Malaysian Silver Screen Queen Rosnani Jamil: Enjoying Life From The 1950s To The Present Day

Rosnani Jamil interview

(First published in DUNIA print magazine, Winter 2017 Edition)

Dato’ Rosnani Jamil born in 1936 is a popular Malaysian actor and director. She landed her first role and became an actor in the early 1950s in Malaysia and was awarded Best Actor in 1984 for her role in ‘Jasmin’. In her lifetime, she has received several awards and accolades. One of them is the prestigious Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP) by the State of Pahang, in appreciation of her involvement with the arts in Malaysia. In 1998 she was winner at the Asian Film Pacific Fest in Phuket, Thailand for her work in directing her film ‘Antara Dua Hati’ (Between Two Hearts).

It was an honour for me to meet her at the Malaysian Film Festival 2017 and we have stayed in touch since then. The opportunity to interview this legend of the Silver Screen was too good to miss and so here we are blessed to hear some of her colourful and insightful thoughts…

Nik A Ramli: Hello and, how are you? Can you please tell us a bit about who is Rosnani Jamil or should I say Dato’ Rosnani Jamil?

Rosnani Jamil with Nik A Ramli

Rosnani Jamil: I’m very well Nik. Actually, my birth name is Rosnani Ludin. Jamil is the name of my late husband, Dato’ Jamil Sulong who I married on the 12th November 1953. I am from Sungai Geringging, a remote village in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia.

I worked to help my mother, my family and myself from an early age. Do not get me wrong… life was different at the time. I carried on working until I received an offer to become a movie star at Studio Jalan Ampas (Studio Ampas Street) in Singapore. I became an actor and have lived in the entertainment world for decades.

Becoming an actor provided the chance for me to become a scriptwriter, publisher, director and lyricist. All for the desire to go forward and it is all by one’s own efforts. I live my day to day life not as a movie star or even a director.

Can you describe your upbringing after your family left Indonesia for Singapore during World War II?

Rosnani Jamil: Well, from Sungai Geringging we traveled to a few small towns in Sumatra before we arrived in Singapore with my mother and my siblings.

As an immigrant and a foreigner in a new place life was a little bit dull and challenging, it was very hard! From my childhood I’ve been working to help my mother. In the early years living in Singapore at the age of six, I helped my mother at her Nasi Padang food stall, in English we called it ‘Padang Rise’. A typical day involved jobs such as peeling the onions and cutting chilies. Other than helping my mother in the kitchen, in the afternoon I would walk along Sultan Street in Singapore selling various types of pastries and cakes. When I grew older, I started to work elsewhere mainly to support and help my family, until I was offered a new career path as an actor for my first Malay movie that made me who I am today.

Your first Malay movie Lupa Daratan (titled ‘Forget One’s Roots’ in English) was released in 1952. How were you discovered and who discovered you?

Rosnani Jamil: In 1949, I worked as a dancer at a nightclub in Singapore. One night the club was visited by a famous director, L.Krisnan (now Tan Sri L.Krisnan). He was looking for a new actor for his latest movie. He said he was fascinated by my behaviour and my appearance. Then I was called for a screen test. It was wonderful as I was accepted and offered the main female role in ‘Lupa Daratan’ produced by Shaw Brothers.

That must have been exciting for you! What was it like to have the opportunity to become an actor at that time?

Rosnani Jamil: It was unbelievable. It was like the moon fell straight into my lap! I was not planning to become an actor for sure! I was just working to support my family and was called for a screen test! Being an actor at that moment was a blessing because I could improve my family’s standard of living.

Having had such a long and successful career in Malaysian film and having acted in some 30 movies, you must have many fans and admirers. How does it feel to have been famous and how has it affected you?

Rosnani Jamil: Honestly, I am proud and grateful to be accepted in the Malay film industry. However, there is not much change in my life, especially with my identity. What is clear is that I have the opportunity to experience, know and recognize life from various perspectives. Being an actor isn’t as glamorous as people think. It is more to improve yourself from time to time.

How do you stay grounded in the real world when you are away from the glare of the spotlight?

Rosnani Jamil: I’m not living the “glamorous” lifestyle as a film star outside the filming location. My life is focused on my family and my children. I think the world of glamour is just some sort of imagining, showcasing a certain lifestyle which is not a reality.

I understand that your voice has even featured in Japanese and Hong Kong films. How did you get to be involved in these movies?

Rosnani Jamil: Oh… I used to work in the language translation dubbing section of Radio Television Malaysia (RTM)!

You are clearly very self-motivated. Can you share some of your colourful life experiences especially when you decided to further your filming education in 1970 by travelling to the UK and also your decision to learn English?

Rosnani Jamil: Actually, I wanted to be the first artist from Jalan Ampas in Singapore who succeeded in the arts field. I did not want to be just a talented actor with a pretty face in front of the camera, simply listening to the instructions given to me during filming and acting without knowing how the movie is produced. I wanted to understand and learn what I needed to know to produce a movie. For that I took a bold step to learn from the bottom up about how to make a movie. To archive my goal, my first step was to learn English. I attended classes and eventually went to London to take film courses.

Was life in the UK easy when you first moved there? And as a popular figure from Malaysia how did you adapt to the relative anonymity in the UK? 

Rosnani Jamil: I went there as a student not as an actor. So, it was not hard to fit in there. In fact, I also worked part time as a cook for the students there. And I also worked with the BBC London, Voice of Malaysia/Indonesia through my late friend Collin Wild. I was assigned to publish and interview students there about their lives.

I can see now that all these wonderful experiences have led you to the world of directing. As director and actor, what are the things that you are most passionate about?

Rosnani Jamil: I’m passionate about the main thing, which is the story-line. Script writing is one of the greatest challenges. Imagine that you have to create a script from nothing and then to make it into a story! So, it takes good focus and imagination. Besides directing, it is very important for me to be satisfied with my work, and being true to myself.

Can you tell us about your directing career from 1987 – 2016 and especially what makes your movies different from those of other Malaysian directors?

Rosnani Jamil: Well, in 1985, I set up RJ Film and Publishing, with the movie ‘Mawar Merah’ which translates into English as ‘Red Rose’ being my first movie in 1987. My first release was clearly accepted by the Malaysian film industry. Mawar Merah was recognized as the winner in directing by the jury in the Malaysian Film Festival (FFM). Following that I directed several more movies throughout the 80s, 90s until my last movie called ‘Mawar Putih’ (White Rose) in 2016. As a scriptwriter and a female director, I focus a lot on family stories.

After six decades of devoting yourself to the world of entertainment, you have decided to retire from acting and directing?

Rosnani Jamil: I have fulfilled all my dreams in this industry. I think there’s nothing else I need to find or explore. At this point I think, I have gained and achieved everything in the industry.

So, what is your advice for anybody who dreams about becoming an actor or director?

Rosnani Jamil: My advice to all is that you must have the goal and diligence and not just pursue popularity.

Interior Designer Nik A Ramli’s website is www.nikaramli.com; Instagram: @NikARamli; Facebook: www.facebook.com/NikARamliPage

 

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