At 91, the last ‘bandit’ from Ali Baba Bujang Lapok is struggling

Kadir Mamat is proud to have acted with the late P Ramlee, who was a legendary producer, director, actor and composer.

KOTA BHARU: Do you remember this famous movie line: ‘Niat enson matakaji semar ngiseng’? What about this one: ‘Rampo ngiseng semar tilem’?

If you do, then you are indeed familiar with the epic 1961 Malay movie, Ali Baba Bujang Lapok.

It is no exaggeration to say that those lines remain fresh in the minds of anyone who has watched the classic movie over the past six decades or so, thanks in no small measure to the late P Ramlee’s impeccable delivery.

In the movie, Ramlee, who stars as the chief bandit, recites the two lines in the Javanese language as magic spells to open and close the entrance to a cave his band of thieves used as a hideout.

At the climax of the movie, each of the 40 thieves is splashed with hot oil. One of them is Kadir Mamat, more fondly known as Pak Kadir.

“That first bandit who got doused by (the actress) Sarimah with hot oil – that was me,” he said when speaking to FMT at his home in Kampung Kedai Lalat in Kota Bharu, Kelantan recently.

Pak Kadir, as he is fondly known, also appeared on Pendekar Bujang Lapok, another P Ramlee movie that depicts the journey of three friends in their quest to study silat.

Kadir, now 91, would go on to appear in three other P Ramlee films, Pendekar Bujang Lapok, Kanchan Tirana and Enam Jahanam.

But those were the high points of his acting career. Kadir would return to his hometown and eke out a living for more than 20 years by performing in a comedy group known as Wok Sir and volunteering with the civil defence department.

Asked why he did not continue his acting career which could have seen him rise to the levels of S Shamsuddin and Aziz Sattar, Kadir said: “The wages were not commensurate with the effort. At best we could earn between RM20 and RM30.”

Despite this, Kadir is still grateful for the opportunity of working with Ramlee, a man he described as being totally dedicated to his art.

“When shooting, he would get annoyed if we were not focused. ‘If you want to act, act, otherwise get off the set,’ Ramlee would say sternly,” said Kadir, who began acting at age 20.

Kadir also remembers fondly the contributions of the late SM Salim, the legendary singer who opened the doors of his Kuala Lumpur home to take Kadir in when he first arrived from Kelantan in 1958.

Kadir Mamat and Hasmah Yusof at their home in Kampung Kedai Lalat in Kota Bharu. Kadir shows off a picture of him in his youth (left), and one of legendary actors P Ramlee and Saloma, when the couple visited Kota Bharu.

Now in the twilight of his life, Kadir, who is looked after by wife Hasmah Yusof, 59, suffers from prostate cancer and asthma. When he met FMT, he was lying on a thin mattress, and had to be helped onto a wheelchair.

A sofa and a cupboard are the only items of furniture he has in the living room of his run down home which has no ceiling to keep out the heat.

With no children of his own, Kadir has had to rely on Hasmah to take him on numerous trips to hospital ever since he was diagnosed with cancer four years ago.

“We depend on assistance from Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat Melayu Kelantan (Maik), which gives us RM400 a month. It is not enough to live on. RM50 only buys us two kilograms of fish,” he said, adding that Hasmah also suffers from asthma.

Those who wish to help Kadir and Hasmah can channel their contributions to –

Yayasan Kebajikan Artis Tanahair

Account no: 3174647601

Bank : Public Bank

Ref: Kadir Mamat