KUALA LUMPUR: When black-and-white television first seduced Malaysia in December 1963, a 21-year-old man, like many others, excitedly gathered with family members and friends to catch their favourite show.
Eight years later, entire families, irrespective of race, huddled around their television sets to watch the young man on the then highly popular talent quest, Bakat TV.
He was funnyman Jamali Shadat. A special Malaysian who elicited laughter nationwide and encouraged our sense of community.
Jamali died this morning, aged 78, at his home in Klang.
Many will remember the charming, moustachioed man with a boy’s voice, as a man who revelled in his unique style of telling people how to conduct themselves in a multicultural society.
In those days when television was only on for a few hours a day and shows came on between test patterns, Jamali brought the house down with his whimsicality that preached unity.
His comic energy was not just about telling jokes and making us laugh.
He made us feel normal, validated our multiracial experiences and helped shape our identities.
Jamali was lovable and hilarious. He made you think what you wanted to be in a strained society, then suspicious of one another following the May 13, 1969 civil strife.
For those from that period, Jamali was an image in their monochrome memories.
Former Bernama chief executive and editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong said: “JS was one of the ‘Last of the Mohicans’ kind of Malaysian entertainers from an era where inclusivity was the norm and not something that was just plain tokenism.
“His ability to reflect and portray people of various races was a gem that I looked forward to with my family, especially guessing what he would do that evening on his weekly TV appearances.
“He was sharp, observant and witty, and gave endless joy to everyone.”
Author Omar Ariff said the ethnic characters Jamali used in his stand-up comedy reflected his upbringing, living with the Chinese, Indians and Sikhs.
“Racial prejudices then were not a issue and people mixed more freely and friends became extended family members,” said Omar, who wrote a book on Malaysian pop legend, The Strollers, a memoir that captured the stirring bell-bottomed music scene of the 1970s.
Former journalist and public relations consultant Sivaraman Sabapathy said Malaysia could use a person like Jamali in this time of societal blight.
“Someone like him would be a delight now to bring together Malaysians from all walks of life, races and religions.
“His comedy was simple, yet it was more than comedy or mimicry, JS was Malaysia of that era personified,” he said. “A part of our childhood is no more.”
Klang-born Fabian Dawson, now a communications strategist in Vancouver, Canada, still watches Jamali’s skits over YouTube.
He said: “During the school holidays, my mother would rent a black-and-white TV. Whenever we heard that Jamali Shadat was going to be on, all the kids staked a place near the TV hours before his show started.
“After the show, we would find our respective corners to imitate him as best as we could.
“He was a pioneer who used comedy for racial discourse.
“He made us laugh together but, more importantly, he made us laugh at ourselves.”
How did the seminal story begin of a man who nudged everybody to embrace family and community love and made boys want to be “Atan”, the main character in his sketches, who loved his grandfather, “Atuk”?
Inaugural Bakat TV 1971, Dewan Tunku Canselor Universiti Malaya: Among the singers, instrumentalists and stand-up comedians in RTM’s smash talent contest was Jamali, from Kampung Datuk Razali, Pulau Indah, in Klang.
Malaysian Artistes’ Association (Karyawan) president Freddie Fernandez recalled that the final was a toss-up between 12-year-old clarinet player Razak Rahman and Jamali.
Razak won the first prize of RM5,000. Jamali emerged as the champion of clever wit, delightfully speaking in Tamil and Chinese.
Said Fernandez: “Razak blew everyone away, literally, with his very professional delivery of the standard ‘Dark Eyes’ in typical Benny Goodman style on his clarinet, coupled with some slick dance moves.
“Jamali brought the house down with his brand of comedy which had the theme ‘Morning Time In My Garden’ that lived on for decades after.”
He became A Muniappan and sang a Tamil devotional song that had the audience in stitches with the words, “Lu sana duduk ka, I sini duduk ka?” – a phrase that catches the gulf between the elite and the ordinary man during the current Covid-19 health crisis.
Then like Chinese, Lee Siew Lan, he blurted “Tolong Lah”, in a song that beckons the rich to help the poor – another pandemic cry.
As James Rugged singing “Morning Time In My Garden”, he bleated like a goat, making it a trademark sound in his shows.
Fernandez said: “After his Bakat TV performance and for the next few decades he was in demand for RTM variety shows and dinner functions because of his form of comedy that united the people of all races through laughter in a way that only he knew best.”
Jamali often talked about the characters he brought to life in his comedy.
He explained in interviews that he was able to converse with ease in many languages because of his exposure to the various communities.
As the youngest of nine siblings, born in Bukit Kapar, Klang, he had worked various odd jobs as a teenager to supplement the family income and soon became multilingual.
He worked for a Chinese grocer, in the estate with Indians and in a Punjabi bread factory. An Indian cowherd named Pattu sang Tamil lullabies to lull him to sleep.
His mimicry of make believe characters of various races earned him shows in his later years such as the “Atan Oh Atan Oi” in 2001 and the Jamali Shadat Show the following year.
From as early as 1975, at the height of his popularity as a comedian, Jamali was also an administrator with the Community Development Department, helping the government organise classes under the Kapar parliamentary constituency.
He oversaw 136 classes, offering courses such as cooking, sewing, rattan weaving as well as machinery and bicycle repair.
His other portfolios included roles like Umno Kapar division information chief and acting vice-chairman for the National Anti-Drug Agency (Pemadam).
Jamali’s health and cheerful demeanour took a turn after the passing of his wife, Lela Yacob, in 2018.
He had described Lela as the woman behind his success and for whom he had been the caregiver until her death.
Jamali is survived by seven children and 34 grandchildren.
Farewell “Atuk”, you’ve done your life’s work well. - FMT
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