Exploring the Depiction of Cosmopolitanism in Yasmin Ahmad’s Movie: Talentime (2009)

Films by Yasmin Ahmad such as Talentime are often said to depict the elements of cosmopolitanism in its narrative. Nevertheless, limited studies have been conducted to prove such motion. Therefore, this study aims to explore the elements of cosmopolitanism (Culture, Religion, Language, Respecting Gender Differences, Respecting Disabilities, and Respecting Minorities) in the film and how these elements are portrayed in it. The study also focuses on the significances of depicting the elements of cosmopolitanism in cinemas and its role in raising awareness among viewers. The qualitative method was employed as the methodology of the study. The findings indicate that the was a depiction of several cosmopolitanism elements in Talentime (2009) namely 14 elements of Culture, 10 elements of Religion, one element of Language, 6 elements of Respecting Gender Differences, 2 elements of Respecting Disabilities, and 7 elements of Respecting Minorities. Findings from this study has proven that cosmopolitanism existed in Yasmin Ahmad’s Talentime from numerous perspectives including politics, norms, or culture.


Introduction and Problem Statements
A study by Shukri (2018) describes Yasmin Ahmad films as national films based on the speciality of iconography and language. In his research, iconography is described as films with the essence of national characters, meanwhile, according to Salleh (2019), the term "cosmopolitan" originates from the Greek word "kosmopolites" which means "citizens of the world". It refers to a variety of important views in the moral and socio-politic philosophy. Cosmopolitanism is an ideology that believes that all human tribes are a sole community with a similar moral. A study by Wattimena (2018) suggests that cosmopolitanism is a concept where human beings are equal and should never be segregated by their race. This is supported by Ningtyas (2016) who views cosmopolitanism as an ideology that reflects humanity as a collective community. In this regard, racial and ethnic differences should never be viewed as a barrier but rather a source of strength. Besides that, Alunaza (2017) states that cosmopolitanism can be regarded from numerous perspectives including politics, norms, or culture. Kuala Lumpur is an example of a cosmopolitan city as it welcomes all races from various countries. According to Paramytha (2013), cosmopolitanism as a social value helps to promote mutual respect between one individual to another which subsequently leads to peace. Being in a new place particularly a cosmopolitan city requires a traveler to adapt and mingle with the community and be part of the society. Despite the existence of cosmopolitanism elements in the films of Yasmin Ahmad as claimed by Shi (2015), limited empirical evidence is available to advocate the depiction of such elements in her films particularly Talentime (2009). This raises the question of whether the cosmopolitanism investigated by Shi (2015) exist in Talentime. Talentime is a film about Melur, a Malay-mixed girl and an Indian male student, Mahesh. Melur, with her melodious voice, singing whilst playing the piano is one of the seven finalists of the Talentime competition of her school organised by Cikgu Adibah. Likewise Hafiz, enthralling with his vocalist talent while playing the guitar, divides his time between school and mother, who is hospitalised for brain tumor. This study focuses on the exploration of cosmopolitanism elements in Talentime (2009).

