PETALING JAYA, March 21 — Local actor Zul Ariffin has been trending on social media after sharing a now-deleted leaked steamy scene of him in an upcoming drama Perempuan Itu.

The clip that has been widely shared by social media fans, was heavily criticised for being inappropriate and was even called out by the deputy religious minister and the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.

Here is a quick look at what has transpired so far in the past few days. 

Background of the steamy scene and criticisms received

Zul first uploaded the steamy scene on Instagram last Friday night where the actor is seen carrying newcomer Siti Hariesa in suggestive positions in his upcoming drama Perempuan Itu.

Among the scenes that riled social media users up was Siti Hariesa’s character feeding Zul’s character whipped cream. 

Set to be released next month, the drama is produced by Erma Fatima and stars other actors such as Mimi Lana and Eman Manan.

Many took to Twitter to not only lambast Zul but the production team for releasing a steamy clip with the holy month of Ramadan drawing near. 

 

 

Others criticised the drama’s production team for encouraging ‘porn culture’ in Malaysia.

One user commented saying that it was impossible for the ‘steamy scene’ to have passed the Film Censorship Board (LPF) and the reason Zul posted the video was just as a marketing strategy.

Deputy religious minister and TV3 say leaked clip against Islamic teachings

Local TV station TV3 that will stream the drama next month released a statement saying that the clip was not suitable for audience’s viewing and had not received permission to be featured in the channel.

“Most dramas would follow the guidelines under the LPF.

“We hope all actors and production team members are sensitive to uploading any content as it can be in conflict with religious teachings,” read the statement.

 

 

The controversial clip had also caught the attention of the country’s Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, who told Sinar Harian that a meeting with Zul, Siti Hariesa and the production team will be called. 

It will involve the Communications and Multimedia Ministry and the Islamic Development Department (Jakim). 

“In terms of Islam, the scene should not have been brought in to Malaysia as it’s against the the teachings of Islam,” he said.

Producer Erma and director Ain Sharif surprised that scene was released on Instagram without permission

Mstar reported that Erma’s sister, actress Datin Seri Umie Aida wrote a post saying that her sister (Erma) was disappointed that some people had released the clip on Instagram before seeking permission.

“I told her that the scene was too daring and as a producer, she should tell them to follow the guidelines given and not go overboard.

“Even I saw the video clip on Zul’s Instagram and told my sister that this clip should receive permission from the producer first before it could be released on social media.

“I do hope that this serves as a lesson to all,” she wrote on Instagram.

Director Ain Sharif meanwhile told the news portal that the leaked scene might not be shown on television and that she didn’t know that the actor would share the scene on his Instagram.

Surprised that Zul and others were talking about the controversial clip, she said that she had to take responsibility for what had already happened.

“In fact, intimate scenes are less than 10 per cent in this drama. 

“The scene was produced to portray Sera’s character, played by Siti Hariesa, as the second wife of Emir (Zul).”

As a director, she has done her best to convey the message and storyline of the drama to the audience and discussed with the actors if they were okay to act in such scenes.

“We made the second version recording to make the drama more interesting but it all depends on the television station to use it or not.

“While I do realise some scenes can be quite sensitive, the audience has to watch the series to understand the story first to know what really happened and what we’re trying to convey,” she said.