Actor Adi Putra didn’t know that he had big shoes to fill when he accepted the part for Dain Maroola in Hanyut. The film directed by U-Wei Saari is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s book Almayer’s Folly.
U-Wei, 62, spent a decade developing the film before going into production in 2010. Set in the 19th century, Adi’s character is an aristocrat who promised to help Almayer – a desperate Dutch trader – find gold in Malaya. Along the way, he falls in love with Nina, Almayer’s half-Malay daughter (played by Diana Danielle).