FCB Shout Brings to Life a Stranger-than-Fiction True Story For Rhb’s Hari Raya 2024 Film

Titled ‘Lembaran Baharu’ (Forgiveness), RHB Bank’s latest Hari Raya film, which was conceived and created by FCB SHOUT, is a dramatic reenactment of ‘the most unforgettable case’ of Malaysian lawyer Ahmad Zaharil Muhaiyar’s long and illustrious career.

In 1998, Ahmad Zaharil found himself helping a woman who had stolen a pencil case as a gift to her son who had ranked number one in class. Ahmad Zaharil went on to represent her in court pro bono and was able to reduce her sentence to Good Behaviour Bond. One day, about two decades after the fateful encounter, he was approached by a young man who revealed that he was the son of the woman whom he defended back in 1998, and is now following Ahmad Zaharil’s footsteps by being a lawyer.

Abdul Sani Abdul Murad, group chief marketing officer of RHB Banking Group, said, “Hari Raya is a season of forgiveness and starting anew. Ahmad Zaharil’s astonishing story perfectly encapsulates these values and so much more, proving that forgiving and helping with a sincere heart will often bring not only far-reaching consequences, but also life-changing outcomes. A seemingly insignificant gesture from Ahmad Zaharil on that one fateful day not only changed the life of the woman he helped, but also her son and all the people he would go on to help as a lawyer. Spanning over two decades, this story is the epitome of RHB’s brand belief of ‘Together We Progress’, and I believe the lessons we can take away from this incredible tale of forgiveness, justice, and kindness are especially apt in the times that we are living in today.”

Meanwhile, Tjer, FCB SHOUT’s head of creative, added, “The way we approached this story was very different from the other RHB festive films that we’ve done. This time, because we couldn’t write a better story even if we tried, we simply allowed art to imitate life. With Ahmad Zaharil himself as our consultant, we stayed as true to the real case as possible. As such, we didn’t have to take a lot of creative license to turn this true story into an engaging and entertaining piece that is fit for the Hari Raya occasion. Instead, we spent a lot of time working with our production partners at D Moving Pictures and GT Records to find the most engaging way to craft an emotionally charged film that would do justice to the life-changing actions of the protagonist and the unbelievable outcome that followed.”

FCB SHOUT is the creative arm of The Shout Group, an advertising holding company owned by highly regarded Malaysian ad-men and entrepreneurs Shaun Tay and Ong Shi-Ping. It is the #1 Malaysian creative agency based on agency titles won, with a clean sweep of wins at Marketing Interactive’s Agency of the Year Awards, APPIES Asia-Pacific and Campaign Asia’ Agency of the Year Awards in 2023.

“The hallmark of progress is measured by how far we are willing to go to help another person, even when they can offer us nothing in return. I believe that Ahmad Zaharil’s story is beyond just a great festive film, as it is also a timeless reminder of the power of simply being human,” concluded Ong Shi Ping, co-owner and chief creative officer of The Shout Group and FCB SHOUT

‘Lembaran Baharu’ was released on 30 March 2024 and is running across all RHB Bank’s social and digital channels in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive celebration, which starts on 10 April 2024. Since its release, the film has gone viral and has been featured by multiple national news publications such as Sinar Harian, Harian Metro, The Sun, MalaysiaKini, The Rakyat Post garnering over 8,500,000 views, 140,000 likes and 26,000 shares in the four days since the campaign was first aired on RHB’s digital platforms.