KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s first gay-themed movie has been a hit at the box office but an official from the conservative party on Thursday called for it to be banned despite its anti-homosexual ending.
‘Dalam Botol’ (‘Inside a Bottle’) raked in one million Ringgits ($330,000) in the first five days, making it a local hit despite Malaysia’s conservative views on homosexuality. The movie, which opened on March 24, features a gay male character who has a sex-change operation to please his lover but finally regrets the procedure.
It ends with him falling in love with a girl. Although the movie has a gay theme, producer Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman said she regarded it as a warning to the public about homosexual culture. “For me, this film is my soapbox to remind society not to be influenced by gay culture, which is considered taboo in this country,” Raja Azmi told.
In Malaysia, positive depictions of homosexuality in popular culture are taboo with local media facing fines of up to 50,000 Ringgits (about $17,000). Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is illegal and punishable by up to 20 years in prison and lashing.
Although the movie ends with the lead character opting for a heterosexual relationship, Hatta Ramli, senior opposition lawmaker from the conservative Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), told that films depicting gay lifestyles should not be shown to the public.
