Bujang Lapok

1957

The Old Bachelors

P. Ramlee As Ramli · Directed By P. Ramlee

Bujang Lapok tells the story of Ramli, Aziz and Sudin, three friends who share a rented house owned by a widow named Normah. Ramli’s antics start to catch the attention of their landlady, Normah, much to the amusement of his close friends Sudin and Aziz. Ramli, not knowing Normah’s true feelings, tries his best to find a suitable partner but is repeatedly tricked by con women and opportunists.

Sudin finds himself smitten with the girl next door, Zaiton, who hails from a wealthy family. Unfortunately, Zaiton’s mother is not fond of their relationship, leaving Sudin feeling desperate for assistance. Despite his best efforts to enlist the help of his friends and mother, things do not go as planned.

Meanwhile, Aziz finds himself falling for Safiah, a young woman who has suffered at the hands of her abusive stepfather. Her stepfather’s gambling debts have led him to “sell” her in order to pay them off. Safiah, driven to despair, tries to end her life by drowning herself, but is saved by Aziz, who happens upon her in her darkest hour. Aziz brings Safiah home to stay with Normah, only to be confronted and beaten by Safiah’s stepfather.

Bujang Lapok (1957) is the beginning of a series of four films directed by P. Ramlee featuring the Bujang Lapok trio of Ramli (P. Ramlee), Aziz (Aziz Sattar) and Sudin (S. Shamsuddin). The film presents various sketches that are closely related to the norms of society at that time. Despite being a comedy, it portrays the reality of life in the community at that time. Bujang Lapok is set in a kampung, or village, in 1950s Singapore, and records the kampung life of the time.