Reviews of Literature Respecting Gender Differences, Respecting Minorities, Respecting Disabilities, and Respecting Religious Differences
A study by Ayu (2016) defines cosmopolitanism as the act of respecting gender differences, respecting minorities, respecting disabilities, and respecting religious differences. The discussion on the theme is closely related to the thoughts expressed by the authors where their experience, ambitions, and ideas are portrayed through the theme. This makes the theme as the main idea or the true meaning of a story. A work of art often conveys an ideological message or critique that is realised by cosmopolitanism for it to reach the viewers. It also has the potential of being a medium of imagination that supports the apprehension of the community.
Cosmopolitanism and cultural diversity in the context of contemporary Malaysia. The concept of cosmopolitanism used by Khoo (2009) conveys the reality of life in Malaysia. In her films, Yasmin Ahmad adapts the strategy of presenting the modern Islamic life that celebrates the value of cultural differences formed by the blend between foreign cultures with the culture of the local community. Khoo (2009) highlights that Yasmin is among the new wave of directors who attempt to convey cosmopolitanism as a philosophy that holds the idea of humanity sharing mutual values and universal rights beyond the ethnic and national boundaries. Research by Shi (2015) suggests that the concept of cultural diversity is used as a critique towards the post-colonialism political situation where the citizenship and cultural rights of the minority and majority ethnic groups are yet to receive equal recognition. For instance, the current government maintains the need for affirmative policies, namely the New Economic Policy (1971 -1990) that was replaced by the National Development Policy (1991 -2000), the National Vision Policy (2001 -2010), and the New Economic Model. This triggers a debate not only amongst members of the public but also politicians and academicians who often associate this issue with ethnic inequality and social justice. However, from the perspective of culture and religion, the main argument in the framework of multicultural theory focuses on the process of negotiation that emanates on the issues of justice and recognition between dominant cultures that are based on the majority groups and subordinate cultures in the context of a nation. Furthermore, Ang (2010) believes that the multicultural perspective can be utilized as an appropriate approach to determine how the uniqueness and cultural differences (both religious or world-view perspectives) of all stakeholders in the Malaysian context can be presented as a reference for the western countries that face similar issues. According to Beck (2011), the concept of cultural diversity should be perceived as a social contract that exists within a national conceptual framework. Nation, in this context, is seen as a political institution that has the potential of maintaining an imbalanced and hierarchical relationship of power. In other words, a culture that is based on multiple ethnicities is ingenuine but rather a sociopolitical structure of an institution known as a nation that has the mechanism that can be utilized to represent, distribute resources, and defines justice. Shi (2015) reports that one of the important elements in the formation of symbolic meaning in religion is the selection of colours and lighting. In this regard, the colours of black and white are featured in the design of clothing especially spiritual clothing. This brings to the conclusion that the text of this film attempts to present a dominant ideology within the Malaysian society where people of faith are considered as the norm and belong to the dominant group. Consequently, it provides positive recognition towards different religions by emphasizing a sense of belonging that does not undermine any other religion. However, this is opposed by the conservative thinking of several Malay-Muslim groups who disagree with such equality. Furthermore, Shi (2015) found that the main motive in Yasmin Ahmad's film "Muallaf" is to convince the viewers that Islam is a noble and honourable religion not only to the Muslims but also to everyone. Such a motive exists in the form of narrative arrangement that can be seen in the classroom scene where Rohana was caned by her teacher, Mrs. Siva for disobeying her instruction to draw an elephant. This scene depicts the concept of violence through the character of Mrs. Siva who resorted to violence and cruelty to resolve a conflict in the art class. The writer attempted to convey the message that Islam is a religion of peace and that the issue of tyranny and Islam must be understood from the historical context where the image of Muslims around the globe has been tarnished by the 9/11 incident which involved the terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda towards the United States.

Love: Differences, Tolerance, and Respect
According to Shi (2015), Muallaf also reflects the spirit of cultural diversity and celebrates various religions in the Malaysian context. The view on religious diversity was presented through the dialogues in two scenes. The film consistently portrays religion as a spiritual necessity for a human that brings them towards positivity and promotes the value of love. Despite the existence of religious differences, recognition and respect can still occur amongst humans in the strive to foster the spirit of brotherhood within the context of a multicultural community. The characteristics of Rohani and Rohana as well as their father is a distinct comparison that reflects the diverse perspectives of the Muslim community. This potentially reflects the negotiation process between the ruling class with the reaction of those being ruled even though both classes have a similar social background.

Method
This study employed the qualitative approach in its data collection process. The research instrument comprised a textual analysis using a coding book. Talentime (2009) was selected as the sole film in this study and it was categorised in the coding book to analyse the existence of cosmopolitanism elements in the film. Such a method allows the researcher to collect the necessary data that are needed to answer the objective of this study. The coding book were coded by minutes guided by elements of cosmopolitanism as claimed by Ayu (2016), Khoo (2009), Shi (2015; and Beck (2011).

