Indian Influences in the Supernatural Elements Found in the Malay Classic Films of Dewi Murni, Gul Bakawali and Selendang Delima

The paper examines that the supernatural elements found in the Malay movies DewiMurni 1950 directed by B.S. Rajhans, SelendangDelima 1958 directed by K.M. Basker and Gul Bakawali 1963 directed by B. Narayanan Rao which are heavily embedded with Indian elements. Analysis into the films’ repertoires have shown striking parallels and significant differences between the Malay films and its Indian versions. Dewi Murni is derived from Kalidasa’s Shakuntala. Excerpts from the Brahmavaivarta Purana and Ramayana are used in the narration of Selendang Delima which is the story of a nymph’s offspring who is cursed and subjected to cruelty. GulBakawali is obtained from a Persian story and deciphered to Hindustani in 1702 by Niphal Chand (Zainal Abidin Ahmad, 1942: 144). Sheikh Mohd. Ali bin Ghulam Hussein Alhandi (an Indian Muslim) is reponsible for translating Gul Bakawali from an Urdu / Hindi text. Elements that have come to be accepted as the culture of the Malay world is the outcome of Indianisation in the region (Noor 2005: 32). One has to agree with Farish Noor when he states ‘that the Malay world has a number of lasting legacies’ (Noor 2005: 32). The pluralist culture that is now inherent amongst the Malays was deepen through a long process of socio-cultural growth and exposure to other traditions. As such, it is not surprising that encounters between native cultures namely Hinduism and Islam in their daily routines were a part of the lives of the local Malay people in the past. The study on the films Dewi Murni, Gul Bakawali and Selendang Delima illustrate that a fusion of culture produces films that is able to withstand the test of time and that cultural convolution is possible.