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P. Ramlee

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In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Teuku Nyak Puteh is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Teuku Zakaria. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Amar
P. Ramlee
PSM DA AMN
ڤي رملي‎
P. Ramlee at the 19th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, 1973
Born
Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh

(1929-03-22)22 March 1929
Sungai Pinang, Georgetown, Penang, Straits Settlements, British Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died29 May 1973(1973-05-29) (aged 44)
Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Resting placeJalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur
MonumentsP. Ramlee Memorial
Other namesRamlee Puteh
Education
  • Sekolah Melayu Kampung Jawa
  • Francis Light English School (1939–1941)
  • Japanese Navy School (Kaigun Gakko)
  • Penang Free School (1945–1947)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
  • musician
  • filmmaker
  • composer
Years active1945–1973
Notable work
Spouses
Junaidah Daeng Harris
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1955)​
Noorizan Mohd. Noor
​
​
(m. 1955; div. 1961)​
​
(m. 1961⁠–⁠1973)​
Children7 (including Nasir)
Musical career
GenresPop
Instruments
  • singer
  • actor
  • percussion
  • saxophone
  • accordion
  • trumpet
  • piano
  • guitar
  • viola
  • ukulele
LabelsEMI
Signature

Tan Sri Datuk Amar Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh (later Ramlee bin Puteh; 22 March 1929 – 29 May 1973), better known by his stage name P. Ramlee (Puteh Ramlee),[1] was a Malaysian actor, filmmaker, musician, and composer famous in modern-day Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Southern Thailand.[2] Born in Penang, Malaya, he is regarded as a prominent icon in Southeast Asia.

P. Ramlee's career in the entertainment industry spanned from the late 1940s until his death in 1973. He made significant contributions to the Malayan-Singaporean film industries, starring in and directing numerous films that are considered classics today. Some of his most notable works include Bujang Lapok (1957), Do Re Mi (1966), and Tiga Abdul (1964).

In addition to his film career, P. Ramlee was also a prolific musician, composing over 350 songs. His music often incorporated traditional Malay elements and became immensely popular across Southeast Asia. His versatility and talent earned him numerous awards and accolades throughout his life.

P. Ramlee's legacy continues to influence and inspire new generations of artists in the region. His films and music remain beloved, and his contributions to the cultural heritage of Malaysia, Singapore and the broader Malay-speaking world (i.e. the Nusantara) are celebrated to this day.

Early life

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P. Ramlee was born on 22 March 1929 to Teuku Nyak Puteh Bin Teuku Karim (1902–1955) and Che Mah Binti Hussein (1904–1967). His father, Teuku Nyak Puteh, who was a descendant of a wealthy family in Aceh, migrated from Lhokseumawe in Aceh, Indonesia, to settle in Penang, where he married P. Ramlee’s mother, who hailed from Kubang Buaya, Butterworth, North Seberang Perai and were domiciled at the Sungai Pinang suburb of the capital, Georgetown (where his birthplace museum still stands today).

P. Ramlee received his education from the Sekolah Melayu Kampung Jawa (Kampung Jawa Malay School), Francis Light English School and then to Penang Free School; in all he was registered as "Ramlee" by his father, because his name Teuku Zakaria was not suitable with other children at that time. Reportedly a reluctant and naughty student, P. Ramlee was nevertheless talented and interested in music and football. His studies at the Penang Free School were interrupted by the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, during which he was enrolled in the Imperial Naval Academy (Kaigun Heigakkō). He also learnt the basics of music and to sing Japanese songs during this period with his teacher, Hirahe-san. When the war ended, he took music lessons that enabled him to read musical notations, joining a marching band in his village.[3][4]

Name

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He abbreviated his name to P. Ramlee (Puteh Ramlee), taking inspiration from the Tamil patronymic naming conventions, where the initial stood for his father's name (Puteh) and was followed by his given name (Ramlee).[5]

Career

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P. Ramlee and Kasma Booty, 1950

