P. Ramlee will be remembered forever our hearts...
P.Ramlee is one of the most famous celebrities of Malaysia from the past. He was an all rounder, an actor, singer, director, songwriter, composer and producer. His endless talent is the main cause of his everlasting fame and name throughout the film industry in Malaysia and even outside Malaysia. Born in Penang, P.Ramlee's house has become a famous tourist spot for tourists as he is considered the icon of Malay entertainment in Malaysia.
I usually do not watch classic Malay movies. However, my very first one was none other than P.Ramlee's "Antara Dua Darjat". I really like the way the movie's storyline is directed, an enjoyable moment for me together with my other classmates as we watched the movie.
If you have not watched the film, I will tell you how the storyline goes in this blog post. This is my first Malay film too, and I would like to watch more of P.Ramlee's movies again due to the classic touch the movies have. I hope you guys will enjoy it. :)
Tengku Zaleha (Saadiah)
Antara Dua Darjat is the story of Ghazali (P.Ramlee) who falls in love with Tengku Zaleha (Saadiah) on a rainy day when Zaleha's car gets stuck in a pile of mud. Ghazali together with his friends help to release the car. It was love at first sight when both of them saw each other. As time passed, their relationship grew stronger, transforming from friends to lovers. However, Ghazali was a musician and a piano tutor, expert in playing musical instruments such as the piano and the double bass. He was a normal person,living a simple life with his mother and cousin brother. Ghazali is a kind-hearted, down-to-earth and hardworking young man, worth to be made as a life partner.
Tengku Zaleha is a girl from the higher class, more like the elit society of the Malay population. Her family is rich, arrogant and yet respected by the so-called "normal" or more famously known as the "orang awam". However, her mother is not of the royal blood as she was the mistress of Zaleha's dad, making Zaleha having half the blood of the common class. Tengku Zaleha does not care about her status and she treats everybody equally due to the kind heart of hers. Her dad however is the opposite of her character as he forbids Zaleha from mixing with the people lower to their class. However, it is too late for Zaleha to change her mind as she is already madly in love with a common man. Knowing her rebellious nature, Zaleha's father forbids her to leave the housing premises - she is to be at home at all times.
Dating, lah !!! ;-)
Being the rebel as she always is, Zaleha comes up with a plan....she tells her father that she wants to learn how to play the piano as she is getting extremely bored at home the whole day. Not suspecting her daughter's intentions, he introduces her to a piano tutor who turns out to be Ghazali. Love blossoms as both of them bond during the piano lessons....Much to their dismay, they get caught by Zaleha's arrogant elder brother. Violence starts as they hit Ghazali until he faints and Zaleha is brutally taken away from the scene. I felt like killing Zaleha's brother in that scene....!!! But then I realized it was only a movie...hehehe :P Audiences later finds out that Zaleha passes away, due to the harsh beatings of her father and brother.
Ghazali is shown depressed, but he still awaits his long lost love...he doesn't believe that his love is dead...he can still feel her....And this the story continues...
Love hurts...A lot... :(
After this, there is this interesting time lapse in the movie - something very interesting and rare in black and white movies. Audiences are given a shock when Zaleha returns, yes, she is not dead...In fact she was actually drugged and taken to Singapore by her cruel father. In those tough situations, she murders her brother who tries to kill her mother and in all that Zaleha's father develops shock and becomes insane. She then acts as if she has lost her memory and does not recognize Ghazali, since she is forcefully married to Ungku Mukri.
Depressed Ghazali's hopes goes in the drain once again as he finds out Zaleha is married to Ungku Mukri, a very rich man from the elite class.However, Ungku Mukri has cruel intentions and has married Zaleha for the sake of her property. It is shown that he has a girlfriend who is pregnant, too. :/
At the climax,it is shown that Ungku Mukri dies (shot by Ghazali's friend) while trying to kill Ghazali. Everything gets solved and they live happily ever after.
Not a bad storyline, eh? I think we should watch more Malay movies!! They are worth to be appreciated...
