11 Sept - More than 20 seconds of a steamy kissing sequence in the local Indie movie "S'kali" were cut by Malaysian Censors. This was revealed to Cinema Online by the movie's writer-director Arivind Abraham during the premiere of "S'kali" at Cathay Cineleisure in Mutiara Damansara last Friday (8 Sept).
"The Censorship Board officials were very nice about it," said Abraham, 23. "They explained to me the guidelines and the reason for the cuts and I accepted them. I now realise that there are many other ways to put our romantic messages across without getting foul of the guidelines." It is learnt that the kissing sequences involved a pair of young lovers who are going to be separated to pursue their studies abroad. "S'kali" was shot in the Klang Valley and Port Dickson last January. It also features cameo appearances by a well-known music industry stalwart as well as a famous local movie director. Last Friday's movie premiere, at a special 'digital' hall of the multiplex, was attended by the media, the cast and crew and their guests. The title "S'kali" is derived from the mamak stall culture of today's youth, meaning 'Bayar sekali' or 'Pay for all'. The story is about five close friends on the verge of separation, with each going for further studies. The themes involve inter-racial love, friendship, the struggles to have their work recognized and the sorrow of parting. Its main cast consists of Zimy Rozan, Davina Goh, Jayaram Nagaraj, Derek Ong and Angeline Rose. The script was written by Abraham from his own experiences. He also serves as associate producer of the movie, together with his school mates Keith Leong, Jason Lim Tsu Yang, Samantha Tan and Bahir Yeusuff. "S'kali" is produced by Perantauan Enterprise and Asa'ad Entertainment Network Sdn Bhd. "S'kali" opens exclusively at Cathay Cineleisure Damansara on 14 September 2006