KUALA LUMPUR: Kadir Mamat is proud to have acted with the late P Ramlee in the legendary icon's classic movies such as Ali Baba Bujang Lapok, Pendekar Bujang Lapok, Kanchan Tirana and Enam Jahanam.
But those high points from the 1960s have since become a distant memory as the actor, fondly known as Pak Kadir, returned to his hometown in Kelantan to eke out a living for over 20 years, according to an FMT report yesterday.
Kadir, now 91, had performed in a comedy group known as Wok Sir and volunteered with the civil defence department.
When asked why he did not continue his acting career, Kadir said: "The wages were not commensurate with the effort. At best we could earn between RM20 and RM30."
But Kadir added that he would always be thankful for the chance to work with Ramlee, who he described as a man dedicated to his craft.
"When shooting, he would get annoyed if we were not focused. 'If you want to act, act, otherwise get off the set,' Ramlee would say sternly," he said.
Kadir, who started acting at age 20, also fondly remembers the kindness of the late SM Salim.
The legendary singer had welcomed Kadir into his home in Kuala Lumpur when the fledgling actor first arrived from Kelantan in 1958.
In the climax of the epic 1961 Malay movie, Ali Baba Bujang Lapok, Kadir played one of the 40 hiding thieves who met their end when they were systematically doused with hot oil.
"That first bandit who got doused by (actress) Sarimah with hot oil – that was me," he said.
Kadir, who suffers from prostate cancer and asthma, is currently cared for by his 59-year-old wife, Hasmah Yusof.
When met at his run-down home in Kampung Kedai Lalat in Kota Baru, Kelantan, Kadir was lying on a thin mattress and had to be helped onto a wheelchair.
With no children of his own, Kadir depends on Hasmah, who also suffers from asthma, to take him on numerous trips to the hospital ever since he was diagnosed with cancer four years ago.
"We depend on assistance from the Kelantan Religious Council, which gives us RM400 a month.
"It is not enough to live on. RM50 only buys us two kilograms of fish," he said.