On
September 18 theSun published an interview of mine where I have interviewed
Shuhaimi Baba talking about her latest film Tanda Putera.
Title:
That one day in May
Datin
Paduka Shuhaimi Baba shares her views on her latest movie which revisits an
unpleasant part of our nation’s history
BY
Bissme S
Award-winning
filmmaker Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba’s latest movie Tanda Putera delves into a
dark yet significant chapter of Malaysia
Award-winning
actor Rusdi Ramli plays the titular role of Abdul Razak, while
model-turned-actor Zizan Nin takes to the screen as Ismail. Others in the cast
of local celebrities include Faezah Elai, Linda Hashim, Kavita Sidhu and Norman
Hakim.
Here,
Shuhaimi sheds more light on Tanda Putera, produced on a budget of RM5 million
and set for a nationwide release on Nov 15.
*Why
did you make this film?
I
wanted the younger generation to be aware of the May 13 incident, how racial
riots almost destroyed our country and why we shouldn’t let this happen again.
We must now selfishly safeguard the peace of this country.
“This is not a political film. It’s a film about humanity. No country in the world has faced a similar situation like ours, where both the prime minister and deputy prime minister had to brace a critical illness (Razak was suffering from leukaemia and Ismail had a heart problem) while having to handle tension among various racial groups.
“These leaders put the nation before their health. There were allegations that Razak had orchestrated the racial riots just to win the election. But I believe that was impossible.”
“This is not a political film. It’s a film about humanity. No country in the world has faced a similar situation like ours, where both the prime minister and deputy prime minister had to brace a critical illness (Razak was suffering from leukaemia and Ismail had a heart problem) while having to handle tension among various racial groups.
“These leaders put the nation before their health. There were allegations that Razak had orchestrated the racial riots just to win the election. But I believe that was impossible.”
*Why
do you think these allegations existed in the first place?
I
don’t understand much about politics. But what I do know is that in
politics, you have camps and you want to safeguard your power base, so you
create conspiracy theories.
Our research shows that afterSingapore
left Malaysia
The young people today do not understand that at that time, the threat of communism and radical elements were very real. It’s difficult to imagine the situation today, because our country is so peaceful now.
Our research shows that after
The young people today do not understand that at that time, the threat of communism and radical elements were very real. It’s difficult to imagine the situation today, because our country is so peaceful now.
*Comments
have been made that you make the Chinese look bad in this film. What do you
have to say to that?
You
cannot judge the entire film by just looking at the trailer. In the movie, I
highlight the communists who create chaos but I also feature Malay gangsters
who cause discord too.
There is also a rally before the 1969 election where some people are singing songs that praise Mao Tse-tung. Some are holding placards that belittle the Malays. It’s clear the rival groups are going beyond the limit.
What upset me most were the remarks I received (via Facebook). They were racist, rude and vulgar. I didn’t create those images in the film out of nothing. I have done much research [on the subject].”
There is also a rally before the 1969 election where some people are singing songs that praise Mao Tse-tung. Some are holding placards that belittle the Malays. It’s clear the rival groups are going beyond the limit.
What upset me most were the remarks I received (via Facebook). They were racist, rude and vulgar. I didn’t create those images in the film out of nothing. I have done much research [on the subject].”
*What
have you learnt about Razak and Ismail while making this film?
I
learnt of Razak’s great love for the people, especially the poor and the
destitute. He always carried a book with him wherever he went. The book was
called The Pathology of Leadership and it tells about leaders around the world
who are suffering from critical illnesses and how they are dealing with it.
These leaders believed that they should not make their ailments public as it could destabilise the country. So, Razak kept his illness a secret because he didn’t want to weaken the country.
As for Ismail, I found out that he had given his Chinese maid a loan so that she could buy her own house. Apparently, she is still keeping the house in remembrance of Ismail.
I was also always under the impression that it was Tunku Abdul Rahman who gave former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad the boot from Umno.
“But I was wrong. It was Ismail.”
These leaders believed that they should not make their ailments public as it could destabilise the country. So, Razak kept his illness a secret because he didn’t want to weaken the country.
As for Ismail, I found out that he had given his Chinese maid a loan so that she could buy her own house. Apparently, she is still keeping the house in remembrance of Ismail.
I was also always under the impression that it was Tunku Abdul Rahman who gave former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad the boot from Umno.
“But I was wrong. It was Ismail.”
*Is
there any other historical event in our country that you would like to make a
film on?
I
would like to make a film on how Mahathir saved our country from economic
disaster in 1998 when the world economy crashed.
Then there was the sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by Mahathir, which gave rise to another dramatic chronology of events inMalaysia
Then there was the sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by Mahathir, which gave rise to another dramatic chronology of events in
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