KUALA LUMPUR: A film described by conservative Islamic leaders in Malaysia as “offensive” to Muslims has been given the green light to be screened in the Southeast Asian country. Controversial Indian film Vishwaroopam has been re-cleared for screening in Malaysia, after a temporary ban was put in place in January, following complaints from Muslim groups in the country who said the film is offensive to Islam. Directed by and starring Kamal Haasan, along with Rahul Bose and Pooja Kumar, the Tamil spy-thriller officially was approved by Malaysia's Film Censorship Board (LPF), and opened on Jan. 25. But letters of protest filed by the MalaysianIndian Muslim Congress (Kimma) and the Federation of MalaysianIndian Muslim Associations (Permim) complaining of religious insensitivity led the LPF to pull the film the very next day for further review. The move is widely seen by filmmakers speaking to Bikyanews.com that it is part of the effort to boost local filmmaking and reduce any semblance of censorship in the country. Deputy Information, Communication and Culture Minister Maglin Dennis D'Cruz said the ministry would continue to support and find a formula to help filmmakers upgrade their production quality comparable to foreign films. “We will always help filmmakers in every respect, and are willing to listen to their suggestions and problems so that they will produce quality movies," he told reporters before launching the Malaysian Tamil ‘Thittam' movie premiere on Monday. ‘Thittam' featured a local artist, RK, who is also known as the ‘Malaysian Rubber Man' playing 12 characters in the movie. “Rarely we see a hero holding more than two or three characters in a film. This is something to be proud of, and I hope local Tamil films can compete with Tamil movies from India and penetrate the international market," said Maglin. BN
