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Political Party Sets Sight On Local Film Mentega Terbang, Wants It Banned

Political Party Sets Sight On Local Film Mentega Terbang, Wants It Banned

Mentega Terbang is a local indie film that talks about life after death according to the various religions in Malaysia.

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Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) urges the Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia (KDN) to ban the film Mentega Terbang for allegedly promoting pluralism.

Ibrahim Ali wants it to be banned

Putra’s president, Datuk Ibrahim Ali said that the local film is trying to cause provocation by touching on sensitive issues on religion and satirizing the laws of Islam.

He further stated that the film promotes the doctrine of reincarnation, which is not part of Islam.

(Credit: Mentega Terbang / Instagram)

Meanwhile, among the scenes he cited as being problematic was one in which a character named Aisyah said that she can eat pork and she doesn’t mind. The line was in response to another character who told Aisyah that pork was haram for her.

“I’m very disturbed by this dialogue in the film,” Ibrahim said in a press conference recently.

This 1 hour and 44-minute film got a lot of good reviews when it aired on Viu on 19 January.

According to Malaysia Gazette, the film produced by Tan Meng Kheng and directed by Khairi Anwar also insinuated that Aisyah was attracted to religions that believe in reincarnation.

Ibrahim said he was worried that if the movie wasn’t banned, it could confuse young people, especially those without a strong religious background.

The Home Ministry (KDN) should ban the film and not allow (should there be plans) for it to be aired on Netflix, otherwise the whole world will see Malay children talking like this.

Datuk Dr Ibrahim Ali, President of Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra)

Promotes blasphemy

Also condemning the film is author and scriptwriter Zabidi Mohamed, who alleged the film was blatantly blasphemous.

According to him, in the movie, Aisyah’s dad who is a practising but liberal Muslim said that he wouldn’t stop his daughter if she chooses to change her religion.

He also claimed that the movie depicts Aisyah shifting towards the concept of rebirth after she saw a butterfly sitting on top of her mother’s tombstone at the end of the movie.

About the film

Mentega Terbang is an indie 2021 film about a 16-year-old girl named Aisyah, whose mother has terminal cancer and she is set on a multi-religion journey to find out what happens after death.

Born and raised in a Muslim family, she questions the afterlife from the point of view of different religions, mainly from the books of the Quran, Bible, Torah, Veda and more.

(Credit: Mentega Terbang / Instagram)

The film garnered some good reviews for touching on a sensitive issue that not everyone talks about openly. Some even say that it resembles the late Yasmin Ahmad’s films such as Gubra and Mualaf.

Even though it didn’t pass the Film Censorship Board (LPF), Mentega Terbang (literally translated as butterfly) made it into the Indonesian film scene.

As reported by Berita Harian, Khairi Anwar said that they submitted their film to the 2021 Jogja Asian Film Festival-NETPAC.

(Credit: Berita Harian)

While Khairi Anwar said it has always been his dream to make films for the Malaysian audience, the Indonesian audience appeared to enjoy Mentega Terbang more after it was screened at the 2021 JAFF.

“We received appreciation when this film was shown virtually for a week. In addition, Mentega Terbang was shown in cinemas twice,” he said.

It seems like this film is getting mixed reviews from Malaysians as some of them think it’s a bold move and some just couldn’t stomach the religion-themed movie.

READ MORE: Mentega Terbang – A Eye-Opening Contemplation About What’s Life After Death [Review]

READ MORE: Ustaz Wants Ms Pui Yi’s Horror Flick ‘Pulau’ To Be Censored Or Banned


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