I consider it a privilege as a middle-aged middle-class Anwarian Madani-laysian that I have the opportunity to watch a local Tamil movie with an Insta-worthy ethnically diverse group that includes the venerable Mano Maniam at my side. Thus so did I find myself at Nu Sentral GSC to catch Simple Manusan with our movie kelompok.
Mano guffawed and groaned with the rest of the audience as Our Hero, the unnamed barbershop owner played by Hindra Bose (whose day job is a stand-up comedian), meanders with mishaps through matchmakers and apps in search of a wife, periodically whispering to me “… this is the story of my life!”.
Let’s start with the movie’s very simple poster. No names other than the directors Haran (Kaveri) and Shobaan are mentioned. Our Hero is rolling a smoke on a plastic deckchair by the river with his motorcycle by his side. We are told he is 32, has a diploma, has a salary of RM3500, and – even though we have moved beyond listing his caste – his skin is dark.
These bits of information strike at the heart of any modern Mal-Asian in, or even out of, the marriage market, because, as we all know whether we acknowledge it or not, we are an institutionally tribal and culturally hypergamous society.
The story is what it says it is, a mundane tale of a young-and-single dark-skinned blue-collar Malaysian Indian with his anneh-bros, his career-oriented sister, his whiskey-sodden Appa, beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, intrinsically local and inherently Tamil.
Having addressed this point blank with the poster, the movie takes us through familiar culture-scapes of urban KL via Our Hero’s comi-tragic journey to discovering “Soulmate, love, marriage. These are not the same. Which one do you really desire?”.
Spoiler alert!
It gives us the scene where Our Hero forks out a month’s salary to a marriage broker — “No refund!” — only to meet a woman whose first question is “What is your salary?”, to which he replies “What is your bra size?” and gets soy-milk thrown at his face.
Or when Our Hero goes on Tinder and ends up meeting a lesbian — the word itself pointlessly censored by Filem Negara — looking for a beard. Or when the woman he thinks actually likes him turns out to be an MLM recruiter. Or when the Chinese girl keeps repeating “You look very black compared to your photo wor.”
We roll our eyes even as we salivate at the mutton curry while Appa adds a splash of whiskey to everything he consumes. Stoners grin as we wink to ourselves that the chai is never going to be pure tobacco if you use an extra long Rizla. Rempets whoop when Our Hero says he doesn’t need a car because he has a bike.
We wince as Our Hero dismisses the Obviously Best Choice because she is barren, and Appa wants grandchildren. We frown when he grabs her face aggressively and smile when she slaps him just as aggressively. We sigh when Appa cries and finally, soberly, reopens the discussion for the arranged union. And we wonder in our deeper spiritual recesses what Our Hero will finally decide as he shaves his head for the very Hindu engagement: Who is the Devi of his dreams? What would we have done?
Simple Manusan is a rom-com told through the unique Malaysian Millennial lens. Nothing flashy, inoffensive with a sprinkling of spice and a nod to all the languages and ethnicities. Just a familiar delicious dish that we can all enjoy together. Like Roti Canai. Add mutton curry if you want, or have it pure, take it how you like it. Suitable for all seasons.
Elaine Tan is a PJ-mali cosmopolitan culture vulture available for hire and fun, preferably both. A Corporate Marketing Strategist in her misspent youth, she now dedicates herself to being a Social Provocateur.
Image Credits: Comrade Pictures, Artsee Networks
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