Tersasar Di Jalanmu: The Hope And Fear.

Recently at Anugerah Skrin 2009 [ 2009 Screen Award], a telemovie: Tersasar Di Jalanmu (TDJ) has won 6 out of 8 awards in TV: Drama, category. Thus it has been named as the best telemovie for this year.

The story centres on the issues that resonate around the infamous Lorong Haji Taib [Haji Taib Street]: drugs, prostitutions, gangsterism and other social illness. It tells the story of a couple: mummy and her young husband, with their three children. Mummy, her young husband and their 3 children can be read as typically Lorong Haji Taib community member. They represent a family that can normally see in that particular area.

TDJ, touches the real issues on this street and narrates the hope and dreams of those inhabitants. Cleverly blend the significant issues in one story. For example, the story of the drug addicts: their death that occurs everyday mean nothing to the crowd, the story of a low class cross dressing prostitutes, a story of an illiterate and no education boy : Iman, who mothered by an old prostitute who uses her own flat as her `workplace’, the story of Jamilah, who is the wife to Ghani: a pimp. As we learned through Jamilah’s story as she tells Mummy: she was a kampung girl. Ghani tricked her into marrying him with an intention to bring her to Kuala Lumpur just to be turn into one of his prostitutes. Further, Ghani always beats her if she refuses to do the `work’.

Mummy and her husband, earn their living by selling drinks and food at their `street food stall’ and through renting their place for prostitution `activities’. Two of their children, `flow with the flood’ without their parents knowledge : Nasir has turn himself into becoming a drug dealer and Lia has become a drug addict. Thus, sometimes `sell herself’ just to buy a small portion of drug. But only the youngest : Ayu, as we learned later in the end of the story, she blossoms well as she manages to make her dream come true: to be a Minister.

Like Nasir and Lia, Ayu, the youngest of the three siblings has been brought up and rise in the `comfort and luxuries’ of the street `dark legacy’. In this regard, obviously the street social illness foster a sense of self motivation for her as to help `her people’: upgrading them in higher living standard and change the negative image that others have of this street.

Indeed, Erma, through Ayu character represents a sense of hope to this community in the sense of she will be the one who will set them `free’ from their `dark legacy’. Ayu is thus constructed as their `heroic figure’. Nor Erma let them down in the sense that she later make Ayu’s dream comes true: as we later see at the end of the story- she then holds a position of Minister of Social Welfare.

Obviously, Erma as the director cynically make her remarks as she creates and developed Ayu or Ayuni character. Ayuni, a girl who used to be part of the street life, has to set a dream to become one of Malaysia Minister. Thus, only then somebody at that level will notice and take action as to rescue them.

Tersasar Di Jalanmu, to a certain extent reveals the story of the street community’s fear and hope of their future generation. By drawing attention to their way of life, the TDJ suggests that these street need serious attention if the authority mean to help them.