Classic Movie

Feb 1950

Beauty and the Beast may be raking in the big bucks at the box office but in 1950's Singapore, the blockbuster movie was Bakti, starring none other than the legendary P Ramlee and directed by Lakshmanan Krishnan, with Kasma Booty as Ramlee's co-star. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the movie's production, with sound man Chong Chee Liat working a 35mm reel projection at Shaw Brothers' studio in Jalan Ampas, off Balestier Road. Loosely based on Les Miserables, the plot revolves around an adopted orphan, ill-treated by his step-brother but who grows up to save him when both their fortunes change. It was P Ramlee's first leading role after a career of bit parts, and Bakti set him on the heady path of fame. And for moviegoers in the 50's, it was the start of the golden age of Singapore cinema.