Long Live P. Ramlee

Fellow comrades,


On Tuesday, we marked the 34th anniversary of P. Ramlee's passing. The brilliant/legendary/genius composer/actor/director/musician has entertained millions of Malaysians and others around the world with his acting/songs/movies and continues to do so ever since his untimely death on 29 May 1973 at the age of 44. He was, is and will always be loved by everyone especially Malaysians and particularly for his wonderful movies. My earliest memories are of the funny scenes and catchlines from Bujang Lapok, Madu Tiga, Tiga Abdul, Ahmad Albab, and many, many more. His shows remain fresh and hilarious, despite being rerun every year by the RTM1. And I do mean EVERY year. His dramas touched on the hardships of life faced by the ordinary bloke in the days of yore Malaya and even today the problems he showcased can still be related to.

I only realised the moral messages hidden among the quips and wisecracks in his movies a few years ago when I bought a whole bunch of his movies on VCD to bring to Canberra. As I sat in the Burton & Garran Hall computer lab watching Pendekar Bujang Lapok, trying my best not to burst out laughing at almost every sentence uttered by Ramlee, Sudin and Ajis, I began to realise the lessons that P. Ramlee was trying to convey. Ethnic relations, marital problems, post-colonial development, familial ties, religion, et cetera. All these issues were touched upon one way or another in his movies. Be it in the witty remarks (e.g. Apa oi oi oi oi. Lu taktau ka bahasa melambangkan bangsa?) or the more dramatic ones (e.g. Mengapa tidak kau dilahirkan sebagai binatang?) every sentence had its purpose and beckons the audience to think. If I were a lecturer, doesn't matter what or where I teach, I'll be sure to include a scene or two from one of his movies. I'm sure we can all learn more on how to be a better person watching his movies than listening to a lecture on Neo-Cons for an hour.

Oddly enough, I find a divergence among my peers on the level of interest that they have on P. Ramlee's works. There are those who say his flicks belong to the era that they were made; that we can no longer subscribe to any of the message that his movies bring, regardless of whether they've actually watched a single scene. Although they seem to be able to appreciate the works of Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward and Beethoven. Budget modern/Western laa konon.

Yet, thankfully, there are still those who are wise enough to appreciate P. Ramlee's oeuvre and the gems that are hidden in every scene in his movies and every line in his songs. Although most of those who do are from P. Ramlee's generation, I do hope that his works will continue to inspire and engender greater understanding among Malaysians in the future. Probably continuing to rerun his movies every year and/or naming an airport after him will do the trick. Heck, if it was up to me, when I go back to Malaysia this year, I'll be landing at P. Ramlee International.

For more insights into his personal life, here's a very recent interview with his son, Nasir. Also, transcripts of his movies are currently being compiled and kept for future references. I'd love to see it be made public on a website or sold as a book. I'll be first in line on the day it's released. Sadly, I'll never be able to get it signed by the author.

Godspeed,
Fadli