Mamat Khalid (1963-2021)
Alias:
Mamat Khalid
Birthplace:
Ipoh, Malaysia
Born:
April 7, 1963
Died:
October 24, 2021
Mohamad bin Mohamad Khalid, known professionally as Mamat Khalid (6 April 1963-24 October 2021) is a Malaysian screenwriter, film director, and occasional actor. He is the younger brother of cartoonist Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid, better known as Lat. As a young boy, he used to go to the cinemas every other day to catch the latest movies. Unfortunately, his hobby did not resonate well with his father, who banned him from frequenting cinemas even on his deathbed. However, that did not break the young Mamat's passion into films. Before venturing into film-making, Mamat worked in a government office. He was a fan of rock music, having joined an amateur band named Drop Out in 1986 as the band's keyboardist. The experiences that he had gone through during the phase inspired him to write and direct his film Rock(2005), which is a commercial success. It led into three sequels - Rock Ooo…! (2013), Rock Bro! (2016) and Rock 4: Rockers Never Dai (2020). He was also the translator for the animation series Kampung Boy done by the work of his brother, Lat. He cited the late director P. Ramlee as one of his filmmakers inspiration. His filmmaking style involves comedy satirism that criticize the political scenario and corruption happened in Malaysia. On 21 April 2017, Mamat was admitted to the Ampang Puteri Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU)after complaining of breathing difficulties after having some coffee with his friends. He was believed to have extreme fatigue after attending the preview session of his latest film, Lebuhraya Ke Neraka in Bukit Bintang. However heremained in stable condition albeit under a doctor's monitoring due to his high blood pressure. He died on 24 October 2021 at the age of 58 due to heart disease at Slim River Hospital.He was reportedly collapsed at his restaurant Sarang Art Hub in Tanjung Malim. He was buried at the Masjid Kampung Paloh Islamic Cemetery in Ipoh, Perak.