UPDATE (20 Mar): Malaysian TV channel TV3 released a statement in Malay, acknowledging that scenes from the drama are inappropriate.
The channel stressed that all series must adhere to the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia’s guidelines.
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In a Muslim-majority country like Malaysia, where prudence is important, even the slightest bit of scandal can rock the nation. Actor Zul Ariffin learnt this the hard way recently when he drew public ire for some rather saucy scenes from an upcoming drama.
He has since deleted the Instagram post in question. But we all know that the Internet is forever, and the clip has unfortunately made its way online.
The actor’s name has since trended on Twitter, even all the way here in Singapore.
Anyone who’s a fan of Malay dramas would know that it’s normal for actors to post about their latest projects.
Most tend to be the typical love stories, but an upcoming one featuring Zul Ariffin seems to be particularly different.
In a montage of scenes, the actor interacts with actress Siti Hariesa in various suggestive manners that left a bad taste in viewers’ mouths.
In the first part of the video, for example, the pair rushes into what looks to be a private room in an office, judging by their workwear. Hariesa then pushes Zul against the wall and smiles at him provocatively.
The heat starts building up in the next scene where Hariesa dons a sexy maid costume and smears whipped cream across Zul’s lips.
It only gets racier from there as another scene shows her undressing her male co-star behind some not-very-concealing partitions.
The “Fifty Shades of Grey” vibes really kick in towards the end, where Zul lifts Hariesa off a table as they lock themselves in an intimate embrace.
According to Harian Metro, Zul had posted the clips on his own Instagram page, likely as a teaser for the upcoming series.
It allegedly garnered over 800,000 views and 12,000 comments after going ‘live’ last night (18 Mar), reported mStar.
But Zul evidently took the post down after receiving a barrage of criticisms from netizens. A recent check on his page shows a fresh post of him in a suit, with the caption “Back to work.”
He has seemingly chosen to keep mum about the deleted post, not reacting to comments that have been floating around the Twittersphere.
Among some of the comments are from angry Malaysians who questioned “what kind of Malay drama is this”. This netizen expressed her clear disgust.
Another Twitter user had no words, except to wish that they could unsee everything.
mStar even noted some netizens’ comparison of the scenes to pornographic films, which would be a far cry from the typically family-friendly TV dramas.
Most furious perhaps, were those who pointed out that the drama is set to debut in April, during the fasting month of Ramadan.
Since Ramadan is a holy month in the Islamic calendar, one can understand why many reacted this way.
Malaysian TV channel TV3 released a statement in Malay, acknowledging that scenes from Perempuan Itu (That Woman) are highly inappropriate.
Here is the English translation of their statement in full:
We take seriously and care about the voices and views of the public concerning the teaser scenes featured in Perempuan Itu, which are circulating on social media. The scenes shown are definitely not suitable, let alone for promotional purposes. They were not approved by the station.
This should not happen because all local dramas have to follow the guidelines set by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia (LPF). TV3 would like to remind all parties, including the production and the actors, to be more sensitive to religious sentiments in society when pursuing the success of their work.
Without any word from the main actor or the director Erma Fatima, there’s no way of knowing the extent of the scenes that netizens are up in arms about.
Surely, as seasoned members of the entertainment industry, the crew would know their boundaries.
Let’s hope that they’ll come forward with an explanation to ease the uproar that they have caused, especially with Ramadan coming up.
Hopefully, too, the criticisms will die down eventually, so that the cast and crew can carry on with their work without risking their reputations.
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Featured image adapted from IZZ FIZZ CHANNEL on YouTube.
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