By 1948, the 19 year-old Ramlee had already won a number of singing competitions, and was writing his own songs and playing the violin in a kroncong band.[6] That year, B. S. Rajhans, a film director for the Malay Film Productions (MFP) came across P. Ramlee at a singing competition hosted by Radio Malaya in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. Rajhans placed Ramlee in a supporting role in his 1948 film Chinta ("Love"), in which he played a villain, and he also performed five songs as a playback singer providing vocals for the lead actor Roomai Noor [ms].[7][8]

In 1950, Ramlee played his first major role in the film directed by L. Krishnan [ms], Bakti ("Devotion").[9] In Bakti, he was the first actor to sing in his own voice instead of relying on playback singer.[8] During the singing scene, Ramlee duet with Siti Zainab, who already appeared in four films with him.[10] In the following films, such as Juwita in 1951 and Ibu ("Mother") in 1953, he became established as a major star of the Malay film industry.[11]

Aside from acting, Ramlee was a prolific songwriter, and around 500 of his songs have been recorded, either by himself or by other artists.[12] Ramlee himself recorded 359 songs for his films and records.[6] Among his best known songs are "Getaran Jiwa [ms]", "Dendang Perantau [ms]", "Engkau Laksana Bulan", "Joget Pahang [ms]", "Tudung Periok", "Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti [ms]" and "Azizah".[12] The songs Ramlee wrote were featured in his films, performed by Ramlee himself or by other artists. In Hang Tuah (1956) which was directed by B.N. Rao [ms], Ramlee won best musical score at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.[13]

P. Ramlee started directing feature films in 1955, the first of which was Penarek Becha [ms] ("Trishaw Man"). P Ramlee wrote the screenplay based on a story by Lu Xun, and the film was critically praised as the best Malay film of the year.[13] He also directed and starred in the Bujang Lapok film comedy series.[14] One of these, Pendekar Bujang Lapok (1959), won the Best Comedy award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.[13] He also won the Best Actor award for Anak-ku Sazali at the festival.[15] Other significant films he directed for MFP include Antara Dua Darjat, Ibu Mertua-ku and Tiga Abdul.

Portrait of P. Ramlee

Ramlee's career at the Malay Film Productions in Singapore between 1955 and 1964 was considered his "golden age" when he made his most critically acclaimed films and wrote his best-remembered songs. His compositions reflected a highly cosmopolitanized music landscape that was pervasive in early 20th century Malaya and Singapore, that is the accompanying music of bangsawan and ronggeng theatres plus the keroncong genre.[16] In 1964, he left Singapore for Kuala Lumpur to make films with Merdeka Film Productions, however, he was less successful there and faced constant sabotage from other Malaysian artists.[17]

He made 18 films with Merdeka, and his last film was Laksamana Do Re Mi made in 1972. His last song was "Ayer Mata di Kuala Lumpur" ("Tears in Kuala Lumpur") intended for a film of the same name before he died in 1973. In all, Ramlee starred in 62 films and directed 33.[6] When Laksamana Do Re Mi was nominated at the 1973 Asia Pacific Film Festival, P. Ramlee was ignored by other Malaysian artists in attendance, and he subsequently decided to sit with Singaporean artists instead, with foreign artists (from Hong Kong and Japan) giving him more recognition as well.[18]

Death and legacy

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P. Ramlee's gravesite at Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur.

