KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — Film and drama producers planning to create content with religious themes or involving uniformed services have been advised to seek verification and approval from the relevant authorities to ensure their productions are appropriate and do not spark controversy.
National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chief executive officer Datuk Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib said producers could consult the Mufti's office, religious departments, or the management of uniformed services for guidance and advice, including script development.
"This measure is also to ensure that there are no scenes or scripts containing sensitive or controversial elements that contradict religious values or the principles of uniformed services," he told Bernama today.
Azmir was commenting on the recent controversy surrounding the drama series Bidaah, which premiered on streaming platform Viu Malaysia on March 6. It was produced by Rumah Karya Citra.
He said Viu Malaysia is not subject to the jurisdiction of the Film Censorship Board.
Azmir added that Finas will collaborate with the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) to guide producers in creating works related to the themes.
Yesterday, Jakim director-general Datuk Sirajuddin Suhaimee said the Bidaah producer had accepted the feedback and was willing to remove any scenes deemed inappropriate for the country's audiences.
This follows a scene in the drama where a female character, played by Vanidah Imran, touches the beard of the main character, played by Faizal Hussein, with her foot, sparking widespread debate on social media.
Jakim's Islamic Media Censorship Committee had summoned and held a meeting with the production of Bidaah and examined the content of the drama, including video clips of controversial episodes and episodes that have not yet been aired, to assess the impact and implications of its content.
The drama revolves around the life of a heretical practitioner, Walid, who has spread in a village by admitting that he is the incarnation of Imam Mahdi to his followers.
— Bernama