New York I Love You - an unique film filled with many stories
New York I Love You is a movie which consists of eleven short films by different directors each. The movie's release date is on the 16th of October 2009 and the film's distributor is Vivendi Entertainment. Among the languages present in the content of the film is English, Gujarati, French, Cantonese and also Yiddish. New York I Love You is an unique movie since the storyline revolves back and forth of all eleven short stories - so be very attentive when you watch the film if not you will be confuse yourself throughout the film.
Irrfan Khan - my favorite :)
Among all the short stories, my personal favorite is the story by director Mira Nair and written by Suketu Mehta, starring Irrfan Khan and Natalie Portman. Irrfan Khan is in the list of my favourite actors since the roles that he choses in both Bollywood and Hollywood films are simply superb. In this movie, Irrfan Khan plays a Gujarati man, Mansukhbhai. He owns a diamond bussiness together with his elder sibling to support his children. I like this character is because Mansukhbhai is shown as a loving father and a very good human being. The reason why I say this is because he patiently accepts the fact that his wife has broken all bonds of the materialistic world - and goes closer to the spiritual world, leaving her family behind. I appreciate the fact that Mansukhbhai is not angry at his wife's decision, this shows how much respect he has for his own wife. Despite being lonely, Mansukhbhai doesn't plan to remarry. However, love strucks when he meets Natalie Portman (as Rifka), a Jewish woman. She is about to marry a man chose for her by her orthodox parents.
Natalie Portman as Rifka
I totally understand Mansukhbhai's feelings for Rifka, as one cannot control one's feelings. However, one can control one's actions towards these feelings that have arise. It is shown that Mansukhbhai kisses Rifka's forehead and blesses her using a Jain mantra used to give blessings to a soon-to-be bride. He utters Lord Mahavir's sacred mantra - which purifies their intimate feelings towards each other. This shows how much respect Mansukhbhai has towards women, as he did not have selfish intentions to steal Rifka from her fiancee.... Another reason why I have respect and like Irrfan Khan's character in this film is because there are many men of the same situation living in India that I know. I understand this situation quite well as this culture is present in my very own Gujarati culture. The acts of women moving away from the materialistic world is called as the process of taking "diksha" in Jainism, which is a part of the Gujarati culture. Let me explain a little bit about what diksha actually is....
For Jains, the ideal condition for spiritual progress is to be completely detached from the world, which is archived more easily as a monk / nun / medicant. They vow not just to give up material things, but also to give up emotions and attachment of the physical body. This is the reason why women who wish to take up diksha are required to shave off the hairs on their head since long hair symbolizes femininity and arises emotion on the human mind. Usually, a ceremony is organized in which certain rituals are being conducted. This process is called the Diksha Ceremony. This event is usually a sad one, since the person will bid his/her last goodbye to all their loved ones - they will not be able to see them forever. It is also the last day for the person dress up in beautiful clothings since after taking up the diksha he/she will have to dress in white forever. Here is a perfect example of a Diksha Ceremony and how Lord Mahavir looks like:
Lord Mahavir - the Jain God
I know a few people in India whose wives have taken diksha, and they are all remarried since they are unable to bear the loneliness. This is the main reason why I deeply appreciate Mansukhbhai's character in this film since he manages to control his emotions and takes good care of his children while his wife is away. Very few men has the ability to do that. Even though Mansukhbhai falls in love, however it is shown that he has managed to control himself for so many years before he met Rifka - which is not an easy thing to do.
This short film segment in the film New York I Love You is a lesson for all Gujarati Jain men, who are facing the same situation. I think that the character of Mansukhbhai will give them something to relate to in their life. People should also look up to Irrfan Khan's character since it teaches us important elements of how to handle situations in our life. Mansukhbhai should be a character for everyone to look up to.
According to Oxford Dictionary, music is defined as "vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion".
My definition of music is the art which involves the pouring of emotions; and the beautiful outcome is the devotional and expressive music which is pleasant for the ears. I personally appreciate music very much, and I love it when I hear people playing different kinds of musical instruments, omitting beautiful tunes.
