Madu Tiga

I've become interested in Malay culture, and idling through Youtube came across the world of P Ramlee. This film is absolutely top class! A hilarious tale of a man who thinks he can simply manage his way through three wives - having neglected to tell each of them about the existence of the others. Of course, you just know they're going to find out somehow.......

P Ramlee keeps things on at a cracking pace, and the casual way he barefaces everyone is hilarious. But he shares the wealth around the script, with a host of amusing supporting characters. Quality performances too from the wives - the terrifying first wife, the sulty second wife, and the sweet and optimistic third wife who in the end drives the resolution. I enjoyed this end-to-end, will look out more of P Ramlee's work. A shame to read about his tragic end in Wikipedia.

Trivia fans will notice that this movie is different from previous P Ramlee movies whereby apart from Ahmad Nisfu, it does not have his usual supporting actors. Instead P Ramlee carries the movie by himself and successfully does so, proving the (then) critics wrong that it was his supporting actors that were responsible for his comedies being very successful, and not himself.

In a quick summary, the film revolves around Jamil bin Abu (P Ramlee) juggling his everyday life to accommodate his new conquest of having a second wife (and eventually a third!!!), without each wife knowing the real truth of the polygamy situation. Unsurprisingly, the climax involves all 3 wives going after Jamil after having discovered that they were not the only women in his life. I won't spoil the readers as to who eventually gets Jamil, although presumably, if you're reading this, you would have already known anyway.

As correctly noted by several IMDb members, the storyline is theoretically impossible. IMO however this is what makes this film a success. Whereas other previous P Ramlee comedies relies heavily on slapstick or comedic elements from the actors themselves, Madu Tiga's success is based on having a very strong (although unlikely) storyline. The actors/ actresses play their roles seriously and do not resort to slapstick, making the formula very successful. The storyline is based on an unlikely situation, and this is even made better (and thus even more unlikely) with the twist of having a father-in-law taking your side and not the daughter's!! Special mention should go to Ahmad Nisfu (as always) who plays Jamil's father-in-law, Haji Latiff. Married men can only dream of the scenario of having Haji Latiff as their father-in-law. Note the Company's Name- {{Haji Latiff & Menantu}} (menantu translated is son-in-law)- this fact tells all of where his allegiance lies. Jah Haji Mahadi also does an excellent performance as Latifah, the long-suffering first wife of 12 years, as does M Rafee as P Ramlee's dependable assistant. The scene where Rafee does not waste any time with small-talk when proposing Jamil's third wife-to-be is just pure classic!

I also agree with the the IMDb submitter Mad_Janssen that Zera Agus's overacting performance was weak. It unfortunately was the slight weak point of the film, as I found it hard to understand how Jamil would be attracted to her in the first place.

All in all another P Ramlee classic!

I love this movie. I've watched this movie countless times and never get bored. The entire cast is excellent, especially the late Ahmad Nesfu (the father-in-law) who was hilarious!. The songs are evergreen as ever. I remember watching this movie on TV in the 70's. I've also recorded this movie on DVD for my personal collection. I hope whoever have the rights to this movie could make a DVD version of it with interviews with the surviving cast like Sarimah.She can relate her experiences working with the cast during the making of the movie.Preserving this movie on DVD will make the movie long lasting and could be enjoyed by new generation of fans.