MPs debate merits of 'Sepet' .Last week it was about the LRT ad (also directed by the same director as "Sepet" and the same person behind those beautiful Petronas ads that we see every festive seasons).
Sepet opened to packed cinemas in Malaysia last month and received rave reviews in the local media for its sensitive portrayal of a romance between a Malay girl and Chinese boy. The multi-lingual script was described as a true reflection of how Malaysians speak.
Sepet, an award-winning inter-racial lovestory directed by Yasmin Ahmad, was described as "nothing great" and a movie which "did not reflect the national identity". In debating the royal address, Datuk Dr Wan Hashim Wan Teh (BN-Gerik) said "rojak language" was used in the movie which also contained two unsuitable scenes - one bedroom scene, and another showing a man in his underwear."I have seen the movie and feel it does not reflect our national identity," he said.
"Praiseworthy films are those which spur a sense of patriotism like Paloh and Embun, and those which promote Malaysian culture.
What??!!! It doesn't reflect our national identity?rojak languages? Haha...Yeah, right Datuk-datuks. All of us, even the makcik in the pasar speaks with perfect bahasa Melayu Baku (so that we sound so very like the dialogues in Embun) or maybe even perfect English. I think Datuk-datuks should take a walk in the pasar and really open their eyes and ears. What you hear and see there is the MALAYSIA Datuk-datuks, not the discussions that you have when you were still an academician. Those discussions are idealist opinions that people like You form without knowing what people like Me think. Its the people that moulds and shapes the culture. The MALAYSIA as we know is the one where we easily switching between languages to articulate our views. Listen to the man on the street, then you will see that what's portrayed in Sepet is and very relevant and true of what being Malaysian is.
As for the bedroom and man-wearing-underwear scenes, so you think that a man will wear a full suit to bed or lepak in the house ke? Nooooo, the man will either wears 'sarong', shorts or even go 'Tarzan'(clad in underwear onli). The appropriateness of the scenes depends on what the scene is portraying. If it's about a steamy, earth-shattering horizontal tango then of course lah cannot. Understand and feel the movie with your heart, look beyond the visuals and understand every aspect of it... Then maybe, maybe you'll be able to understand what it's trying to say.
If that's too hard to accept, next time don't watch Yasmin Ahmad's movie or any movie that attempts to portray the average Malaysians. Just stick to Yusof Haslam and those Metrowealth movies. They're easier for the mind to digest, just like junk food. No nutritional value but sedap.
Kudos to Yasmin Ahmad anyway for proving yet again that our leaders is being two-faced about wanting creativity and innovations.
Yeah right, and tapirs can fly.
