Small Man Dreamt Big

Bersama air berkarbonat  'Sudi' keluaran syarikat beliau

A small man who dared to dream big, that is how I described our king of entertainment, Sudirman Arshad, The struggle of Sudirman Arshad was brought back to life by Astro on the History Channel (Channel 555). It is a fantastic biographical account of the accomplished singer, lawyer, actor, artiste , entertainer and entrepreneur.

The one-hour biography documents Sudirman’s life from childhood and through his illustrious singing career which was tragically cut short by his untimely death in 1992 at the age of 37.

The documentary looks at the story behind the icon with an unstoppable drive for perfection. Despite personal struggles, he managed to become a superstar in a short time.

Sudirman created history by organising a stage show in the heart of Jalan Chow Kit in 1985. For this, a stage was built in the middle of Jalan Chow Kit and more than 100,000 people from all walks of life were mesmerised for three hours by Malaysia's No. 1 performer. It was a spectacular display of unity and creativity.

In 1989, he rocked the Royal Albert Hall in London and won the 1st Pan Asian Music Award, beating Leslie Chung from Hong Kong, the dynamic Anita Sarawak and other seasoned celebrities from the Philippines and Indonesia.He had achieved the pinnacle of success by winning this coveted award.

Despite watching his achievements musically, I am more interested in his personal struggles he had to endured. Behind all the glitz and glamour lay the emotional and psychological struggle of Sudirman’s personal life.

Not just on History channel but on Feb 22, 19 years after his death, other media, news paper and radio station, tv stations carried story on Sudirman. Both MHI and Radio Era interviewed lyricist Habsah Hassan who was Sudirman's best friend. She shared with the audience how Sudirman never really recovered from two severe blows - losing his mother when he was five, and the failure of his marriage to a childhood sweetheart - and he constantly needed reassurance.

Sometimes personality like Sudirman strive for perfection to substitute the missing love in his life or trying to cure the pain he was going through. Just like Princess Diana, Sudirman vain attempt in finding true love cost him dearly.

In 1992, he succumbed to a mysterious illness and died at the age of 37. It was a pity that his talent was extinguished all too soon.I must thank History channel and the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas) for producing the historical documentary.