Om - the Hindu symbol
Goddess Saraswati holding a veena
The importance of music and musical instruments is very immense in my culture, Hinduism. Some of our Gods play musical instruments, such as my favorite and most respected Goddess Saraswati. She is the Goddess of knowledge, music, arts and science.In the Thai religion, Goddess Saraswati is known as "Suraswadee". She is associated with the colour white, which symbolizes knowledge and purity. She holds a musical instrument called a "Veena" or a "Sitar" in her hands. Belief says that she plays music of love and life residing in the strings of the Veena. People who wish to succeed in their musical careers often worship Goddess Saraswati. He who has Saraswati's blessings will constantly succeed in their musical talents as She appreciates people who appreciate music - like Her.
Thus, I have deep respect for all music loves as my culture teaches we to do so as even my God has the love of music and respects it.
Sorn played by Anuchit Sapanpong
Linking my beliefs with the Thai movie "The Overture", I like the character Sorn in the movie very much. He is determined to play an instrument called the "Ranad" in the movie. I respect Sorn as he possesses the passion for music - similar to the Gods of the Hindu culture. Sorn's passion for playing the ranad is shown in a few scenes.
The first scene is when Sorn is shown competing with another competitor, Khun In, in the palace of His Royal Highness of Thailand. The scene portrays Sorn competing on a tough scale as Khun In brings in tough competiton to Sorn. Despite facing difficulties with a broken ranad, he is given another chance to play. Sorn proves himself well and wins the ranad playing competiton against Khun In. He manages to impress The Royal Highness due to his immense musical
talent and manages to get a standing ovation from the crowd. This scene
always impresses me too, and everytime I watch this scene, I build-up
more respect towards Sorn as he has actually learnt how to play the
ranand just for the sake of the movie.
Sorn playing the Ranad
Other than that, it is shown in the movie that Sorn craves to play the ranad during his childhood despite being restricted by his father. Sorn's father has actually restricted Sorn to play the ranad as his elder son, had passed away due to the intense rivalry and jealousy of the competitors of ranad playing competition. This phobia Sorn's dream to become a successful ranad player. However, Sorn defies his father and often sneaks off to practice playing the ranad in the jungles together with one of his good friends. He eventually gets caught but his father realizes that he has become a fantactic ranad player and releases his restrictions upon the advice of a monk. This shows how Sorn's passion for music has over-powered his fathers restrictions.
Another scene which portrays Sorn's great love towards music is in the ending. It is shown that Sorn dies after his last play on the ranad. This scene portrays that Sorn's whole life is linked with music, and he even dies on the ranad. I can imagine how strong Sorn's love for music is. This scene always gets me emotionally choked, as it portrays the importance of music in the character's life. It makes me think - what is my passion in life? Having some form of passion is one's life is very important as it gives us a reason to live. This is the main reason why I adore this scene and I am also very much pleased with the character as he possesses a very high passion for music.
Sorn dies while playing the Ranad
Therefore, I have great respect for the character Sorn in the movie The Overture and I would love to watch the movie again during my free time. This movie is a must watch for all music lovers and appreciators as everything in this movie is linked with music - the soul of life. :)
is an epic animation film of adventure in a culturally and visually rich setting that is for audience of all ages to enjoy. Here is the movie's summary in case you have missed it.
I recently saw Brave by Disney™
and I am extremely captivated by the film. I usually do not watch animation films, but Brave is a movie that has managed to glue me to my seat.
The film begins with a scene portraying Princess Merida's childhood with her parents; King Fergus and Queen Elinor. King Fergus gifts Merida a set of bow and arrows - cinematic-ally this symbolizes that Merida is going to be a brave girl in the future. However, Queen Elinor is not very happy by this. This introduction scene symbolizes each personality's traits which is more like having a rough idea of how the characters are going to be like.
Baby Princess Merida
In this scene, a bear named Mor'du invades and attempts to attack the whole family. King Fergus manages to shoo Mor'du away by using all his might, but injures his leg in the battle.
