What happened to the chicken? Royston Tan and Qi Yuwu look back on iconic local film 881 15 years on

This chicken likely didn't end up on someone's dinner plate, so where did it go?

In separate interviews with AsiaOne, local filmmaker Royston Tan and actor Qi Yuwu looked back on their iconic 2007 film 881 and shared what they knew about this now-elusive feathered celebrity.

881 is a musical directed by Royston that follows the story of the Papaya sisters, consisting of Little Papaya (Mindee Ong) and Big Papaya (Yeo Yann Yann) as they follow their getai dreams. 

The movie featured many Hokkien folk songs, such as One Half — although the lyrics differ slightly — and was a box office hit that garnered over $3 million in a month in 2007.

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The film was also described by The Hollywood Reporter as "Tan's heartfelt love song to a nostalgic folk culture with roots all over Asia" with its music compared to that of the popular Swedish supergroup ABBA.

Yuwu plays Guan Yin in 881, the son of Aunty Ling (Liu Lingling) and a completely silent character. 

The pet chicken he would care for was iconic not only due to the strangeness of having a chicken as a pet, but also because of the amount of screentime it had.

Guan Yin constantly carried his pet chicken in his arms, petting it and ignoring everything else around him, so much so that Aunty Ling would scold him for it. 

In an unexpected twist, however, the chicken was sold to cover medical bills for Little Papaya, who had originally tried to hide her illness so as to not hinder the sisters' dream. 

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Once the chicken was sold, it never appeared on screen again, leaving room for people to wonder what exactly happened to it.

While Yuwu, 46, parted with the chicken when filming ended and never found out what happened to it, he did hear that it was treated well following its retirement from a brief stint in showbiz.

Royston, also 46, laughed and shed a bit more light: "It was donated to an animal farm for children. I think it escaped to the Sin Ming estate!"

The area is known for its large chicken population — so large in fact that the government allocated task forces to cull and relocate chickens as early as 2017.

And if you're worried about the chicken now, fret not. Even if it did escape to Sin Ming, it likely didn't get culled. In fact, it probably wasn't there by the time the government got around to working on the poultry population.

A quick Google search suggests that most chickens grow to at most 10 years of age — 881 was released in 2007, a decade prior to the task forces' conception.

So if the chicken did escape to Sin Ming, it might have lived a good, long life contributing to the chicken overpopulation in the region and maybe even entertained itself by harassing residents there.

'Singapore cinema has room for improvement'

While finding out the fate of 881's feathered friend was one of our top priorities, we also asked Yuwu and Royston about their thoughts on the 15 years since 881's release.

Royston shared: "When I conceptualised 881, I only wanted to use the medium of film to share more about the getai culture to Singaporeans. I never expected that it would turn out the classic that it is.

"But I also believe that 881 became one of the quintessential films that really offered the world a glimpse into local culture through films."

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Additionally, another more personal aspect that spurred him on to write 881 was because Jack Neo had pointed out that Royston could only make arthouse films to win awards but no Singaporeans were able to understand, he admitted.

881 became the first film he made that his family and relatives could actually watch and understand as previous films went over their heads, Royston said.

"That it could have such an impact and popularity in Singapore, I feel was unexpected," Yuwu said of 881, adding that he doesn't feel as though there has been a movie that has created the same cultural impact that 881 achieved.

The movie really uplifted the entire culture of getai and gave opportunities for getai performers to enter the mainstream entertainment industry, he added.

To Yuwu, it's quite disappointing that 15 years have passed since 881's release, and no other Singaporean creation has reached the same level of significance as that film.

He said: "The fact that 15 years have passed and you can't find another show that has had the same impact in Singapore, I feel it's not a good thing… I think it's right to say this: Singapore cinema has room for improvement.

"There needs to be more creations that tell the story of Singaporeans, producing stories around Singaporean culture and with a Singaporean twist to it… we can't always follow hallyu or [other trends]."

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But that doesn't mean 881 would do well if it were to be released today.

Said Royston: "Part of the success of 881 in the past was due to the fact that getai was a very prevalent and common sight to many Singaporeans in the past. Bringing getai through films certainly attracted getai lovers and film lovers together. 

"Releasing 881 today will require a different way and mindset to attract moviegoers to the cinemas to not only assimilate the getai culture, but also to find a way to introduce the heartland showmanship and flamboyance to the screens."

Life after 881

It's been 15 years since 881's release, so how have Yuwu and Royston's lives and careers changed?

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Yuwu said: "[881] is one of my most representative works that I take pride in, it was also very unique to me because I never once said a single line while acting. From then until now, it's been a special and unforgettable experience for me as an actor."

Royston stated: "Before 881, I did more arthouse films but the success of 881 allowed the Singaporean audience to take notice of my works… Since then, I have found ways to express myself differently, whether through commercial or independent arthouse works."

And despite being one of Singapore's most prominent filmmakers, Royston doesn't feel like he's had any pressure to perform or make headlines the way he did with 881 before.

"Every movie that I've created echoes a certain sentiment in the current stage of my life," he said. "I've never used the pressure as a starting point when it comes to deciding what movie I want to do next. 

"Nevertheless, I am still very excited about the musical genre and will definitely be back."

881 is available for viewing on Netflix.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com

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