Result
The table below shows the existence of cosmopolitanism elements in Talentime (2009). The findings show that Yasmin Ahmad has successfully incorporated the elements of cosmopolitanism in Talentime. Results from the analysis found the depiction of several cosmopolitanism elements in the film namely 14 elements of Culture, 10 elements of Religion, one element of Language, 6 elements of Respecting Gender Differences, 2 elements of Respecting Disabilities, and 7 elements of Respecting Minorities. Talentime narrates the story of various aspects of human life and creates its conflict. It revolves on the life of three friends who participated in an audition for a talent show. Similar to her other films like Rabun, Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin, and Muallaf, Talentime is infused with Yasmin's identity of discussing the issues within the Malaysian community, particularly involving the three major races of Malay, Chinese, and Indian. The cosmopolitanism element of culture in Talentime is a metaphor of the current political scenario in Malaysia. The cultural background exhibited by Yasmin is still an implicit taboo to most people. Our society shows the bad culture and displays a delusional culture for example, students stop listening to "Negaraku" songs but Mahesh doesn't stop when the song plays. In the cosmopolitanism element of religion, Yasmin Ahmad attempts to open the public's mind on the issue of changing a revert's name. This was achieved through the scene where Datin Kalsom was shocked when she saw Mei Ling performing prayer. When she was told by Melor's mother that Mei Ling was a Muslim, Datin Kalsom then questioned the use of the name 'Mei Ling' even after reverting to Islam. Melor's mother and Mawar answered her question by explaining that Mei Ling embraced Islam and not Malay. Meanwhile, the cosmopolitanism element of language is an important aspect that highlights the culture of a nation-state community. As language is known to represent the identity of a local community, the Malay language was used in Talentime as a representation of the Malay community where the story happened. Besides, Yasmin Ahmad also made the effort to inform the viewers on the need to observe mutual respect particularly in a multicultural society like Malaysia. This was achieved in Talentime by depicting the cosmopolitanism elements of Respecting Gender Differences, Respecting Disabilities, and Respecting Minorities. In the film, the element of Respecting Disabilities was portrayed through the character of Mahesh who is a mute. Meanwhile, the element of Respecting Minorities can be seen in the intercultural relationship between Mei Ling and Melor despite Mei Ling's position as the housemaid who nursed Melor since she was a child.

Findings Framework
Existing literature has classified the elements of cosmopolitanism into six namely Culture, Religion, Language, Respecting Gender Differences, Respecting Disabilities, and Respecting Minorities. These elements are incorporated into the current investigation on Talentime (2009). The analysis conducted by this study has found several elements of cosmopolitanism in the film Talentime. This includes 14 elements of Culture, 10 elements of Religion, one element of Language, 6 elements of Respecting Gender Differences, 2 elements of Respecting Disabilities, and 7 elements of Respecting Minorities. Following the analysis, this study has contextually found that the cosmopolitanism element of culture in Talentime reflects the poor attitude of some members of the community. This was evident in the scene where Mahesh disrespected the national anthem Negaraku. The film also focuses on the elements of religion and language with the hope of changing its taboo status among the community, particularly on the issues of the national language and the name changing for reverts. The element of respecting gender differences is also depicted in the film where it preaches society to respect the decision made by an individual regardless of their gender. Talentime also depicts the element of respecting disabilities through the character of Mahesh who is mute. Researchers believe that Yasmin Ahmad included such element in her work to highlight the disabled and their equal rights to be part of the community. The final element in Talentime is respecting the minorities. This was portrayed through Kahoe's disapproval towards the delinquency shown by Hafiz in his study. it was further amplified when Kahoe made a sarcastic comment about the privileges that Hafiz might receive from the government despite his academic negligence as compared to the amount of effort that Kahoe had to invest to make his life comfortable.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this study advocates for the inclusion of cosmopolitanism elements in local films as it will instil and strengthen the Malaysian identity in its theme and narrative. The elements of cosmopolitanism will also inform uphold the viewers' awareness and knowledge about the culture, religion, language, and the element of respect that are depicted by the films. Following this study, further research can be conducted to investigate the existence of other elements in the local film industry. This shall add to the development of knowledge in line with the current era of globalization. Findings from this study should inspire public dialogue -among local film-makers, international film critics, broad journalists, interested citizens and viewers -in a transnational public sphere. Ang, I. (2010