VETERAN filmmaker Datuk Yusof Haslam is back in the director's seat with a new drama series about his favourite topic, the Royal Malaysia Police.
Admitting that it is not easy to produce a drama or film about the "boys in blue", he has always found stories about their work "interesting and challenging".
"Police screen each of my actors very strictly. The stringent conditions that they set are normal, and I do not see it as a burden on my production company Skop Productions Sdn Bhd," said Yusof in a recent interview with 'Berita Harian'.
"Anyone who wants to make a story about police officers must comply with the conditions set.
"Before filming, the production company must send photos and profiles of the actors to the police headquarters in Bukit Aman for evaluation.
"This procedure is not new, on the contrary, since the time I directed the drama 'Gerak Khas'," said Yusof at the recent launch of his latest drama series 'Polis Peronda' at Sri Pentas in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.
Present were the chief executive officer (CEO) of Media Prima Television Networks (MPTN) and Primeworks Studios (PWS) Nini Yusof, Yusof's son producer and director Syafiq Yusof and the cast members Shah Iskandar, Puteri Sarah Liyana, Ramona Zam Zam, Raja Afiq and Soffwany Yusof.
Yusof said veteran actress Erra Fazira and veteran actor Datuk AC Mizal also had to go through the same procedures and it was not a problem for them.
They both starred in 'Gerak Khas' during its earlier seasons in the 1990s.
"In addition to not allowing the image of the police to be tarnished, the conditions set by the police are aimed at avoiding any subsequent controversies.
"When I produced 'Gerak Khas' more than a decade ago, there were actors who played the role of law enforcers who were rejected because they had a criminal record.
"The police have their data and because of this, they get to know the background of the artiste."
Yusof said some actors had to be dropped from police dramas and films because they had been involved in criminal cases or court cases.
"The police do not want actors with images that are not squeaky clean. Getting such actors to appear in police dramas has implications for them.
"They need to make sure that every actor is free from controversy, including not being involved in drug abuse."
Yusof, who also produced the blockbuster films 'Sembilu' and 'Sembilu 2', said he had been advised by his daughter, producer Syamin Yusof, not to produce police dramas any more and "take a break" from them.
"However, I have refused to let my legacy disappear and due to the request of many fans, I have decided to continue producing police procedural dramas because coming up with such manuscripts is my lifelong passion," he said.
"I will not retire from producing police dramas. Even though my son is the chief executive officer, I have used my veto power to produce 'Polis Peronda' as it is a fresh, new look at our heroes in blue.
"After all, many people ask, when do I want to produce a police-related drama after 'Gerak Khas'? That legacy needs to be continued because I have been working on it for decades," he said.
Produced by Skop Productions, 'Polis Peronda' has Yusof as the director, in addition to Syafiq and C. Kumaresan as co-directors.
The action-packed series talks about the experiences and challenges faced by the police patrol car unit and the police motorcycle patrol unit personnel who face challenging and even life-threatening scenarios in their daily and personal duties.
The drama revolves the daily life of a group of police patrol unit officers who work hard to maintain peace and order in the federal capital.
'Polis Peronda' is shown every Friday at 10pm on TV3.