WHEN Polis Evo 2 hit theatres late last year, movie-goers and critics could not have been more thrilled. The movie’s production was praised and instilled hope for the film industry.
Despite this, initial responses to the movie were not all gentle.
The backlash was directed at the depiction of the movie’s main antagonist, Saif.
Hasnul Rahmat breathed life into this ruthless character, who is driven by his misinterpreted version of religion.
The call to ban the movie followed suit but eventually died down.
It garnered RM20 million at the box office, cementing its status as one of Malaysia’s top-grossing movies in 2018.
Although the call to ban the film was ridiculed, the essence of the rejection cannot be ignored.
To understand the sentiment better, a revisit to the early 2000s is crucial.
Since 9/11, the portrayal of Islam and its believers in popular media, mainly of the West, is at times linked to violent ideologies and terrorism.
This has contributed to the marginalisation of Muslims and caused many of them to be critical of the West.
While extreme Islamophobia is arguably a distant struggle in Malaysia, there is mounting sympathy for oppressed Muslims in other parts of the world.
This has created a need to protect Islam’s image against misconceptions.
For this reason, Malaysia’s film industry shies away from exploring ideological-based violence for fear of reinforcing these misconceptions.
The emergence of movies like Polis Evo 2, Paskal, Kalla: Hidup Atau Mati and Aku Bukan Pengganas over the past three years signals a shift.
It goes without saying that these movies have contributed to the counter-violent extremism (CVE) agenda by informing the public about the depth of the terrorism problem.
However, the readiness of the population to accept these unusual narratives remains uncertain.
Regardless, the potential of the creative industry in pushing the CVE agenda cannot be understated.
Polis Evo 2 is remarkable for its success in combining entertainment and education.
It then begs the following questions: in what way can the creative industry examine the subject without being too sensitive to the audience?
What are messages that production houses can craft for audiences?
Counter-narratives to radical messages should be diversified to relate to realities on the ground.
Although the attempts in highlighting Malaysia’s hard stance to violent threats in Polis Evo 2 and Paskal are commendable, the lack of focus on more value-centric messages (soft approach) is disappointing.
Though it is undeniable that our mind would associate violent extremism with guns and bullets, the need for narratives to be diversified and to fit people’s experiences is equally important.
Nonetheless, steps to diversify counter-narratives can be seen in Indonesia and Thailand in romantic comedies and dramas.
Mata Tertutup, an independent Indonesian movie by Garin Nugroho, is about three people whose lives are confronted by menacing circumstances, forcing them into extremism.
The movie touches on the social roots of violence extremism, emphasising the nuances many overlook.
A similar approach was taken by Thailand in its government-sponsored rom-com Latitude Six.
The movie is about an inter-faith couple who find love in the midst of the deep south’s conflict.
Despite its average success at the box office, the dilution of serious counter-narratives in Latitude Six reminds audience of the possibility of a heavy subject like CVE having a fun appeal.
The necessity in shifting the top-down approach should be acknowledged.
Traditionally, Malaysia has fashioned what CVE content should be like.
More often than not, this content is linear and does not trickle down to reach the people on the street.
A reform of the system to include the participation of creative industry players and social media influencers could assist in the designing of casual narratives for people.
Ultimately, the crucial step belongs to the public. While it is important for people to protect their values, be it ideological or religious, the process of defining these has to progress beyond symbolism.
Professing a faith is not merely about what one wears or projects, but what one believes.
There is so much that the creative industry can do for CVE, but the willingness to come to terms with realities on the ground has to come from the public.
Many claim 2018 was the most bankable year for Malaysia’s film industry. It was also the year that saw production houses creating stories that echo national security concerns.
This marks a maturing turn for the industry.
The public should no longer view the creative industry as an instrument to promote a hedonistic lifestyle but rather an educational one that impacts people’s views of the world.
Nurul Izzati Kamrulbahri is researcher, Foreign Policy and Security Studies , Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. She can be reached via izzati@isis.org.my