The Malaysian Who Inspired Me The Most
Author: Wan Nur Syahirah
If only we were to come back
Responding to Divine calls
Keep my song instead
Immortal in your soul
Taking care of you, O Sazali
- P. Ramlee, Anakku Sazali (1956)
P. Ramlee has inspired so many Malaysians, including me. He showed the world that the modern and traditional can work together both in his music and films. Even through the ups and downs in life, he had always been a humble man with pure passion for work. He may have died early at the age of 44, but he has done so much for the country. However, It is just depressing that we honoured him more when he has gone back to our creator instead of when he was alive. Because of that, we should appreciate him more out of pure admiration instead of guilt.
P. Ramlee or the name he was born with Teuku Zakaria Bin Teuku Nyak Puteh, was the hottest sensation of 20th Century Malaysia. A prestigious thespian who composed timeless 401 songs and 66 films, he caught the hearts of global fans and paved the way for Malaysia’s filming industry. One of his most recognized masterpieces would be the “Bujang Lapok” series, consisting of four comedy films and an additional film directed by Aziz Sattar, one of the main actors, alongside S. Shamsuddin and Nasir P. Ramlee, the son of the late actor.
It is beyond question that his contribution to Malaysia is invaluable. His legacy has been kept alive from the naming of streets and buildings in Penang and Kuala Lumpur to Google celebrating his 88th birthday on 22 March 2017. You may bring up that the things I listed are incomparable to his national and international awards. Having said that, how many of the younger generations are truly aware of his outstanding awards? We only notice what is shown to us, which is why his awards are not as acknowledged compared to his works. But who was he before the massive fame?
P. Ramlee was a musician from a young age. A creative artist would be able to create art with anything, and so he used his creativity by producing music rhythms through his bicycle’s brake. During the Japanese occupation, they saw his talent and sent him to places to develop it, even better as he grasped the Japanese language smoothly to ease communications between the two parties. Consequently, he could have been shunned by the locals for having close relations with the Japanese. Even if schools were under the Japanese education system, it was not certain that every student would be fond of the occupation.
Nevertheless, he sought after his ambition tirelessly. During the times of financial struggle, the money gained from gathering and shows was used to buy formal clothes for competitions. He must showcase his professionalism just as much as his talent, especially when the nobility present who more often than not would not understand the struggles of torn clothes.
Many people are unaware that P. Ramlee had multiple films unable to officially premiere due to inappropriate content or lost from possession. Such as Sitora Harimau Jadian which was meant to premiere in 1964 but the copy ended up in loss. It was his attempt on the horror genre that was not prevalent in Malaysia at that time. Nevertheless, this first class entertainer continued to amuse audiences with a wide range of versatility in filming and music industry.
Alas his fame was fated to decline, especially after his departure from the Shaw Brothers Studio. The political and racial tension between Singapore and Malaysia was a major factor. His Malay culture representation and predominantly Malay audience was considered an economic and social threat to the predominantly Chinese Singaporeans. Furthermore, the Singaporean audience grew very fond of pop music and color films due to intense modernization.
Consequently, he tried his luck with Malaysia, which did not garner much positivity as he expected for. The rising Islamisation in Malaysia criticized his films as inappropriate such as his character committing adultery, and his western lifestyle contradicting Islamic teachings. He was often bombarded with unsolicited advices or questions by reporters so that the public could defame the poor man even more.
Being deserted by the entertainment industry and the public took a huge negative toll on him emotionally and financially in his later years. At his concerts, he was booed as if he was a clown on the stage. He must have smiled through the pain, and tried to stay strong hoping the wind could finally pass. His films that were directed under a Malaysian company were also unable to gain the same support compared to his films directed in Singapore. He was seen as something from the past, when he desired to bring the future.
Not only was his ambition to transition the local filming industry hindered, his financial struggles were so awful that his beloved wife, Saloma, had to borrow some money to pay for his funeral. And when he was alive, he tried helping people he was close with even if it meant giving all the money he had. The government, on the other hand, did not pay the RM3 million royalty that he deserved. Did all his contributions vanish from history for them to not be properly acknowledged?
“Do you think people will remember me?” a question P. Ramlee asked Ahmad Nawab, his best friend and also a legendary Malaysian musician. Ahmad Nawab replied ‘I’m sure people will remember you. You are somebody, you are special’.
All the blood, sweat and tears on the black and white films are national heritages just as much as he is. His dedication to pursue his ambition is an eye opener to many people that the entertainment industry is very much important to Malaysia. The industry today has not produced much quality work, this is because we more often than not shun talents. Whether it be by asking discounts from local artists because we cannot comprehend their true value, or even downgrading their art as low quality to soothe the guilt in us for not supporting them. This mentality needs to be fixed. We must not let geniuses like P. Ramlee go to waste by being out of touch that every artist is living a lavish life when they struggle as much as a normal person. Art is supposed to be a form of freedom and immortality. We may not be in the same timeline as him, but we surely have the duty to continue his legacy. We must show to him that our local industry can have its place globally again.
If we do something out of guilt, then we have to redirect our motive. If we are seen as worthless, we can open their eyes with truth. If we hit our lowest, we should never give up on our dreams. And we as Malaysians, will decide the country’s groove.