Blog Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Saturday,
11th October 2008:
Shahruk Khan a Malacca Datuk – are Sean
Connery, Catherine Zeta, Chow Yun-Fat, Ang Lee and Aaron Kwok also to be
honoured for filming in Malaysia?
A reporter just phoned up, asking for my
comments on popular Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan as one of the 77 new
Malacca Datuks on the occasion of the 70th birthday of the Malacca Yang
di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob.
I was astounded and I said so. Are there no Malaysian film stars,
artists or sports-people who have greater title to be honoured and
encouraged as compared to Shahrukh?
I don't think the reason that has been given for making Shahrukh Khan a
Malacca Datuk would impress or convince many – that the Bollywood
actor-dancer had "contributed to our tourism industry when he acted in a
movie filmed in Malaysia".
On this basis, shouldn't Hollywood stars Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta
Jones be honoured for their 1999 film "Entrapment" which first promoted
the Twin Towers to the world shortly after they were completed when the
Twin Towers was used as the film location – although the film was
subsequently accused of "distortion" when images of Malacca slums were
spliced with shots of the 1,482ft-high skyscrapers.
Or the 2000 Academy Award-nominee film "Anna and the King" (a remake of
"The King and I") starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat (and our
Patrick Teoh) which was mostly shot in Penang?
Or are Taiwan Gold Horse Award 2005/6 Best Leading Actor Aaron Kwok to
be similarly awarded for his 2006 film "After This Our Exile" "(父 子)"
and world-famous director Ang Lee for his 2007 film "Lust, Caution".
starring Tony Leung & Tang Wei, as both promoted Malaysia as having been
filmed or used footages from Perak?
What about other foreign stars in films which had used Malaysia for
their location?
*
Lim
Kit Siang, DAP
Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor
http://dapmalaysia.org