The Legend Is Born - Ip Man storms into KL
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By Noorsila Abd Majid
Nothing beats stargazing in Malaysia. Crammed inside the tiny Old Asia Restaurant in 1Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya, Malaysian kungfu enthusiasts finally got to rub shoulders with Great Grandmaster Ip Chun, the eldest son of legendary Wing Chun founder Ip Man.
Joining him on his Malaysian tour to promote The Legend Is Born - Ip Man are movie stars Yuan Biao, Dennis To, Rose Chan, Bernice Liu, Fan Siu Wong and Louis Cheung.
"This is my first and last movie," announced the 86-year-old Grandmaster Ip. "It's just too taxing for me."
For those who missed it, the legendary Ip Man was the sifu (kungfu master) of martial arts superstar, Bruce Lee.
Citing that the prequel stays true to his dad's early life, Gradmaster Ip added, "This movie is not just about Wing Chun as a good form of martial arts. It's also about love."
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Just like every normal guy, Ip Man had a healthy love life and the prequel offers an insight into his romantic relations. Following the death of Foshan Great Wing Chun kungfu master Chan Wah Shun (Sammo Hung), his most gifted student, Ip Man (Dennis To) continues to hone his Wing Chun martial arts skills under the tutelage of his super senior, Ng Chun Sui (Yuan Biao).
It's while training under Ng that Ip Man befriends his si mui (junior), Li Mei Wai (Rose Chan), who is secretly in love with him.
Ip Man then leaves Foshan (in Guangzhou province) for Hong Kong to further his studies. There, he meets his third Wing Chun guru, Leung Pik (Ip Chun), who helps him improvise his fighting techniques.
Upon graduation, Ip Man returns to Foshan, falls in love with Cheung Wing Shing (Crystal Huang), who is the eldest daughter of the deputy mayor and marries her despite her dad's objections.
"Having said what I've said, I actually had a lot of fun doing this movie," said Grandmaster Yip. "It's a very meaningful film for me."
As for Yuan Biao, the Wing Chun exponent thinks his young co-stars are just too polite to him. "They did not dare hit me hard during our fighting scenes because they said I'm the sifu (master). But I tell them they shouldn't be afraid to hit me because we have to make the movie look realistic."
Well, the only girl that was not afraid of kungfu fighting was Bernice Liu. The pretty actress hit her stunt double so hard that she landed in hospital! "I felt so guilty about causing her quite a major injury," Bernice said. "But master Yuan Biao said I shouldn't be because it shows that I take my work seriously."
The Legend Is Born - Ip Man opens in Malaysia on June 24. The movie is distributed by GSC.
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