A Tribute To Yasmin Ahmad

When I first watched Rabun, I knew I'm going to fall in love with all her works.

I never knew her personally. But whenever I watched her films, I felt linked to her emotions as if she was telling her stories to me. She had never failed to steal my heart every time her babies came out. Starting with Petronas Independence Day and Hari Raya commercials to her controversial films like Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin and Talentime, she unfolded many stories that made my neurons connected to figure out the hidden meanings. She was good at doing that. Telling Malaysians that we are skin-colour blinded and love is always the best thing that could happen to us.

When Rabun came out, it stole my heart. Though it was heavily crushed by critics, it failed to compramise my judgement on her works. I like her honesty with her bravery to reveal the truth about the Malaysian culture in her films. Her films were critically unaccepted but you can't help but liking all her masterpieces. She was the mother of Jason, Orked and Mukhsin, raising three talented actors that Malaysians have long waited to see. She was a great storyteller of her parents love life, through the story of Mak Inom and Pak Atan. She brought cheer to her film viewers with the character of Kak Yam. She was the one who told Malaysians not to be prejudice towards other races and religious matters, and not to be easily fooled by the skeptic assumptions and accusations. She was not just an ordinary storyteller, but an extraordinary teacher too.

And her movies were undeniablely the best that Malaysians have seen in the past few years. When Sepet was declared Best Movie in Malaysian Film Festival stepping aside the favourite Puteri Gunung Ledang, it caused stir in the movie industry but she stood for herself, giving reasons and evidences why Sepet deserved such recognition. She was unacceptedly discriminated by critics with her films but she was strong to fight the battle and winning it. She never put a limitation on her creativity and never knew the term "termination" when it comes to making films. And she is the the greatest filmmaker that Malaysia has ever had.

But last Monday, Malaysia grieved for the loss of its best filmmaker. She was attacked by stroke while presenting her paperwork in Seri Pentas and later on was admitted to hospital and died in the operation theater while the doctors were performing surgery to her brain. Her death shocked many Malaysians including me. I was one of those people who grieved for the death of Yasmin Ahmad. The best storyteller and the greatest filmmaker I have ever met in my life. Few weeks ago when I was watching Gubra, I was attacked by anticipation of her unrealesed project in Malaysia, Muallaf. And I was so eager to watch Sepet, Rabun and Mukhsin for God knows how many times I have watched it, and now, I knew that all happened for a reason.

Nobody can replace Yasmin Ahmad in the industry, and the death of Yasmin Ahmad is a great loss to the country. I'm sure God has better plans for her and we all have to accept that Yasmin Ahmad is gone.

She may be gone, but her love through her masterpieces remains with us.

Yasmin Ahmad, you left me with a quote that I will always remember for the rest of my life. This quote is taken from Gubra and it has taught me a lot.

"Why do hurt most, the ones we love the most?"

May God award eternal bless to your soul and place you among the people that He loves. In loving memory of Yasmin Ahmad, let us all pray for her peace in the afterlife.

Al-Fatihah.