"Gentayangan" hits wall due to internal fraud

Writer: Wahiduzzaman

Zubir: "The final remaining scene had to be stopped in July after I discovered fraudulent activities within the production itself"

19 Sep – Upcoming mystical horror "Gentayangan", the first venture of new producer Datuk Dr Zubir Yahya ground to a halt during its post-production process due to discovery of fraudulent activities within the production house, Second Life Pictures.

During an exclusive interview with Cinema Online recently, Datuk Zubir who is also the owner of the production house revealed that the fraud involving a loss of between RM 300,000 to 400,000 off the filming budget was discovered only a month ago. As such he had no choice but to put a halt to filming to facilitate further investigation.

"We have identified the culprits behind this misconduct. Our internal investigation is currently under way to gather as much evidence as possible to charge the culprits. They were my 'strong men' for this film, with the responsibility to manage the shooting and budget, but had violated my trust in them. I don't want this issue hyped. As you know, this industry is so small and there's always a possibility I might bump into them again in future projects. I don't want to make enemies and make things worse. As such, I have requested that they return the money before I decided to take further action." explained Datuk Zubir, refusing to name the culprits.

Zubir: "This loss is my biggest lesson, but won't stop me from producing more movies in the future"

The first-time producer also admitted that the incident occurred in part due to his lack of experience in this business. "As a newcomer to this industry, I would accept this loss as my biggest lesson, but that doesn't mean I'm quitting the game. The show must go on," insisted Datuk Zubir.

As to the development of the movie after this incident, Datuk Zubir elaborated, "The filming of "Gentayangan" can be considered as complete after we wrapped up the shooting in July. The final remaining scene involves a tiger approaching and licking the palm of old-timer Abu Bakar Omar. Initially, the scene was scheduled to be shot in Thailand, but after the incident I just wanted it to do it locally in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, he also denied that the loss incurred would affect the payments to the cast as payments have already been made right after the shooting in July. The filming process will continue after the Raya break.

To add to the surprises, the producer also hinted at a second venture scheduled to begin in December 2008, which will focus on a setting of gangsters and triads, and will likely see a collaboration of local big stars including Sidi Oraza, Faizal Hussein, veteran Ahmad Yatim and Hasnul Rahmat among others.