Actor Eizlan Yusof Defends 'Cela' Drama Amidst 'Extreme' Scene Perceptions

Actor Datuk Eizlan Yusof has pushed back against perceptions that the drama "Cela" features excessively explicit scenes, arguing that such concerns are exaggerated and ignore the history of more daring content in Malaysian entertainment.

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It is not fair to exaggerate issues of uncomfortable scenes related to manipulation, sexual grooming or 'child grooming' in the drama Cela, when, he said, we have witnessed more extreme hot scenes in the history of national film works before.

Yusof, 55, referenced his own past experiences, including performing in "Perempuan Melayu Terakhir" and "Panas." He recalled acting in "Panas" with minimal clothing, only wearing underwear for a sauna scene, and noted that other actors like Erma Fatima and Aleeza Kasim also performed intimate scenes. "Panas" was among the first Malaysian films to receive an 18SX rating for its depiction of a marriage between a father and his adopted daughter.

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As an actor, that is our responsibility. But we know this is a Malay production, there are still boundaries.

Despite the controversy, Yusof believes the current drama "Cela" does not reach extreme levels and maintains boundaries appropriate for a Malay production. He stated that his character, Datuk Arshad, has a mistress, but the depiction does not require overly explicit romantic scenes, as he trusts the audience's intelligence to understand the narrative.

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Perhaps it is only in their minds, whereas the visuals are not extreme at all.

Yusof emphasized that the true strength of "Cela" lies in its storyline, which tackles sensitive issues such as manipulation and child grooming. He feels that focusing solely on perceived sexual content distracts from the drama's important social message. As a creator, he acknowledges that he cannot control audience interpretation but hopes viewers will recognize the significance of the issues being explored.

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The real strength of Cela lies in its story. If the issue of sexy actors or certain scenes is magnified to the point where some say 'Are you serious, a Malay story can reach this level,' we haven't even reached the extreme levels of past stories and are still maintaining boundaries.