KUALA LUMPUR – Mat Kilau, the highest grossing Malaysian film of all time, has earned criticism over the portrayal of violent turbaned Sikhs in the tale’s retelling.
Civil society group United Sikhs Malaysia said the Sikhs, who were British soldiers in the movie, were shown “to have laid hands on old folk, children, and helpless citizens”.
“While the controversial scenes in the movie were fictional, they are distasteful and hurt the sentiments of Sikhs,” it said in a statement last night.
“The Sikh code of practice prohibits laying hands on old folk, children, women, and helpless citizens even during war.”
The organisation added that the movie shows the spirit of the Malays, who are determined to defend the land, but regretfully portrays members of other races and religions as villains.
“We humbly urge the Malaysian film industry to not produce movies at the expense of hurting religious and racial sentiments and those that have the potential to create religious and racial misunderstanding.”
Mat Kilau, directed by Syamsul Yusof, has so far earned RM53 million in 13 days – toppling Munafik 2.
The film follows the story of Malay warrior Mat Kilau rising against the invading British power.
It stars Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan, Datuk Rahim Razali, Datuk Adi Putra, Namron, and Fattah Amin, among others. – The Vibes, July 8, 2022
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