Mor'du vs King Fergus
Merida & Angus
Every step of the way, Queen Elinor trains Merida on how to behave like a perfect Princess. However, Merida is more interested in activities such as horse-riding and archery. She even has a pet horse by the name of Angus. Merida forcefully learns her mother's girly trainings despite being uncomfortable.
As Merida grows up, Queen Elinor plans for her marriage and calls different Kingdoms to present their proposal for their Prince for Princess Merida. This decision was taken without Merida's concent and she detests the marriage as all the candidates were useless anyways.
Merida is forced to wear uncomfortable clothes to present herself in a Royal manner in front of the many Princes that came to see her. She gets really uncomfortable during that time since the dress that she was wearing was extremely tight.
Tight clothings are really uncomfortable :(
Due to the doubts on the candidates capabilities, Queen Elinor applies the "may the best man win" theory - having an archery match (suggested by Merida) to decide who is going to be in Merida's fate. In the match, Lord Dingwalli's son wins by accident. In anger, Merida shoots all the targets accurately to show her archery skills. Everyone is shocked to see such a "unlady-like" behaviour of her. Merida then runs off to the woods as Queen Elinor gets angry on her actions.
Notice King Fergus's expression at the back? Lol....
The main point in the film starts when Merida follows the Will O' the Whisps (little shiny blue lights) when she was in the woods. These whisps take her to a house where a witch lives together with her pet crow.
Will O' Whisps leads Merida to a Witch
Merida buys a spell from the Witch hoping that it will "change her mom". The spell is in the form of a cake which turns Queen Elinor into a bear. Merida seeks the help of her 3 little siblings in order to destroy the spell, and in this process they turn into bear cubs as they unknowingly taste the remaining pieces of the cake which was given by the Witch.
Bear Elinor ;)
The Witch with her pet crow
Merida finds out that the spell will become permanent by the second sunrise so Merida attempts to save her mother and siblings before that. Audiences will be on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next. Will Merida be able to break the spell and bring her mother and siblings back to normal? The answer is in this blog itself so read on....
Upon spending time with her beary mother, Merida realizes how much her mother loves and cares for her - something that teenagers often realize late in their lives. She regrets on what she has done to her own mother. The emotional flashback always gets me emotionally choked. I really find the scene as touchy when Queen Elinor loves Merida and protects her when she was a little baby in the flashback scene. That scene reminds me of my mother as she loves and cares for me in the same way. According to me, the spell actually serves as a platform to bond their mother-daughter relationship in the film.
This scene is so sweet....
Next, in the attempt to save her mother, Merida has to handle King Fergus, and the group of her "marriage candidates" and their fathers as they misinterpret that the bear (Queen Elinor) as Mor'du, the evil bear. Mor'du is an evil character shown in the beginning of the film where he was a victim of the same spell. He ruined his kingdom due to his selfishness to rule alone; without his 3 siblings.
Protecting her mother.....
One of my favourite scenes is when Merida fights with King Fergus to save her mother. Merida manages to turn her mother and 3 siblings back to humans; making King Fergus realize that the bear is actually his own wife. The mystery to break the curse was to stitch a tapestry that was torn and even the evil Mor'du was released from the spell.
Pardes movie poster
Overall, I feel that Brave is a great movie as I personally love the plot very much. In contrast to this, due to my passion for Bollywood, I couldn't help but notice 2 similar elements with 2 Bollywood films. I was amazed at myself too for noticing a Bollywood film similarity in an animation film. Lol... :)
The first thing I notice is the similarity in one part of Brave's plot with the movie Pardes, starring Shah Rukh Khan. In Pardes, there is a scene where Rajiv (Apurva Agnihotri) competes with Manuchand (Anand Balraj) in a "Kabaddi" match because Manuchand's father claims that Suraj Dev (Alok Nath) had promised his daughter, Ganga's (Mahima Chaudhry) marriage with his son. However, the reality was the proposal of Manuchand was only taken into consideration and it was not a promise. The match is an open challenge that awakened the egos of Rajiv and his family members.
