“Parasite Gangsters” Is Not Your Ordinary Gangster Movie – Dissy: Want Audiences to Feel Their Ticket Was Worth It

Dissy made a splash last year with their Chinese New Year film “Guan Ni Cha Shi”, setting a new box office record for Malaysian Chinese-language movies and breaking through the ten-million ringgit mark. This year, they return to the festive season with a brand new film, “Parasite Gangsters”, drawing much attention as audiences wonder if they can achieve another milestone.

In an interview with Kwong Wah Daily, Dissy member Sang Bill pointed out that although “Parasite Gangsters” may appear at first glance to be a gangster-themed film, it’s not just an ordinary gangster movie. “I can’t give too much away—people have to go to the cinema and see for themselves what makes it different.”

Da Hee described this year’s “Parasite Gangsters” as a clear “upgrade” from last year’s film, both in terms of shooting locations and the scale of the cast. He said last year’s film had around 10 shooting locations, whereas the new film has more than 60, with over a thousand actors involved. “This film is also different from other gangster movies, because we did not want to adopt that traditional triad approach, where people expect things to unfold in a certain way. We are not like that—this world is full of twists and turns, and after watching, people will realise: it’s not what you thought.”

He continued, “Whether it’s the whole gangster world or the society’s set up, especially when it comes to fight scenes, it doesn’t feel like we’re just putting ourselves in and play-acting. We really set up the scene so it feels real.” The team didn’t want the audience to get the impression that the film was made carelessly, but wanted people to feel that spending over 20 ringgit on a ticket was worth it. “What we really want, is for people to feel the cinema experience truly matches the price of admission.”

Additionally, Sang Bill shared that “Guan Ni Cha Shi” and “Parasite Gangsters” are completely incomparable in their characters and storylines—almost a 180-degree transformation. “I went to see this film myself and was genuinely impressed—the characters all have major breakthroughs.”

He also mentioned that his character in the film, “Kwon Ji Yong”, is a type he’s never tried before. “This role is constantly changing, it’s a lot of fun, but also very challenging. For me it’s a totally new experience.” He hopes audiences will judge for themselves whether his performance is up to standard.

Adeline added, “If you’ve seen ‘Guan Ni Cha Shi’ and then watch ‘Parasite Gangsters’, you’ll notice every role is totally different, and our performances are very different from before.”

The Real Competition Is Ourselves – Let the Market Decide the Box Office

Asked about box office goals, Sang Bill admitted that breaking last year’s 13-million-ringgit record with “Guan Ni Cha Shi” would of course be ideal. “However, we haven’t set a specific box office target for the new film.”

He explained that this year's film tries something brand new in terms of genre, a type rarely seen in the market, presenting a challenge for the team but also an opportunity. “Because we can offer audiences a totally new experience. We ourselves really love this film, so as for the box office, we’ll let the market decide—of course, if it surpasses last year’s, that’d be the best!”

The reporter asked, with many Chinese New Year films in cinemas this year and fierce competition, is there any film they see as a 'rival'? Sang Bil felt that rather than regarding other films as competitors, it’s better to focus on the overall growth of Malaysia’s film and entertainment industry.

“If you ask me who our rival is, I can’t specifically point to any one film. On the contrary, I think the best thing right now is that Malaysia’s entertainment industry is blossoming and growing, and that it continues, which is a very good thing.”

He added that every film’s genre and theme are different, and really can’t be compared directly. If he had to pick a 'rival', he joked: “That’d be ‘Guan Ni Cha Shi’, our rival is ourselves.”

Asked whether Malaysian audiences’ tastes are changing, Sang Bill said this is not just Malaysia, it’s a global trend. “Now with the internet and streaming platforms, everyone watches many more films a year than before, they take in so much more, their tastes are naturally changing faster.” Therefore, he said, that's precisely why “Parasite Gangsters” brings in bolder and fresher subject matter, to suit the current audience's preferences and offer a different viewing experience. “We had a great time performing too, because it’s the kind of movie we ourselves also really like.”

The reporter then asked whether last year’s “Guan Ni Cha Shi”, which was closer to real life, was similar to “Parasite Gangsters”. Sang Bill replied, while the new movie is gangster-themed, the content is still true-to-life, and some social phenomena will be presented in a more entertaining way. “We’ll take things people experience in everyday life and present them lightly and humorously, so audiences don’t feel weighed down.”

He described the film as leaning toward dark humor, but not the crude or exaggerated type of comedy. “We hope the humor is a notch ‘higher’, but also that the movie has a strong storyline and dramatic elements—there’s both laughter and feeling.”

As for whether they hope to compete for acting awards with this movie, he said frankly, “That’s not something we thought about. We just focused on doing our best in our roles, not on winning awards. Honestly, we’re still newcomers in this business, we only hope to act better than we did in the last one.”

He added that, in today’s age of social media, audience feedback comes quickly. “Sometimes seeing a single word of encouragement from the audience makes us genuinely happy. For me, self-improvement is more important than awards.”