AUGUST 18 — I cannot stand the local dramas aired by our private and public television channels. Almost all of them make no sense.
When one horrible drama dies off, another one takes its place. The funny thing is, everything about this new drama is the same as the old one except for new names put on different faces.
It is always about a Malay family, headed by a Datuk and a Datin. They will always have a company or a corporation. The story will always revolve around their offspring and the company.
Add in some pretty faces who always either have problems with their husbands or boyfriends — who in turn are always the sons of some Datuk and Datin — or better off still, they have a problem with the Datin who is always evil.
You know it is really bad when they recycle and rehash the same old storyline that doesn’t in any way reflect reality.
When people are bummed about the GST, donations and Umno as the only saviour for the Malays, one would think that the scriptwriters could at least come up with something more grounded in reality.
It is as if the producers are stuck in their own fairy tale of what might or could have been a long, long time ago. There is no quality whatsoever in what they produce and put out. How are the young ones to pick up anything valuable from something that is akin to a voodoo ritual which has no basis in today’s reality?
As far as I can recall, this vicious cycle has gone on for far too long. Anyone who spends time watching these dramas will not get any brighter or be able to develop any cognitive skills. Another funny thing is that in all of these dramas, the Datuks and Datins are always called daddy and mummy.
Since when is this reflective of the majority of Malays who use terms such as abah, ayah, or emak and ibu? To add salt to the wound, the languages used in these dramas are often intermingled or “rojak.” What they are trying to portray is the way the city people talk but this cannot be farther from the truth. It’s like they are making things up as they go along. One wonders what is exactly on the minds of the producers and scriptwriters.
It gives the wrong impression to those in the rural areas. Like those dramas of students going to Unisel which aired sometime in 2007. That drama was so bad, even the term bad would be angry if it were to be associated with the drama.
The constant drivel that they push to the minds of the gullible is disgusting. I am angered because what they deem as reality has no grounding in real life. I also attended university and I can speak from firsthand experience that it wasn’t like that.
Universities or colleges are a melting pot of behaviour and attitude. Not everyone who studies there is a son or daughter of some Datuk and Datin. There was no love story between the son of a wealthy Malay Datuk who owns his own corporation with some girl from Kodiang, Kedah. And of course this fictional relationship was not blessed by the Datin.
One can also make or state a case that what happens inside universities and colleges is not proper or appropriate for television. I disagree though as you don’t have to tell about the drug business that exists; instead you can focus more on the light stuff and there are plenty of other issues as well.
I have to make it clear that I am not against the Malay drama industry as a whole. What I am against are the constant jokes that they are putting out. I would also like to add that I really like and admire the movie “Hantu Kak Limah” and think it is a gem.
What that movie got right is that it is grounded and based on reality. Almost all of the characters are based upon how real life-living Malays would act/behave. I am of the view that the movie is akin and similar to “12 Angry Men.”
Anyone who has watched that movie knows what that movie brings to the table and I believe that Mamat Khalid did the exact same thing in the building of his characters in “Hantu Kak Limah.”
I spoke with Kamal Sabran, the guy who is behind Space Gambus Experiment. I brought up this particular topic and asked for his view. His exact words are that it is “child's play.” He too cannot stand the dramas that are being shown and says that it is a waste of space and a waste of time. He also goes on the record to say that it will inevitably lead to a situation of garbage in, equal garbage out.
As the popular saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat. It is time that the local drama industry veers off course into something better.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
