KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s son, Gaddafi Ismail Sabri, has denied allegations of his father being involved in the production of Bakara, a movie he is set to star in.
Instead, the celebrity said that the “patriotic film” is directed by Adrian Teh and produced by Act 2 Pictures Sdn Bhd in liaison with the Defence Ministry.
“My father has nothing to do with the production (of Bakara),” Gaddafi, who is better known as Dafi, told Getaran, The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal, today while in transit at Istanbul before returning here.
“Adrian had previously directed Paskal, which also involved cooperation with the ministry, and the positive reception from viewers is sure to ease the way for him and the production company to continue working with the ministry.”
The controversy surfaces as Ismail Sabri concludes a four-day official visit to Turkiye today as Malaysia seeks to enhance technology cooperation with the country.
Expressing his excitement at being part of the project, Dafi said that he is unable to provide further comments on the film due to agreements set by the production team.
“It is not yet time to elaborate on the movie. All that I can say is that contrary to rumours, I am not the main character of the film,” he said.
Based on Turkish media reports, it is understood that besides being a collaborative effort between Malaysia and Turkiye, Bakara is being filmed in Kilis, Adana and Gaziantep in Turkiye as well as several other nations.
With a budget of US$4 million (RM17 million), the movie tells the tale of the United States military’s Black Hawk helicopter that had crashed in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia in 1993.
US army personnel who were aboard the helicopter during the incident were eventually rescued by a United Nations force comprised of Malaysian and Pakistani soldiers.
Dafi had first started his career by joining reality entertainment programme Akademi Fantasia before going on to record two albums, Seumur Hidup (2009) and D4F1 (2014).
He has also starred in a number of local drama series, including Hotel Mania, Opah Popular, Abang Sado Boleh Beres and Dia Semanis Honey. – The Vibes, July 8, 2022
