Inspiring dreams: Shafiq’s story is one of how dedication, hard work and the support of a caring teacher led a group of mischievous boys to become successful cricket players.
Shafiq hopes his story will show kids like him that nothing is impossible
PETALING JAYA: Shafiq Sharif was once the leader of a group of naughty boys at a Felda settlement school in Gemencheh. All the group of six wanted to do after school hours was swim in the river and fly kites.
Shafiq never thought that he would one day become a gold medal-winning cricketeer for Malaysia.
Now, his amazing story and that of his five childhood pals is going to be told in the movie Gemencheh Boys. The movie hits cinemas nationwide today.
“When the directors first came to me with the idea of making a film, I was in shock. I finally came around to the idea of having my story told in a film, and told them what happened,” said the 33-year-old.
The movie directed by Eric Ong and Jason Chong centres on the six mischievous 10-year-olds of the SK (Felda) Bukit Rokan Utara in Gemencheh, Negri Sembilan.
The discipline teacher, Cikgu Azman Abdul Aziz, practically had to twist the arms of the best friends to get them into the unlikely sport of cricket.
What happened next was beyond their wildest dreams. The six friends rose to the top of the game thanks to their hard work and their teacher’s dedication.
Three of them – Shafiq, Abdul Rashid Ahad and Aminuddin Ramly – went on to represent Malaysia in cricket tournaments.
Shafiq and Rashid played in the 2017 SEA Games, with both winning gold medals in the T50 event. Shafiq also won a silver in the T20 event, along with Aminuddin.
Shafiq added that he hopes for two things to happen with the release of the film: “The first is for my hometown to be known – not many people have even heard of Gemencheh.
“Secondly, if our story can inspire even a single kid to pick up cricket and eventually become a national player, I feel I would have given back to what cricket has provided for me.”
The cricketer also gets a chance to appear in the film as himself – the film recreates Malaysia’s victory at the 2017 game – and he narrates at certain points in the film the events that took place in his childhood.
Shafiq also expressed thanks to his teacher Azman. He said they would make it a point to visit the teacher whenever they are back in Gemencheh, especially during Hari Raya.
“We will meet up and talk about our good old days,” said Shafiq.
“There were a few teachers who were influential in our growth as cricket players and in becoming who we are today. So, we show our respect and love by visiting them when we can.
“I am a coach now though I have yet to produce one national player, but Cikgu Azman has produced 10, without even really knowing cricket.
“This story is really about love and determination, and I hope (the film) can move people.”