Before dawn of 29 May 1973, P. Ramlee died at the age of 44 from a heart attack and was buried at Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur.[19]

At the time of his death, Ramlee's career was generally ignored in the Malaysian entertainment industry of the time, and had largely been denounced out of jealousy from other contemporaries. It was only during the late 1980s, two decades after his death, that his contributions became much more honoured[18] for their significance in the late-colonial and post-independent nation-building periods they were made, partly out of deep shame and sense of pity (kasihan) towards discovery of said tragic final years by generations after him.[16]

On 16 June 1983, the fourth Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad expressed the need to take genuinely effective measures to commemorate Ramlee's contributions as the nation's greatest artist. Mahathir referred to Ramlee as a true people's artist, stating that despite his passing a decade ago, he is still remembered by people of all ages.[20]

In the late 1980s, the P. Ramlee Memorial or Pustaka Peringatan P. Ramlee was built in his home in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. In 1992, the street Jalan Parry, in the center of Kuala Lumpur, was renamed Jalan P. Ramlee in his honour. In 1990, he was posthumously awarded the Malaysian honorific title Tan Sri, and then in 2009, the honorific title of "Datuk Amar" by Sarawak State Government. Then Chief Minister of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud, an avid fan of Ramlee, presented the award to his adopted daughter, Dian P. Ramlee, in a ceremony honouring veteran artists in Kuching.[21]

The P. Ramlee House is a museum situated along Jalan P. Ramlee (formerly Caunter Hall road) in Penang, Malaysia. The building is a restored wooden house that was originally built in 1926 by his father and uncle. The house had previously undergone multiple repairs before being taken over by the National Archives as an extension of its P. Ramlee Memorial project in Kuala Lumpur. Items on display at the house include personal memorabilia related to his life in Penang and items belonging to his family.[citation needed]

On 22 March 2017; his 88th birthday, Google honored P. Ramlee with a Doodle on the Malaysian Google homepage.[22][23]

In 2021, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) honoured him with their limited-time menu, the Burger P. Ramlee — a combination between KFC Zinger and P. Ramlee's favourite dish, the Nasi Kandar where it is available in four combos — À'la Carte, Kombo, Set Legenda and Kombo Ikon.[24][25]

Filmography

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Main article: P. Ramlee filmography

P. Ramlee was involved in many aspects of his films: as scriptwriter, director, actor as well as music composer and singer. He was involved in 62 films throughout his career as an actor, as well as a number of other films in other capacities.

Awards

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Entities named after P. Ramlee

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P. Ramlee Street in Kuala Lumpur

Various places are named after Ramlee

  • Jalan P. Ramlee, Penang[29] (formerly known as Caunter Hall; renamed on 30 August 1983)[29][30]
  • Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur[31] (formerly known as Jalan Parry; renamed in 1982)
  • Bangunan P. Ramlee and Bilik Mesyuarat Tan Sri P. Ramlee at Sekolah Kebangsaan Hulu Klang, Selangor (used as background in Masam Masam Manis)
  • Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuching, Sarawak[32] (formerly known as Jalan Jawa)
  • Taman P. Ramlee (formerly Taman Furlong)[33] a townships at Setapak, Kuala Lumpur and George Town, Penang
  • Pawagam Mini P. Ramlee at Studio Merdeka, FINAS, Ulu Klang, Selangor
  • Makmal P.Ramlee at Filem Negara Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
  • P. Ramlee Auditorium[34] (formerly known as RTM Auditorium), Angkasapuri
  • SK Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Georgetown, Penang[35] (formerly SK Kampung Jawa, his alma mater; renamed on 13 November 2011)
  • Ramlee Mall at Suria KLCC shopping centre, Kuala Lumpur
  • Bukit Nanas Monorail station, Kuala Lumpur, formerly known as P. Ramlee Monorail station
  • Auditorium P. Ramlee, RTM Kuching, Sarawak[36]