In Brave, the archery match is also an open challenge as the winner of the match will get the opportunity to marry Princess Merida.
The Kabaddi Match at 04:00
The Archery Match
Both films has scenes where a sports match is organized which will determine who will marry the female lead character of each film. However, both Merida and Ganga are not happy with these decisions as they would not like a stupid sports match, whether Kabaddi or Archery to decide who is going to be their husband !!!!
Another similarity that I noticeis between Maudie in Brave and Kanta-ben in Kal Ho Na Ho. Maudie is the nursemaid of Merida's 3 siblings; Harris, Hubert and Hamish. In Brave, Maudie is always caught in comical situations where she gets scared or gets shocked and runs away in fright.
Maudie
In Kal Ho Na Ho, Kanta-ben is the maid of Rohit (starring Saif Ali Khan) where she always gets into situations where she thinks that Aman (starring Shah Rukh Khan) and Rohit (Saif Ali Khan) are homosexual. However, it is not true and is just pure coincidence that both friends are having a good time together.
Kanta-ben
Both characters, Maudie and Kanta-ben are servants of the house and both of them give a comical touch to the film Brave and Kal Ho Na Ho.
Thus all I can say to the fantastic film; Brave - Bravo !!! :)
Stephen Rahman-Hughes in a traditional Malay outfit
We all enjoy watching films, don’t we?
Films are the medium from where we get our source of entertainment from.
Besides the production team, the most important component that makes up a film
is the actors, mainly the main characters. Hikayat
Merong Mahawangsa is a film based on the History of Malaya that involves
the Roman, Chinese, Malay and the Indian communities.
Among all the
characters, the character that I appreciate the most is Merong Mahawangsa himself, played by Stephen Rahman-Hughes. He is a
great personality as an actor himself and also in the character in the film. The
character makes us pick up good moral values from the film, which can be
implemented in our lives.
In the film, I adored Merong Mahawangsa as hepossessed great fighting skills. It was a good sight to see Merong Mahawangsa’s fighting scene with Sunder, the Nobleman of Goa, India.
There are also several fighting scenes in the film where the character has done
a good job, as fighting scenes are hard to be acted out. The character in the
film is a good depiction as warriors should always know how to protect
themselves in whatever situation they are in. This teaches us that we should
learn how to protect ourselves rather than depending on anyone else to protect
us.
The fantastic fighting scene between Merong Mahawangsa & Sunder....Full of action-packed fighting moves.
Besides that, Merong Mahawangsa is portrayed to be a good human being. This is shown when he
is willing to fight to rescue Prince
Marcus Carprenius from the Garuda
Fighters until he faints and gets injured severely. This proves the
character’s good discipline, loyalty and obedience to his empire as he was the
royal escort of the Prince. Other than that, the manner in which Merong Mahawangsa takes care of his
escort; Prince Marcus in Langkasuka
when the Prince intends to marry Princess
Meng Li Hua. Merong Mahawangsa also tries to unite them in a few scenes of
the film. This shows how concerned is he regarding his duty as an escort.
Merong Mahawangsa hurt terribly to save his escort, Prince Marcus
Smartness
is
portrayed by the persona when he uses mirrors to defeat the fighters of Garuda in the film. These battle tactics
portray his smartness as a hero in the film. They finally won
the battle when the
Romans and the Chinese came in the battle to help. This teaches us that we are
able to defeat our enemy by using our brain power, and not only by our size.
Merong
Mahawangsa had the willingness to sacrifice for others. He sacrifices his life to kill
the black magician of the battle, named Taji.
Even though he was stabbed by Taji, Merong
made sure that Taji died by
stabbing the sword in his stomach too. This was the main sacrifice that he did
as the battle was won because of him as Taji
was almost impossible to be defeated due to his black magic powers. This
teaches us that sometimes in life we need to sacrifice in order for the benefit
of others.
The evil Taji
Taji and his black magic moves
In conclusion, it can be said that the
main character of the film has many good characteristics that the viewers can
pick up. It will teach viewers how to become a better person and also teach
viewers what a true hero should be like.
