performance only a three to five (out of 10), but I think his Malay pronunciations in the film are similar to how Chinese Malaysians speak Malay, so personally, I’m satisfied. It’s him who’s more critical of himself and gives himself a low score.”

The Singapore-Malaysia co-production tells the story of a magician (Sharnaaz Ahmad), who teams up with three professional thieves (Zul Ariffin, Amelia Henderson and Nadhir Nasar) to steal a piece of priceless jewellery from antagonist Hamdan Tan (Tay) at his retirement party.

Tay said his limited screen time was not a factor in his decision to accept the role – what mattered more was the character’s arc and its development within the story.

“I don’t have many scenes, but let me brag a little,” he said. “Fundamentally, the story can’t progress without my character, so my presence is felt even when I’m not physically present on screen.”

Magik Rompak features a high-stakes heist that combines magic and wits, and Teh believes this genre is rare in Malaysia and Singapore.

He hopes to offer something fresh for audiences, rather than follow the Malaysian box-office formula of crime and horror.

“I wanted to try something different. Each of my past five films has explored distinct themes,” said the director of sports film Gold (2024), time-travel romance Reversi (2024) and military actioner Malbatt: Misi Bakara (2023). “Someone has to have the courage to explore new genres.”