Producer Of Tun M's New Biopic Insists On Going Ahead Despite "No Endorsement" From Family
"He's our prime minister, if we don't do something about him, who else will do?"
By Sadho Ram — 15 Nov 2019, 04:33 PM
The producer of a newly announced biographical film on Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that the movie titled 'Mahathir: The Journey' will continue despite the family's disapproval
According to a report by Malaysiakini, the local producer Yusof Kelana said that he obtained permission from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) before announcing the film.
Yusof, who is the Reliance Media Group creative director, said that Dr Mahathir's special agent has personally reviewed the script before issuing a letter of approval.
"We started the project about seven months ago. The scripts of the movie have also gone through reshuffling 12 times before we finally got the green light from PMO."
A collage showing Mahathir and his family and the actors playing them in the new biopic, 'Mahathir: The Journey'.
Image via Hype MalaysiaYusof said that the movie highlights Tun Dr Mahathir's story
"We should support the prime minister," the producer said, before adding that they are following the procedure and are not doing anything without permission.
He's our prime minister, if we don't do something about him, who else will do?
The producer's statement came after Marina Mahathir took to Twitter to react to the news of the confirmed cast for the upcoming biopic
According to Marina, there has been "no endorsement from" her family for the biopic.
In a series of tweets, Marina said that her family would rather have no movies on them.
"Here's the thing: my family would rather nobody made any movies, biopics, musicals, cartoons, whatever about us. Because it's just embarrassing," she tweeted on 12 November.
According to Malay Mail, the prime minister's eldest daughter said that the purported approval of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for the film did not mean his family also agreed to it.
"In my opinion, such films should not be made while my dad is in office, if at all, especially when they intend to release them in time for his birthday next year," Malay Mail quoted her as saying.
Meanwhile, the producer has since clarified that the biopic is solely about Tun Dr Mahathir and his struggles and is not about Marina
"We have tried to reach Marina's assistant after the launching," the producer reportedly told mStar.
"Even Ning Baizura (actress for Marina's role) tried to contact her. Since the movie is based on a true story, all the characters, storyline, scripts, and locations will remain the same and will never change."
