P. Ramlee - Malaysia's greatest crooner

P.RAMLEE
The Bright Star
By James Harding and Ahmad Sarji
Pelanduk Publications

P.RAMLEE died at a relatively young age of 44 in 1973. In a career that spanned about 25 years, P.Ramlee left behind a cinematic legacy that has no equal in the Malay film industry till the present century.
The bulk of the films he acted in were in black and white. By today’s standards, they are quite unsophisticated and the storylines were startlingly simple. However, generations of Malaysians from across the ethnic divide have grown to love him and his evergreen songs.
This book in English is a rare find because P.Ramlee is a “lagenda” among his community, and there are not many books written in English about Malay film stars. So this one is a bonus.
On a personal level, I practically grew up with P.Ramlee as the main source of entertainment over Radio Television Malaysia. In the early days of RTM, television simply meant black and white pictures and few knew any better because in my neighbourhood initially, there was only one TV set along the entire road.
Every night, hordes of children hung on the windows and crowded the door of that particular house for a glimpse of RTM shows. On many occasions, P.Ramlee was the man to watch on TV.
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, P.Ramlee was king in the Malayan cinema. His songs were played incessantly over the radio. We all love the way he sang. Somehow, his melodious vocal chords won over our hearts.
Ramlee’s fans would be glad to know that this low-profiled book is still on sale at some book shops. It has lots of fascinating facts about a man who emerged from very humble beginnings to become an icon during the days when the cinema was synonymous with the Shaw Brothers.
The Chinese, Indians and Malays all liked P.Ramlee. He struck a common understanding among the three major races. For the Chinese, perhaps it was because of his early days in Penang. After all, he did study at the Penang Free School.
Later in several of his movies, Ramlee managed to depict the mannerisms of the Chinese whom he had come to know so well from his growing years in Penang. For that, the Chinese, in large numbers, adored him.
The Indians also liked him because he often projected himself as a friend who could also easily cross the racial divide with ease and joy. Much as a bon vivant would wont to do. Many of his films and songs also had a distinct Hindi flavour.
This book, a collaboration between retired lecturer James Harding and former government chief secretary Ahmad Sarji, is well organised treatise about a man born Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh who was later registered in school as Ramlee bin Puteh. This was further modified to P.Ramlee.
It is interesting to note that the men who had great influence over P.Ramlee in his early acting years were well known Indian directors. Their names were L. Krishnan, Phani Majumdar, B.N. Rao. S. Ramanathan, K.M. Baskar and B.S. Rajhans. Ramlee’s favourite Hollywood actor was Stewart Granger.
But as this book reveals, what separates P.Ramlee from those actors who came after him was his songs. The actor crooned his way into the hearts of his generation of admirers. Many of his hit songs, written and sang by him, had lyrics and tunes that would gently jolt listeners to reminisce about the bygone days and a country that held a charm that bound all the different communities as if by magic.
Part of that magic, as this book puts it, is P.Ramlee. An ex-colleague once gave an impromptu rendition of Getaran Jiwa in my presence. He proclaimed that it was a song of great depth and meaning. Without any prompting on my part, he went on to explain the meaning of the song. He was surprised to learn shortly then that it was also one of my favourites. Getaran Jiwa has that special melody that glides quite smoothly across the racial plain and establishes an understanding beyond language.
This tome of many lesser known facts will thrill present-day Ramlee admirers with its charming revelations. The many famous actresses whom P.Ramlee wooed on screen; the bujang lapoks who became his lifelong friends, and those like Jins Shamsudin whom he helped along the way.
P.Ramlee – The Bright Star is also a good reference book. There are 22 pages detailing P.Ramlee’s films and songs from 1948 to 1972.
Many who grew up listening to Ramlee’s songs and watching some of his 63 films will agree that the actor/singer is a performer nonpareil. His voice still enchants whenever his songs are played over the airwaves. Truly, one song that P.Ramlee sang decades ago can now be aptly applied to him, Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti.