| Talentime | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Yasmin Ahmad |
| Written by | Yasmin Ahmad |
| Produced by | Mohd Effendy Harjoh |
| Starring | Mahesh Jugal Kishor Pamela Chong Syafie Naswip Jaclyn Victor Adibah Noor |
| Cinematography | Keong Low |
| Edited by | Affandi Jamaludin |
| Music by | Pete Teo |
Production companies | Grand Brilliance Red Chilli Films |
| Distributed by | Cathay-Keris Films Grand Brilliance Primeworks Studios |
Release dates |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Languages | English, Malay, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tamil, Hindi, Malaysian Sign Language |
| Budget | MYR 1.3 Million |
Talentime is a 2009 Malaysian Malay-language romantic drama film written and directed by Yasmin Ahmad. Yasmin, in her blog, has described it "as a story full of joy and pain, hope and despair, a host of beautifully-written songs, and rich characters". A Hindu open cremation and a scene reminiscent of the 2001 Kampung Medan riots are included in the film. [1]
The film was released on 26 March 2009 in Malaysia and marks Yasmin's last feature film prior to her death on 25 July 2009. [2]
In a secondary school in upstate Kuala Lumpur, while student Hafiz rolls a makeshift die out of eraser, Teacher Adibah plans to organise a talent show titled Talentime with a final prize of RM 1000, holding a ballot to decide the participating teachers. Another teacher, Tan is roped into joining the ballot by fellow teacher Anuar. The group decide to have seven teachers judging the show, with seven students who would pick up seven respective finalists. Melur, a Malay-Eurasian mixed girl, requests her mother to teach her to dance to attend the school's audition show. Conversely, Mahesh's uncle Ganesh discusses plans to fund Mahesh's duty of fetching one of the finalists with his sister Vimala. Mahesh is assigned by his mother to accompany Ganesh's bathing ceremony, with Mahesh's younger sister Bhavani overseeing it.
At the Talentime auditions, the students engage in various performances, including pianist Melur, erhuist Kahoe and guitarist Hafiz, who sings an original song. Hafiz divides his time between school and his ill mother Embun, who is hospitalised for a brain tumour. Mahesh gathers at the school with the finalist fetchers waiting for Adibah to assign them. That evening, Mahesh arrives to deliver a letter to Melur, now crowned one of the seven finalists, and is smitten with her.
When Mahesh goes absent after returning one night from a family tragedy seeing Ganesh fatally stabbed on his wedding day, teachers Tan and Anuar pick up Melur, telling her Ganesh was killed by a neighbouring family—who were in mourning—being uncomfortable with Mahesh's family celebration. Mahesh personally visits Melur at the ceremony wooed by her piano skills and voice. Mahesh takes Melur to her house, where her family disparage his silence at the situation. Embun then meets a fellow wheelchair-bound patient Ismael who entertains her.
Hafiz is accused of cheating on a test by Kahoe for the makeshift die despite only getting the questions right by chance and knowledge. Kahoe is confronted by Tan, who proved Hafiz did not cheat with 25 extra questions that he gained complete marks on. Kahoe tells Tan he resigned to being abused by his father for not reaching first place, which led him to accuse Hafiz for cheating. At the hospital, Hafiz shows Embun his test results, impressing her and the nurse Vimala.
Melur snaps at Mahesh after being continuously ignored, thinking that Mahesh's silence was due to his grief over the tragedy. However, Hafiz reveals that Mahesh is deaf, leading Melur to make amends. Melur invites Mahesh to her house again, where she is chastised by her family for her previous encounter. After Vimala consoles her grieving sister about her children, Embun grows worried about Hafiz abandoning studies for his talent show, but ultimately declares she is happy for him. That night, Mahesh reveals his love for Melur to Bhavani and tells her about Ganesh's email written a day before his death.
Next day, Melur misses out on rehearsals to have a date with Mahesh, where Hafiz chooses to stand in her place. Melur's family set off to Cameron Highlands, whereas Bhavani confronts her mother, stating that Ganesh had been in a relationship with a girl from an Indian Muslim family of grocers from Batu Gajah whose members murdered him that night. Mahesh is invited to Melur's house where they sleep over.
On the day of the rehearsal, Mahesh is forced to reveal his relationship with Melur to his family as Melur passes by and is nearly assaulted. Kahoe is informed of Embun's passing in school and Mahesh reads Ganesh's email, revealing that Ganesh's childhood crush married a man against her parents' wishes and he waited for her return, only to find out she died the previous year. At the Talentime finals, an ashamed Melur forfeits her performance. She runs into Mahesh, calling him out for "talking too much." The film ends with Hafiz's performance, which Kahoe later joins in.
Sharifah Amani was supposed to be cast as Melur in the film. However, due to clash of schedules, she was replaced by Pamela Chong. [3] She did, however, play a role as the 3rd Assistant Director for the film. This would mark the first time that Sharifah Amani has played a behind-the-scene role in Yasmin Ahmad's films.
The film score was composed by Pete Teo. Songs include:
All songs were written and produced by Teo himself, except Kasih Tak Kembali which was written by Ahmad Hashim.
The original soundtrack album was released by Universal Music, which also includes Malay language versions of many of the principal songs in the film. This includes I Go (as 'Pergi'), Angel, and Just One Boy (as 'Itulah Dirimu').
As in all of Yasmin's previous works, Talentime opens with the basmalah (Bismillahirahmanirrahim, "In the name of God, the most Gracious and most Merciful"). Like Muallaf , the verse is displayed in a language and script different from Arabic in Talentime, i.e. in Tamil - பிஸ்மில்லாஹிர்ரஹ்மானிர்ரஹீம்.
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 22nd Malaysia Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Yasmin Ahmad | Won |
| Best Director | Won | |||
| Best Original Story | Nominated | |||
| Best Promising Actress | Jaclyn Victor | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Mahesh Jugal Kishor | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Syafie Naswip | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Soon Keong | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Affandi Jamaludin | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Music Score | Pete Teo | Nominated | ||
| Art Direction | Nick | Nominated | ||
| Special Jury Prize - for Implementing Humanitarian Elements In A Motion Picture | Won | |||
| 23rd Anugerah Juara Lagu | Best Song | "Pergi" — Pete Teo and Amran Omar, performed by Aizat Amdan | Won |