KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians will not get to watch Bruno on the big screen following its ban by the National Film Censorship Board.
A spokesman for the film distributor said the board did not give any reason for the ban, The Star’s new saucy news portal Daily Chilli reported yesterday.
The ban is no surprise as the movie, which stars Sacha Baron Cohen as homosexual Austrian fashionista Bruno, is said to contain sexually explicit scenes and vulgar language.
The Universal Pictures production starring the outrageously funny man was released in July.
Those who have watched the movie, either at cinemas overseas or the bootleg DVD version, said the comedy is not that hilarious.
“I am not surprised that the Malaysian censorship board has banned the movie. It’s repulsive. I didn’t laugh throughout the movie. At least, Borat was funny,” a movie-goer said, referring to Cohen’s earlier movie about a Kazakh reporter’s first trip to the United States.
He added that the follow-up movie also shows “sexual organs and homosexual acts”.
According to MSN Entertainment, the movie has also been banned in Ukraine, Lebanon and Bahamas while in Hong Kong, even posters of Bruno have been banned in subway stations. The movie, a box-office hit in the United States when it was released, was allowed in Singapore but with cuts.
Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, when contacted, said the censorship board should relook its decision to ban the movie and provide strong reasons on why it should not be on Malaysian screens.
He said the board’s explanation must be based on “strong legal arguments” which may include human rights and religious values.
“The board should not also throw the movie out without giving the submitting party a chance to explain themselves for scenes which may be deemed objectionable,” he said.
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