KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — Moviegoers who are anticipating the release of local thriller Dukun have another reason to cheer this Thursday.
Director Dain Said has given his assurance that the film completed 11 years ago and which was banned from public viewing by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia then has now been given the green light for release without any cuts.
“The storyline is unchanged. It is the same one I had in mind when I was shooting it 11 years ago,” he was quoted saying by the website of Malay daily Utusan Malaysia.
Dain said he was only informed about the film’s approval for local cinemas last week.
“Only last week Astro Shaw informed me that the first movie directed by me got approval to be screened nationwide on Thursday.
“Finally all the hard work by the actors, actresses and the crew has paid off,” he said.
Astro Shaw completed the film in 2007 but at that time, Dukun was banned from public viewing as the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia deemed it too sensitive due to similarities shared with the story of Mona Fandey, a singer-turned-bomoh convicted and sentenced to hang for the 1993 murder of an Umno politician Mazlan Idris.
Dukun tells the story of a murder investigation involving the death of a politician at the hands of witch doctor, Diana Dahlan, played by actress Datin Paduka Umie Aida.
The movie, out in cinemas nationwide on April 5 also stars Ramli Hassan, Faizal Hussein, Adlin Aman Ramli, Nam Ron, Bront Palarae, Hasnul Rahmat, Awaa Vanja, Elyana, Sofi Jikan and Chew Kin Wah.
