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Making space for veteran performers in the new era
GROWING old in Malaysia’s entertainment industry often means learning how to disappear. For veteran actors and singers, the problem is not that their talent has faded. It is that the industry keeps moving without always finding space for them.
Veterans Artistes Welfare Association of Malaysia president Sandakiah Azez said veteran artistes are still capable of working but opportunities have become harder to secure as new actors, singers and influencers enter the industry almost every week.
The issue, she said, begins at the writing stage. Older characters are still present in Malaysian stories but they are not always given to older performers.
“When writers develop new stories, they should include two or three roles for veteran actors. We have many talented performers who can play those characters naturally, instead of casting younger actors and making them look older with makeup,” she said at a dialogue session at Inti International College Subang recently about the reality facing performers who once helped build the local screen and stage scene.
Still waiting for roles
Sandakiah said veteran performers are not asking to be treated as charity cases. Many still want to act, sing and perform. What they need is the chance to remain visible in an industry increasingly shaped by younger faces and online popularity.
For singers, the challenge is just as sharp. Reality shows and social media have created a constant supply of new talent, leaving older performers to compete for fewer platforms.
To keep supporting its members, the association has organised small performances and charity events. However, even welfare efforts come with costs.
“Our objective is to raise funds for welfare but charity events are expensive to organise. We often rely on ticket sales just to cover the costs,” she said.
Sandakiah said these efforts cannot depend on one side alone. Government agencies have a role but so do corporations, non-governmental organisations and educational institutions.
“We have hundreds of veteran artistes who helped build this industry. They deserve recognition, whether through appreciation events, awards or other initiatives. We cannot rely on the government alone,” she said.
Learning from old films
For Sandakiah, appreciating veteran artistes also means returning to the films and television works they helped create.
When asked what young filmmakers should watch, she pointed to older Malaysian films from the 1960s and 1980s, saying they still offer lessons despite being made with limited technology.
“There is a great deal to learn from older films despite the limitations of the technology at the time. At the same time, I would recommend watching the films of Syafiq Yusof,” she said.
Her view of old-school content is not built on nostalgia alone. Older films, she suggested, show how filmmakers worked within restrictions, relying more heavily on story, performance and discipline.
For young filmmakers raised in an era of streaming platforms and faster production tools, those films remain a record of how local cinema survived.
Sandakiah pointed to the mid-1970s as a defining period, after Malay Film Productions closed in 1967 and local Malay filmmaking slowed.
“The revival began around 1974 and 1975 when Sabah Film Productions released Keluarga Si Comat. That was when Malay films came back to life,” she said.
She also said many veteran artistes from earlier generations have yet to receive proper recognition. Some circles of performers now have fewer than 10 people left, making the question of recognition more urgent.
Carrying experience forward
National Film Development Corporation Malaysia CEO Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib said veteran artistes still have a place in education and industry development.
“Many of our artistes are self-taught. We want to create opportunities for them to further their education or become part of the education system by teaching and sharing their experience with students,” he said.
He said universities should continue inviting veteran artistes into classrooms, screenings and talks, allowing students to hear directly from those who lived through the industry’s earlier years.
“We should encourage more universities to invite legendary artistes to share their knowledge. Their experience is an important part of our education system,” he said.
The question is not only whether Malaysia remembers its veteran artists. It is whether the industry can make room for them while they are still here.
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