BACK in 1979, Malaysia’s Father of Animation, Hassan A Muthalib, came up with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) which has been etched in the memory of an entire generation, for better or worse.
That PSA simply titled ‘Dadah’ was the very first animated PSA in colour and it talked about the dangers of drug abuse in a most frightening way.
PARENTS
Hassan said: “It has no blood and no real-life scenes, but many people who were pre-teens during that year tell me that it ‘scared the hell’ out of them.
“And now that they are parents or grandparents, they tell me that their offspring are lucky to have not seen it, until last week!”
FINAS
Last week, the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas) uploaded that dreaded PSA on its YouTube channel, and a cursory look at netizens’ feedback in its comments section revealed that many of them were delighted that it had been beautifully restored and kept by the corporation over the years.
“It gives me nightmares till this day, maybe because I was a kid back then.
“Yes, there are many films and dramas which are a lot scarier now, but the chills from that PSA remain with me, as what haunts you during your childhood is meant to last!” summed up one netizen.
TAME
Netizens thanked Hassan for a job well done, and lamented that Finas, formerly Filem Negara Malaysia (FNM) does not come up with terrifying PSAs these days.
“The PSA was screened on TV for a decade, and that means it’s finally back for viewers after 36 long years,” he said.
SYAFIQ KYLE
Actually, Finas and other government bodies have screened pretty scary anti-dadah PSAs over the last decade, such as those created by the National Anti-Drugs Agency of Malaysia (AADK), such as one where popular actor Syafiq Kyle wrestles with a drug-addicted robber version of himself in a mini market.
“Likewise the AADK one which made actor Amai Kamaruddin a household name, showing a drug addict played by Muniff Isa clubbing his elder brother, played by Amai to death.”
SKULL
Hassan’s 1979 PSA shows an animated drug addict hallucinating and climbing a flight of stairs, at the end of which is a giant skull that says “dadah membawa kesengsaraan dan maut“
(drugs bring suffering and death).
“The drug addict fails to heed the skull’s warnings and climbs straight into the skull’s mouth and becomes a skeleton.
“The entire PSA is a metaphor of a drug addict who fails to beat his addiction and dies,” he said.
FAMILY
A few years later in 1983, Hassan won an award for his first live action anti-dadah PSA titled Keluarga (Family).
“I won Best Idea at Anugerah Seri Angkasa, and my PSA told the story of a teenage drug addict who is admitted to Universiti Malaya Medical Centre after being knocked down by a car.
“His parents arrive at the hospital while he is undergoing an operation, and it concludes with the doctor emerging from the operating theatre to break the news of his condition to them.
“The unique thing about Keluarga was, nobody spoke in it, except for a police officer who was reporting the accident to his superior,” said Hassan.
STRAIGHT
Hassan believes that a good anti-dadah PSA need not scare viewers straight, but make them realise how drug abuse destroys the lives of the addicts’ loved ones, as shown by Keluarga.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
