25 Mar – FINAS (The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia) may not have the right to censor a movie or a television show with questionable content, but it definitely has the right to revoke production licenses. That was what the agency's CEO, Prof Dr Md Nasir Ibrahim said in his recent interview about the controversy surrounding the clip from a television series shared by actor Zul Ariffin, which had since sparked a huge backlash from the public. "As the body responsible for the issuance of local film production licenses, FINAS will take appropriate action based on the Malaysian National Film Development Corporation Licensing Regulations (1983), Regulation 6 (2)," he said. "FINAS can revoke a license if the licensee has been convicted of an offense in respect of dishonesty, fraud or moral turpitude." At the same time, Md Nasir also reminded all players in the creative industry to be more cautious and aware when creating content for the masses. It is noted that Zul had since been called for an investigation with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) over his action of sharing a clip from his new and yet-to-be-aired drama, "Perempuan Itu" on social media. The clip had showed Zul's character taking off his clothes before grabbing his co-star, Siti Hariesa and carrying her away. Another showed the two having a roleplay and Zul licking whipped cream from the actress' finger.
Following a huge backlash, Zul had since removed the clip and apologised for his action. The actor shared his apology on Instagram Story, which read, "With an open mind, I have taken note of all the responses from various parties regarding the clip that I shared before." "I would like to apologise to everybody who was affected by my action. I will be more thorough and careful next time in uploading content that are given to me for promotional purposes," he added.