Tears and triumphs
Director Anwardi Jamil and the stars of Showtime 1958 take Dennis Chua back to the heyday of Malay cinema
A NEW FILM INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS IN THE 1950s DELVES INTO THE GOLDEN AGE OF MALAY CINEMA
AT one time Singapore was the film hub of Nusantara where many Malay film stars were discovered. However in the 1950s, with the emergence of black and white television as an alternative source of entertainment as well as the influx of foreign films from the United States, India and Hong Kong, the Malay film industry slowed down.
This gradually resulted in the closure of the Jalan Ampas Studio in Singapore, which had operated for 20 years. The struggles of Malaysia’s and Singapore’s earliest film stars will be featured in a periodic film titled
Showtime 1958 in February 2020.
Written and directed by Anwardi Jamil,
Showtime 1958 is a tribute to Anwardi’s late father, filmmaker Datuk Jamil Sulong, and also the early film stars and singers. It is inspired by true events which Jamil shared with him over the years.
TOUGH TIMES
Showtime 1958 features several stories that unfold during a 24-hour period which takes place during a crucial time for the Malay film industry based in the Jalan Ampas Studio which was owned by Shaw Brothers.
The year 1958 was one where tough choices had to be made regarding many artistes; the studio experienced financial difficulties and many artistes who went to Singapore from Malaya chose to join the new Merdeka Film Studio in Kuala Lumpur.
Showtime stars Singaporean Shah Iskandar, Amai Kamaruddin of Temuan Takdir, Fatin Afifah of Tentang Bulan, Bell
Ngasri of 1957: Hati Malaya, Josiah Lim, and Mubarak Majid.
The producers are Farid Ahmad and Anwardi, and the costumes are sponsored by Couture Classic.
Raja Iskandar Raja Ibrahim and Ebby Saiful Ali are the music directors and Ebby of Ali Setan fame performs the theme song Sayang, which was composed by Jamil and written by Ebby himself.
It is the first feature film from Nafalia, which has been producing television dramas and telemovies since 2002. Filming began on June 17 and will wrap up in a month. It will be screened in cinemas in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei next year.
Below, Amai, Shah, Fatin, Bell and Anwardi speak about Showtime 1958.
IS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME PLAYING REAL-LIFE CHARACTERS?
Amai: Yes, it is, and I’m super excited. I’ve been acting for a decade and this is my first playing the leading man in a film. It’s great that I’m teaming up with some of my close friends for a historical film, I have acted with Bell and Fatin in several dramas before, but it is good to team up in a story that is seldom told.
Shah (Iskandar) is my longtime friend and it is easy to work with him. Playing Tan Sri P. Ramlee is a “godsend”, something I never expected to happen. I cannot wait to find out who will play Puan Sri Saloma, P. Ramlee’s future wife. The most interesting thing about this film is I get to know what P. Ramlee was like off-stage as opposed to the on-stage Ramlee I grew up watching on TV.
Shah: I am so honoured to play a giant like Datuk Jamil Sulong. It is my first nonfiction film and I am a bit nervous a legend. Nevertheless, I am truly delighted to meet and work with his son Anwardi, who has promised to guide me all the way.
Fatin: I am nervous playing my first real-life character, Datuk Rosnani Jamil, who will be visiting the set from time to time. But I’m also delighted to take up the challenge, as it takes my acting career to the next level.
HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR YOUR ROLES?
Amai: I did research on P. Ramlee for two weeks. I spent hours watching as many films of the legend as I could, observing his movements and mannerisms, and the way he talks. YouTube came in handy for me to take a good look at Ramlee’s work. My pencil-thin moustache was handy. And in 1958, Ramlee was very slim, like me, so I had to watch what I ate. From what I’ve learnt, Ramlee was a confident man who possessed good leadership qualities. He was a faithful friend to actors and studio staff. It is my second time working with Anwardi, and I am honoured to work with the son of a legendary filmmaker and good friend of P. Ramlee.
Anwardi is a perfectionist like his father and Ramlee, but so far, he’s been a “nice” director on the set. Anwardi directed me in another film, Langkawi Oh Langkawi, last year. It has yet to be released.
Shah: I have watched about three films directed by Jamil. A must, since I was personally chosen by Anwardi to play his father. Fortunately for me, young Jamil had curly hair, but I had to wear his trademark glasses to look the part. He was always smartly dressed in a suit and tie. Being meticulous is a must. I have to speak slowly like the quintessential Malay gentleman he was.
I have been reading Jamil’s biographies and I’ve also interviewed Anwardi a lot about his father. My appreciation of him has grown. Jamil was a quiet and hardworking man, a devoted friend, husband and father. People have hardly seen him lose his cool. Ramlee did have a temper, but not Jamil.
Fatin: I have been watching some of Rosnani’s films and have also spent some time chatting with the legend herself. She’s jovial and made me feel at ease throughout our informal conversations. I have learnt that Mak Nani was a perfectionist when it came to organising showcases and she always had an eye for detail. Mak Nani was also very particular about language and manners. When conversing with her, one should never use “aku”, and always use
“saya” instead.
