TELLING A STORY CREATIVELY
Paul Schrader, who wrote Taxi Driver (1976), said that to write a story, you must first understand the problem, then transform that problem into a metaphor. He took the problem of being broke, alone, and disconnected from the world and turned it into a man surrounded by people, yet separated from them by the windshield of his taxi.
Joanne Gardner, a mythologist from the Joseph Campbell Foundation, said that we should take myths seriously, but not literally. That means paying attention to the metaphorical meanings they may be suggesting. Interestingly, she said the same thing about movies: they should be taken seriously, but not literally, with attention to their metaphors and archetypes.
That is precisely what Mencari Ramlee’s director, Megat Sharizal, has done. He transforms a set of complex problems into a creative metaphor. He doesn’t tell the story literally. Instead, he introduces the character Zakaria, who is shown early in the film not to be portraying P. Ramlee. This is established in the scene where the tauke slams a newspaper on the table, its headline declaring that P. Ramlee is dead.
This doesn’t mean the entire film takes place the day after P. Ramlee’s passing. That would be a literal reading. What the scene actually communicates is that Zakaria is not P. Ramlee. This idea is further reinforced by the presence of other 'performers' backstage, dressed as Bruce Lee and Marilyn Monroe.
ANOTHER ZAKARIA
There is another Zakaria who appears in a different film, a 2013 short titled Sesudah Subuh, directed by Syariman Haji Yaacob. In that film, Zakaria, dressed like P. Ramlee’s character from Nujum Pak Belalang, interacts with other protagonists from P. Ramlee’s films, Hang Tuah, Aduka from Semerah Padi, and Sarjan Hassan. Interestingly, I wrote a review about it back in 2023, entitled Setengah Abad Masih Mencari Ramlee dan Rahmat. I’m not sure whether Megat had already decided on the title Mencari Ramlee at that time.
Speaking of Mencari Ramlee and Rahmat, the director of Mencari Rahmat, Al Jafree Md Yusop, collaborated with Dain Said in 2008 to direct another film about P. Ramlee titled Senandong Malam, which, interestingly, was written in one night during a train ride.
The scene where Yasmin and Zaiton talk about Kurosawa (Sofea Jane’s aura still lingers) reminded me of a moment from Mencari Rahmat, where I think Namron, Amerul Affendi, and Eric Fuzi’s characters engage in a dialogue about George Gershwin and Jimi Hendrix.
While watching Mencari Ramlee, I couldn’t stop thinking about Senandong Malam, which bears a similarly metaphorical style, and even features a character named Zaiton. Watching it back then, during an event in Ipoh alongside Al Jafree and the late Pyanhabib, was truly special.
This brings me to another P. Ramlee-related film: Showtime 1958, directed by Anwardi Jamil. Unlike the others, this one is a docudrama based on an actual event in 1958. It tells the story in a literal manner, which unfortunately leaves little impact by the end. I remember a prominent figure in our film industry walking out during its screening at Sarang Art Hub in Tanjung Malim, and I know, because I was sitting right beside him.
THE AILMENT OF THE INDUSTRY
The films Sesudah Subuh, Senandong Malam, and Mencari Ramlee deal with the same subject, or, as Paul Schrader said earlier, the same problem: the ailment of the industry and living under the shadow of P. Ramlee. The directors have creatively transformed this into a metaphor. True to the saying: a simple story, told in a great way.
In Mencari Ramlee, Megat Sharizal, who also plays the main antagonist, Yusuf, even channels Al Pacino from The Devil's Advocate for a split second by pointing to the sky. Most likely toward an equivalent of the villain “Big Brother” in Nam Ron’s Gedebe, or the “Gatekeeper” in Jalan Pintas. This film is also a rich collage of mini-pastiches drawn from P. Ramlee’s most beloved films.
A LIBERATION FROM IDOL DEPENDENCE
The ending, where Yasmin looks up at the stage and sees the ghosts of Zakaria and Zaiton, is akin to the iconic Star Wars finale. It serves as an index of moving forward, away from the romantic and nostalgic trap we’ve been stuck in for over 50 years. A liberation from idol dependence.
Yasmin represents, or symbolizes, a new generation of film industry players who have made that shift. This is depicted in the scene where a bleeding Zakaria from one scene fades into another bleeding Zakaria on a theater stage, a play directed by Yasmin. She dramatizes an event she was part of. Or perhaps the entire comedic satire of the film is itself a stage performance, a poetic acceptance of the absurdity of life in the art industry. As Shakespeare famously said, “All the world’s a stage.”
Amir Hamzah wrote in his poem, “Life is like a dream, a play on the screen.” The film opens with a god’s-eye view of Zakaria’s black-and-white stage performance, an immediate echo of Mamat Khalid’s metaphorical take on the industry’s woes in Man Laksa. That film also features a version of ‘P. Ramlee’ with his costume torn, symbolizing his worldly decline, on a stage that represents the full arc of the Malaysian art scene.
Yasmin Ahmad also used the stage motif in Talentime, which I believe can be interpreted as “A Tale in Time.” In the more recent Snow in Midsummer, a stage is used for a Hungry Ghost Festival play, alongside an old cinema. Together, they subtly convey the horror of the industry, with fire and distant screaming echoing as Tun Sri Lanang and his elephant enter the frame. But despite all this, Pyanhabib’s spirit of acceptance in the face of absurdity must endure: “Brader, kita mesti terus hidup.”
LOOKING THROUGH THE JUNGIAN LENS
Mencari Ramlee, or Finding Ramlee, carries strong Jungian undertones. Zakaria (the Ego), who also shares P. Ramlee’s real name cannot become a complete legendary figure without the romance and nostalgia that lie within Zaiton, and the artistic talent and drive found in Yasmin (who are also Egos).
The act of discovering ‘Ramlee’ cannot be accomplished by looking outward (the without), but rather by looking inward (the within). The heavenly union of Zakaria and Zaiton represents the merging of inner masculinity and femininity (the anima and animus), culminating in transcendence and the realization of the complete ‘Ramlee’. This is the Jungian equivalent of The Self.
This idea of The Self also parallels the ancient Malay wisdom of ilmu mengenal diri, the knowledge of self. It may even symbolize Zakaria’s longing to unite with the merak kayangan, a longing finally fulfilled.
Yasmin, who may be an allegorical representation of the late Yasmin Ahmad, also symbolizes a new generation of talented artists who are as much ‘Ramlee’ as P. Ramlee himself. My personal choice is the late Mamat Khalid, who embodied P. Ramlee’s artistic spirit in his social satire and cinematic parodies. Both Yasmin Ahmad and Mamat Khalid found their ‘Ramlee.’ Megat has made a start with this debut. Have you found yours?