Mohamad Mohamad Khalid, known professionally as Mamat Khalid (6 April 1963 – 24 October 2021) was a Malaysian screenwriter, film director, producer and actor. He was the younger brother of cartoonistDatukMohammad Nor Khalid, better known as Lat.[1]
Apart from his career as a film director, Mamat was a founder and owner of his cafe, Sarang Art Hub which is located at Tanjung Malim and opened in 2016.[2][3]
Life and career
Mamat was born on 6 April 1963 in Ipoh, Perak. 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 (because his father died too early at the age of 52, when he was twelve years old in 1975). However, that did not break the young Mamat's passion for 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 where he was the band's keyboardist.[4] The experiences that he had gone through during this phase inspired him to write and direct his 2005 film Rock,[4][1] in which its commercial success led into three sequels - Rock Ooo…! (2013), Rock Bro! (2016) and Rock 4: Rockers Never Dai (2020).
He cited the late director, musician cum legendary actor P. Ramlee as one of his filmmaking heroes or idols.
Personal life
Mamat married Hasmah Hassan on 14 April 1986, a week after his 23rd birthday and the couple are blessed with five children, three sons and two daughters.[5] His fourth child, Amen Khalid has since followed his footsteps in the film industry.[6]
Illness and death
On 22 April 2017, Mamat was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Ampang Puteri Hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties at about 3 in the morning after having some coffee with his friends. He was believed to have extreme fatigue after attending the preview session of his latest movie, Lebuhraya Ke Neraka in Bukit Bintang.[7] Mamat however remained in stable condition albeit under a doctor's monitoring due to his high blood pressure.[8]
He died on 24 October 2021 at the age of 58 due to heart disease at the Slim River Hospital at 12.30 am. Mamat reportedly collapsed at his Sarang Art Hub restaurant in Tanjung Malim.[9][10] He was the buried at the Masjid Paloh Muslim Cemetery in Kampung Kuchai, Ipoh at about 2.25 pm, right after Zuhr prayers and just before Asr.[11]
