Talentime

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	25 March 2009 (2009-03-25) (Hong Kong) 26 March 2009 (2009-03-26) (Malaysia)
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.

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.

Plot

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 RM1000, 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, informing that Ganesh was murdered by a neighbouring family in mourning, uncomfortable with Mahesh's family celebration. Mahesh personally visits Melur afterschool, 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 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 reveals to her mother 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 and is nearly assaulted. Kahoe is told 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 as 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.

Cast

• Mahesh Jugal Kishor as Mahesh, a hearing impaired Indian boy who later falls in love.
• Pamela Chong as Melur, a Eurasian girl in the Talentime finals who sings and plays the piano.
• Syafie Naswip as Hafiz, a Malay boy in the Talentime finals who sings and plays the guitar.
• Jaclyn Victor as Bhavani, Mahesh's elder sister who has a penchant for picking on him.
• Howard Hon Kahoe as Kahoe, a Chinese boy in the Talentime finals who plays the erhu and resents Hafiz.
• Amelia Henderson as Melati, Melur's younger sister.
• Adibah Noor as Cikgu Adibah, the teacher in charge of organising the Talentime.
• Azean Irdawaty as Embun, Hafiz's mother who is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
• Harith Iskander as Harith, Melur's comical father.
• Sukania Venugopal as Mahesh's mother.
• Jit Murad as Ismael, A patient who befriends Embun at the hospital during her final days.
• Mislina Mustaffa as Melur's mother.
• Tan Mei Ling as Mei Ling, a Chinese Muslim convert who works as a maid for Melur's family.
• Ida Nerina as Datin Kalsom, a friend of Melur's mother who distrusts Mei Ling.

Sharifah Amani was supposed to be cast as Melur in the film. However, due to clash of schedules, she was replaced by Pamela Chong. 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.

Music

The film score was composed by Pete Teo. Songs include:

• O Re Piya by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, taken from the Bollywood movie, Aaja Nachle
• I Go by Aizat Amdan.
• Just One Boy by Aizat Amdan.
• Angel by Atilia.
• Kasih Tak Kembali by Atilia.

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').

Screening

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.

Awards and nominations

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

External links

• Official website
• Talentime at IMDb