Inside "Papa Zola The Movie" with writer and director, Nizam Razak

ContentAsia's Janine Stein talks to Nizam Razak, writer/director of "Papa Zola The Movie" and head of Malaysian production house Monsta about the animated blockbuster, now heading into a 13-country international rollout including Indonesia, Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia.

With RM55 million (US$13.5 million) at the Malaysian box office in just 27 days and counting, the film marks a deliberate creative shift for Monsta — away from shonen-style superheroes towards a more emotionally grounded, adult protagonist: a very ordinary, very human family hero.

We’ll talk about the risks behind that decision, the realities of greenlighting something different, and why stories about perseverance, responsibility and fatherhood are resonating far beyond Malaysia.