She is a firm believer in the famous slogan “Bahasa jiwa bangsa”. And yes, she knows everything about women’s fashion, especially the splendid kebayas which singers and actresses like Puan Sri Saloma and herself wore those days.
ANWARDI, IS THIS STORY PART OF YOUR FATHER’S DIARIES OVER THE YEARS? DID HE ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME UP WITH THIS FILM?
Anwardi: The film’s script was completed over the last 30 years by me. I got good feedback from my mother and close friends of my late father. Director U-Wei Saari helped me “improve” the script from time to time. It is my labour of love to the actors of my parents’ era, not only P. Ramlee. My father told me many stories over the years, and he kept these in his diaries.
The film does not tell every single story, only some of the more interesting ones. A complete story of that era would require five films. In his lifetime, he did encourage me to tell his stories to the viewers of today, but he left the specifics to me.
IS THIS A ONE-OFF PROJECT?
Anwardi: I’ve got a lot of stories to tell, that’s for sure, and in future I’ll come up with films that enlighten viewers on the real unsung heroes of the Malaysian film industry. Showtime 1958 is only the beginning.
DID YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH YOUR MOTHER IN GETTING THE DETAILS RIGHT?
Anwardi: Yes, I did. The challenge was to re-create the 1950s right down to the most minute details. The cars, the dresses, the cigarettes, the hairstyles, the slang. My mother’s knowledge of women’s dresses and hairstyles was priceless. Kebayas, high hairdos, corsets, makeup.
The cast which I chose was very eager to learn about life during that era. Many of them did not realise how eventful and colourful that era was. There are four interconnected stories in the film. Some characters are fiction because they are composites of several real people my father knew. There are no flashbacks and the set is only one — the Culture, Arts and Heritage Department in Jalan Tun HS Lee, Kuala Lumpur.
Viewers will learn of how Ramlee and Saloma met and fell in love, his friendship with my father, and how the famous
Selamat Hari Raya song made popular by Datuk Ahmad Jais was created. Also, the involvement of Ramlee and my father in the artistes’ union, the story behind Ramlee’s legendary tune Azizah, and how street kids became actors and comedians. And which actor or actress smoked and which cigarette brand was a favourite of the stars. Ramlee loved Rough Rider cigarettes.
The fictitious character of Puspayanti is a composite of real-life individuals; she is a street kid made good. She is played by Yna Rose Noah, the daughter of veteran actress Rima Rashidi. She’s a promising actress to watch.
AMAI, DO YOU HAVE TO SING AS P. RAMLEE?
Amai: I was handpicked by Anwardi since I can sing and love P. Ramlee music. I have been singing since my schooldays in Kajang, Selangor. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a recording artiste, but it’s great to “be” one in a film!
DID YOU EVER THINK YOUR FIRST ROLE AS A LEADING MAN WOULD BE P. RAMLEE? WAS HE IN EVER YOUR WISH LIST OF PROTAGONISTS?
Amai: No, I never thought I’d get to be P. Ramlee in my first protagonist role. Nevertheless, he was in my wish list.
BELL, YOUR CHARACTER PROVIDES COMIC RELIEF. HAVE YOU MET THE REAL AZIZ?
Bell: I’ve been in a few comedy dramas with Pak Aziz over the years. He is a father figure to me, very kind and caring, and always willing to share fantastic stories of his heyday in Jalan Ampas Studio, Singapore. I am so honoured to play yet another historical figure. I greatly admire Aziz, and have watched all of the Bujang Lapok films. I enjoy Ali Baba
Bujang Lapok the most.
I was Cabinet Minister Tun Sardon Jubir in 1957: Hati Malaya, and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Harun Idris in Tanda
Putera. Heavy roles! These were great experiences, and this is my first non-VVIP historical figure, a different sort of challenge. It is refreshing to play a screen legend instead of a politician for a change. Not that it’s a walk in the park, but it’s something fresh and new. Aziz was a natural funnyman who also had a serious side, and I will portray him as such.
His most admirable quality was respect for others regardless of their backgrounds, and avoiding confrontations with hot-headed people. I miss Aziz a lot, but I am honoured to have known him, and regard him as one of the fathers of Malay comedy.
He lived life to the fullest and kept up with the times, mixing well with the “golden boys and golden girls” and the “budak baru”
(new kid) like me.
HOW HAS THIS FILM BEEN AN EYE-OPENER FOR THE CAST?
Shah: I have always been curious about the lives of actors and recording artistes in the Golden Age of Malay Cinema, the 1950s and 1960s. My parents told me things were very different back then, and people were very liberal, yet mindful of their traditional values at the same time. This is an educational trip for me, and a good way to boost my acting career.
Fatin: What a pity few appreciate the kebaya these days; it is our heritage, and beautiful, we must preserve it.I am fortunate to be slim enough to slip into kebayas. Kebayas are not tight but they still “tell you to lose weight”. I am so glad Anwardi is making this film. It is educational for me, it opens my eyes to the early years of Malay film, and how Singapore was the centre of the industry then. Playing Rosnani is a stepping stone to playing more challenging characters. I am often cast as the girlnext-door or the bad girl who backbites the heroines. I do not need to sing, fortunately, as I cannot sing.