References

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  1. ^ Murtado, Ali (22 March 2019). "P. Ramlee: Seniman Jenius Keturunan Indonesia yang Terpinggirkan". kumparan (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021. Mungkin sedikit yang tahu, jika huruf P di depan nama P. Ramlee adalah singkatan dari 'Puteh'. [Maybe only a few people know that the letter P in front of the name P. Ramlee stands for 'Puteh'.]
  2. ^ Alyssa Lee (21 August 2018). "Icon for the ages, P. Ramlee". Buro247. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  3. ^ Zaedi Zolkafli (2011). Koleksi P. Ramlee. Felix Entertainment. p. 14. ISBN 978-967-10012-0-2.
  4. ^ "Dari penyanyi kapada pengarah filem". Berita Harian. 9 October 1965. p. 9.
  5. ^ Fuller, Thomas; Tribune, International Herald (17 July 1998). "Creating a Hero:Malaysia's Unlikely Icon". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Adil Johan (2018). Cosmopolitan Intimacies. NUS Press. pp. 20–21. ISBN 9789814722636. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Poshek Fu, ed. (2019). China Forever: The Shaw Brothers and Diasporic Cinema. University of Illinois Press. p. 158. ISBN 9780252075001. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2022 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b "Malay Film Productions". Shaw Organisation. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  9. ^ Van der Heide, William (2014). Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film. Amsterdam University Press. p. 133–134. ISBN 9781783203611. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2022 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Soelin, Emsjaf (20 June 1951). "ZAINAB, Bintang Harapan Panggung Sandiwara dari Ratu Asia". Seputar Teater Indonesia (in Indonesian). Aneka. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  11. ^ Poshek Fu, ed. (2019). China Forever: The Shaw Brothers and Diasporic Cinema. University of Illinois Press. p. 159. ISBN 9780252075001. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2022 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ a b Craig A. Lockard (1998). Dance of Life: Popular Music and Politics in Southeast Asia. University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 218–220. ISBN 978-0824819187.
  13. ^ a b c Gaik Cheng, Khoo (2011). Reclaiming Adat: Contemporary Malaysian Film and Literature. UBC Press. p. 91. ISBN 9780774841443. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2022 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ Kwa Chong Guan, Kua Bak Lim, ed. (2019). A General History Of The Chinese In Singapore. World Scientific Publishing Company. p. 621. ISBN 9789813277656. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2022 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ Tan, K.H. (9 December 1988). "Screen legend lives on". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  16. ^ a b Adil Johan (July 2019). "Cosmopolitan Sounds and Intimate Narratives in P. Ramlee's Film Music". Journal of Intercultural Studies. 40 (4): 474–490. doi:10.1080/07256868.2019.1628723.
  17. ^ Lockard, Craig (1998). Dance of Life: Popular Music and Politics in Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. p. 220. ISBN 9780824862114. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ a b Iman, Kyle (26 August 2022). "P. Ramlee: hated in life, loved in death. Here's why we don't deserve him". Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Malay movie idol Ramlee dies after heart attack". The Straits Times. 30 May 2010. p. 17. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  20. ^ "Mahathir mahu langkah berkesan kenang Seniman R Agung P. Ramlee" (PDF). Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). 17 June 1983. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Taib receives prestigious Perdana Seniman Agung P Ramlee Award | my Sarawak - News coverage around Sarawak, Sabah and Malaysia". Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  22. ^ "P. Ramlee's 88th birthday". Google Doodle. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Google Doodle honours arts legend P. Ramlee on 88th birthday". Today Online. 22 March 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  24. ^ Mohd Zaky Zainudin (27 October 2021). "KFC perkenal Burger P. Ramlee". Berita Harian. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  25. ^ "KFC perkenalkan Burger P. Ramlee". Bisnes HM. Harian Metro. 26 October 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  26. ^ a b "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  27. ^ "P. Ramlee | Infopedia". Eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  28. ^ "A Commentary by Ravindran Raman Kutty". The Borneo Post. 17 December 2016. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2017 – via PressReader.
  29. ^ a b "P. Ramlee | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  30. ^ IBRAHIM, NIK KHUSAIRI. "Humble house where a star was born". The Star. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  31. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  32. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  33. ^ "Taman P Ramlee, Setapak – Propwall". Propwall.my. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  34. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  35. ^ "SK TAN SRI P.RAMLEE PULAU PINANG | TEL: 042268841". Sktansripramlee.edu.my. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  36. ^ "Auditorium P. Ramlee". Retrieved 17 August 2018.
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