About

Malaysian Indians are an ethnic minority group who make up 6.6% of Malaysia’s total population (2022). Most of the current Malaysian Indians are descendants of migrants who were brought to the country by the British in late 19th century. After British colonisation ended in 1957, some Indian migrants returned to India while the majority opted to stay in Malaya as it had become their home. Decades of oppressive colonial systems, adverse affirmative actions and systemic racism has a direct impact on this community’s economic, social, and political disadvantage. These factors play a vital role in determining a sense of belonging for the Malaysian Indians who have toed the line for generations in a country that still treats them as migrants.

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‘Don’t Rock the Boat’ is an international award winning independent documentary film that explores and questions the sense of belonging and feeling at home among Malaysian Indian community in 21st century Malaysia. It depicts the reality and lived experience of this Indian diaspora minority group through history, memory and identity. ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’ serves as a medium that intends to document and represent the voices of contemporary Malaysian Indians in order to illustrate a social portrait of this under represented community. ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’ is an independent documentary film project by Mogan Selvakannu. It has received the prestigious Award of Recognition from ImpactDOCS Awards 2023 and The IndieFest Film Awards 2023. The documentary film has also been featured in The Malaysian Insight, MalaysiaKini and FMT News.