Third Finalist of Beyond P. Ramlee Project

BEYOND P. RAMLEE
by Nor Azrina Zakaria


Barang yang lepas jangan dikenang
Kalau dikenang tentu menangis
Barang yang lepas jangan dikenang
Kalau dikenang meracunlah diri
Tiap insan hai tidaklah kekal
Tentu kan pulang di mana berasal
Janganlah sedih hai janganlah pilu
Serahkan pada Allah yang satu

- Excerpt from the song “Barang Yang lepas Jangan Di Kenang”
Lyrics by S Sudarmaji
Song by P Ramlee

There is a possibility that not every Malaysian is an ardent fan of Malaysian film but the name P. Ramlee would be very hard to miss as his films are being repeatedly shown at every channel in the country which makes it hard for someone not to at least watch it. How could one forget his greatest film such as Penarik Beca, Bujang Lapok, Anakku Sazali, Nujum Pak Belalang, Ibu Mertuaku, Madu Tiga and Laksamana Do Re Mi.

Tan Sri P. Ramlee was and still a legend in the entertainment industry in Malaysia and also Singapore not only due to his vast contribution in the movie and music industry but he himself was an amazing film actor, director, singer and songwriter. Although he had only managed to shine for only 25 years since he was discovered by B.S rajhan in 1948, he had become the most celebrated entertainer even after his demise in 1973. For the present generation, what is left behind was his numerous films and the former house of P. Ramlee which has been converted to be his memorial as remembrance of that great actor, singer and producer.

It would be a hard task to locate a local artist to replace P. Ramlee because he is simply irreplaceable. Other factors in the difficulty to find someone who has the same acting skill, sense of humor, the aura and attraction as infectious as him would be because of the growing number of players within the local film industries be it artist, actress, musicians and singers. Because of the tough competition between the players to survive in the industry, many are drowned and suffocated while trying to stay afloat which resulted in them not being able to stay consistent to make a big impact to the audience.

After due deliberation, I would personally vote Adflin Shauki to be someone that I would expect to follow the footstep of P. Ramlee. Currently, he is known as a writer, director, stage and screen actor, comedian, singer and songwriter and presenter, which enough to indicate that he is a man with many talents. Afdlin who was born on 19 may 1971 at Johor Bahru started his career in the entertainment industry performing a duet song with Sheila Majid at Ikhlas concert in year 1990. He later left Roslan Aziz Production to further his study in TV and films in UK and upon returning have been very active in TV, theater, films and singing. Quietly he diversifies himself in the industry by learning his way up.

As a singer, musician and live performer, Afdlin, together with his band Acid Iz, presents a flavour of R&B, acid jazz and funk. His debut album FUUYO! was released late 2003 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afdlin_Shauki).

He has acted in numerous local and international films such asHollywood movie, Anna And The King, local movies such as Mimpi Moon, Soal Hati, Soalnya Siapa?, Gerak Khas The Movie II, City Sharks and Buli. The box-office Buli, a film Afdlin Shauki wrote and directed has brought him an accolade of awards, such as Best Story, Best Screenplay and Best New Director of the Year at the 17th Malaysian Film Festival (http://sultanmuzaffar.blogspot.com/2005/04/unitar-mini-film-festival-student-of.html).

His comedic talents is the most well known of by his fan and although most of his performance in the theater and films was heavily dominated by this characteristic, he is always capable of switching it to serious role when needed. Same goes to P. Ramlee, where most of his films had focused more on his comedian side.

Afdlin Shauki is admired for his determination to make a change in the entertainment industry in terms of quality products, possibly world class productions, because he believes that people will appreciate it if filmmakers put the effort to up their production values and couple it with good story telling. He is advocating new era for Malaysians movies (http://afdlinshauki.blogspot.com/).

Afdlin Shauki is still gaining his popularity and if given enough opportunity and exposure, he would be able to become another legend in the making. Everyone is given chances to make a different in his or her life, which is usually for the better, but for a person to be able to make himself the greatest in what he does is a trait that is not easily acquired.