Having studied in the United Kingdom for three years, the 41-year-old found himself feeling more at home in a foreign country where he wasn’t judged by his race and made to feel like an outsider.
This sparked the creation of his documentary “Don’t Rock the Boat”, which was produced following a crowdfunding campaign that successfully raised RM16,130 from donors from all over.
Notably, “Don’t Rock the Boat” has already received accolades from the IndieFest Film Awards and the Impact DOCS Awards, the latter of which recognises “standout entertainment or contributions to profound social change” .
For his film, Mogan spoke to a diverse group of 50 Malaysian Indians from different age and ethnic groups, locations, genders, and social classes. These interviews were conducted across 11 states in peninsular Malaysia.
“My intention has always been about starting conversations about the Indian community and the issues they face on a daily basis that affects their livelihood in Malaysia,” he told FMT Lifestyle.
The near two-hour-long feature may be difficult for some to get through in one sitting. After all, “Don’t Rock The Boat” explores topics such as racism, inequality, identity, social issues, history, politics, colonialism and much more.
These are presented through an interview-based narrative that splits the film into three acts – “Opinions”, “Realities”, and “Epilogue”.
With its black-and-white treatment, the first part feels almost dreamlike at times as it drifts from home to home, capturing the thoughts of anonymous interviewees. This is likely aimed at protecting their identities and shielding them from blowback, given that to “rock the boat” is to say or do something that disturbs an existing situation and potentially upsets others.
But honesty is the most compelling ingredient when it comes to these largely unspoken topics. And many of the interviewees agree that one of the biggest issues they face is racism in schools, the workplace, and elsewhere.
Indeed, a recent survey by the social initiative Architects of Diversity found that the Malaysian Indian community faced more discrimination than others when seeking jobs (51%), looking for housing (35%), and dealing with the police (21%).
“(The word) ‘keling’ is obviously a no-no,” one young woman says in the film. “We have grown up with that word, and we all know it is a bad word.
“I know some non-Indians out there who will say, ‘Oh, we didn’t realise it’s a bad word.’ I don’t know how on earth you could not realise that being in Malaysia.”
Racism is also internalised within the community, she adds, singling out the word “estate”, which casts members of the community as being “from a lower class, maybe not so smart, or gaudy, typically”.
“These were things I did not realise were problematic as a kid… ‘Estate’ is a word that I’m not comfortable with.”
Local personalities such as writer Preeta Samasaran, former Klang MP Charles Santiago, Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general Sivarajan Arumugam, and GoodKids founder Koggelavani Muniandy also give their two sen.
“I think you need to be a politicised community, in order to demand for more,” Santiago says here. “If you’re a minority community and you’re not organised, then you’re seen as weak.
“So to be organised is what gives you political power… We, the Indian community, have to organise itself as a powerful force. This can shift votes during elections, (which is) really quite important.”
At the end of the day, Mogan hopes that by documenting and making a social portrait of the community, “there can be better understanding, and that it could create meaningful, constructive and sustainable discourse, while bringing a sense of togetherness among Malaysians”.
As of press time, ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’ has not yet been publicly screened locally or abroad.
For updates and more information on the film, click here or visit its Facebook and Instagram profiles.