King of Mahjong

Ah Fatt sells yong tofu while raising his daughter, Sassy Bai, content with his life, though concerned about Sassy's romantic prospects. Fatt encourages Sassy to give their neighbor, Wayne Yang – a teacher who is besotted with Sassy – a chance. Meanwhile, Wong Tin-ba has been traveling and challenging Mahjong masters. He successfully gains titles until he is ready to challenge the one person who stands in his way of being the "King of Mahjong", which brings him to Fatt's door where Tin-ba issues the final challenge for the title of World Mahjong Master. Unbeknownst to Fatt's family, he was once a disciple of Master Ru, the King of Mahjong, alongside Tin-ba – who at the time was known as Zhang Shun-You. Fatt isn't interested, though. While Sassy is upset at her father's decision, her mother Ramona returns, revealing that she has amnesia and that was why she left them when Sassy was little. To force Fatt's hand, Tin-ba kidnaps Ramona, holding her hostage to Fatt's participation in the tournament. Fatt enters the tournament and, when facing Tin-ba, reveals that he knows Master Ru's secret winning move. It is during this final match that Tin-ba is finally able to relinquish his obsession with winning the title "King of Mahjong". Fatt, Ramona, and Sassy are reunited and reconcile. ==Cast==

• Chapman To as Ah Fatt • Mark Lee as Wong Tin-ba • Michelle Ye as Ramona • Venus Wong as Sassy Bai • Eric Tsang as King Of Mahjong / Master Ru • Adrian Tan as Wayne Yang • Cheronna Ng (zh) as Deedee Cheung • Richard Low as Tiger • Patricia Mok as Nancy • Dennis Chew as Ah Lian • Lenna Lim (zh) as Icy Guest appearance • Tien Hsin • Kingdom Yuen • Lo Hoi-pang • Mimi Chu • Siu Yam-yam • Henry Thia as Japanese Mahjong Master • Hayley Woo as Chinese Mahjong Master • Jayley Woo as Chinese Mahjong Master ==Production==

King of Mahjong was filmed in both Singapore and Malaysia, with 80% of the filming on location in Ipoh. Directors chose the location because it provided both old houses and eateries, which were necessary for various scenes. Filming also took place in Kuala Lumpur. Filming began on Sunday, in Malaysia. It was the first Singaporean-Malaysian film focused on the game of Mahjong set in the same era it was produced. Zingshot Productions Pte Ltd fully funded the film. Production cost S$3.5 million (RM$8.96 million) King of Mahjong is presented with characters speaking multiple languages (Singlish, Mandarin, and Cantonese) rather than dubbing and creating a singular language track. ==Themes==

One of the concerns Adrian Teh addressed in the media leading up to the film's release related to the question of the movie potentially promoting gambling because of its inclusion of Mahjong as a central focus. Teh stated that the game as depicted in the film is about how the players bond instead. ==Release==

The film premiered in Singapore on , and in Malaysia on . == Reception ==

Box office The film grossed RM$2.4 million at the box office after its first four days of release, leading the weekly box office. As of 6 March 2015, the film grossed RM$3 million. Thompson Wong of InCinemas.sg praised the choice to have a character-driven film rather than "mindless humor or fast-paced action". To that end, Wong was pleased that the Cantonese language track had been left intact rather than being dubbed over in Mandarin and losing nuance in the translation. Wong expressed disappointment with the pacing, yet noted that the lengthy scenes where the characters communicate helps keep the film from coming across as trite. ==References==