BBDO Malaysia uses Malay folklore and cultural history in Guardian’s Raya campaign
This Raya, BBDO Malaysia and Guardian celebrates Malaysia’s rich cultural history by adapting a well-loved Malay folklore on screen, using Wayang Kulit as its main visual element.
Titled Bawang Putih dan Bawang Merah, the story that inspired the web film is also dubbed the “Malay version of Cinderella” because of their similar storylines; a kind-hearted woman (Bawang Merah) overcoming her evil stepmother and sister to be with her true love. The film adaptation, however, takes on a more comedic twist.
“We wanted to create something that is deeply rooted in local culture and traditions, but also fresh enough to impress our audience. I’m glad the team made it happen. The combination of Wayang Kulit, the folklore, and comedic twists makes this film truly beautiful,” said Christina Low, Marketing Director of Guardian Malaysia.
“The team is delighted to be part of this campaign that would put a smile on many Malaysians. We look forward to more exciting work with Guardian in future,” said Farrah Harith McPherson, General Manager of BBDO.
The music arrangement for the piece was done by Kamrul Hussin and Geng Wak Long. Kamrul also played the wayang kulit, while Zamzuriah Zahari produced the song and choreography. The actors were from Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA).
The storyline is based on an ancient Malay folklore; the local version of “Cinderella” they call it, but we modified it slightly from the original.
The film is about a prince looking for a particular girl who sang in the forest. While looking for her voice, he fell into the river and nearly drowned, but was saved by the girl (featured in red).
He could not see who it was but was determined to find her by the sound of her voice. In the end, he found a house where the music stopped, where he ran into the girl’s evil step mother. She lied to him and said that the voice belongs to her other daughter, as she hid her step daughter so that he would not see or hear her. The prince asked the evil stepmother’s daughter to sing but instead she raps and her voice is not great. At this point, he is angry and demands the step mother reveal the real girl with the beautiful voice. The step mother said that the voice belongs to her step daughter but her skin is not perfect, which in the step mother’s mind means she is not beautiful or worthy. He then says that to him; beauty is skin deep. And that despite her flawed skin, which can be fixed at Guardian, he loves her anyway.