‘I was not arrested': Malaysian comedian Saiful Apek comments on viral photo
Malaysian comedian and actor Saiful Apek explained that two police officers broke up a dispute between him and an unknown individual. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
PETALING JAYA – Malaysian comedian and actor Saiful Apek has commented on a photo that showed him with the police, which went viral on April 29.
An entertainment portal reported earlier that a comedian dressed in a pink baju Melayu resembling Saiful was allegedly detained by two police officers. The actual location and cause of the incident could not be confirmed.
Saiful , whose real name is Saiful Azam Mohamed Yusoff, told Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian he was not detained by the authorities. What happened was that two police officers broke up a dispute between him and an unknown individual.
The 55-year-old said the incident occurred while he was at an event hosted by Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, in Cheras on April 28.
'After performing and promoting the film 6 Jilake, an unknown person suddenly appeared and provoked me about the film,' Saiful said. 'I thought he was joking initially, but I lost patience after a while.'
Saiful, one of the stars of the movie, said he stood up and left to prevent the situation from escalating.
'I thought it was over then, but when I went to the carpark, the individual continued to provoke me until the police intervened to break up our dispute,' he said.
Saiful added that what upset him most was that the man was insulting 6 Jilake (2025) director Aziz M. Osman.
'What really bothered me was when he mentioned abang Aziz and called the film rubbish,' Saiful said. 'If it was just my name, I could control my emotions, but this involved someone I consider a mentor.'
The member of comedy group Senario also apologised to his family and friends who may have been affected by the situation.
'I hope everyone is clear with this statement and I ask everyone to stay calm, especially family and close friends who were shocked by what happened,' he said.
'What worried me most was when many contacted the members of Senario, especially Azlee, whom we know has a heart condition,' he said, referring to comedian Azlee Jaafar. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
5 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Hazelle Teo announces engagement to pianist James Wong, Entertainment News
Wedding bells will soon be ringing for Hazelle Teo. The Yes933 DJ, 31, announced her engagement to pianist-content creator James Wong, 24, in an Instagram post yesterday (June 6). "It was on the last day of my Qingdao work trip that this completely took me by surprise," she wrote in her caption. "I arrived at the hotel at 1am, looking like a mess and all ready to rest before heading to the airport at 6am. "But when I opened the door, I was greeted by soft orange lighting, lots of flowers, someone holding a camera, plenty of confusion… and then I saw my then-boyfriend (now fiance, lol) standing there nervously." The photo carousel Hazelle posted shows the hotel room decorated with white roses and candles, and a heart-shaped cake with "Marry me" written on it. She is dressed casually in an oversized shirt and jeans. Hazelle found out that she would not be returning to Singapore yet, as James had asked her work for leave a month in advance and had brought her spare clothes in his luggage. "He planned it all — quietly, sweetly, thoughtfully — and it turned out to be even more beautiful than I ever imagined," Hazelle added. "This feels so right. We feel so right. The rest of our lives feels so right. "We're so excited to begin this new chapter together, and thank you for sharing in our joy." [embed] Hazelle told CNA Lifestyle that she had come across James on her Instagram explore page in 2024, and reached out to collaborate. "I thought 'Hey, this guy is pretty cute. He plays the piano. Let me reach out to him to do a Taylor Swift song [where] I would sing and he would play the piano'. To my surprise, he agreed," she said. [embed] Hazelle also used the opportunity to ask for James' Telegram handle so they could talk more, but the latter wasn't initially very receptive to her attempts at conversation until she asked him out for supper one evening. "That night we spoke for a solid three hours. We just went on and on and on," she shared. "After that night, it just felt like we could still keep talking about so many more things. And that's when he became more responsive on Telegram." "I could feel the dynamics between us shift a little bit. Things between us progressed quite smoothly and swiftly, because it just felt so, so right." Germaine Tan also engaged Fellow jock Germaine Tan also shared news of her engagement to Zouk Group CEO Andrew Li on June 1. The 987FM DJ shared: "Andrew has always known my appreciation for sunsets and ocean, so he'd been planning this secretly for some time. In the Maldives, on a private sandbank, while the evening sun approached the horizon over the open ocean. It couldn't have felt more right." After Andrew made his heartfelt speech, Germaine revealed she got nervous and didn't get to respond appropriately, instead going: "What should I say now? Yes?" However, she thanked him in her Instagram post for his "patience, gentleness, and kindness" and wrote that she could not imagine life without him as her "pillar of support". Germaine also thanked her loved ones and concluded: "With that, cheers to the rest of our lives." [embed] [[nid:718815]] drimac@
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Straits Times
200-year-old unused condom with saucy print draws big crowds to Dutch museum
A 200-year-old condom – still unused and still straight as an arrow – has been drawing huge crowds to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. 'It's in mint condition,' the museum's curator Joyce Zelen told the BBC. She said the museum inspected the condom with ultraviolet light and ascertained that it had never been used. The rare artefact – likely a 'luxury souvenir' from a fancy brothel in France – dates back to 1830. It is believed that only two such objects are known to have survived to the present day. The condom is thought to be made of a sheep's appendix. It features an explicit print of a nun sitting in front of three clergymen with her dress up and her legs apart, pointing her finger at the men, all of whom are standing in front of her holding up their habits. The condom also bears the inscription 'Voila mon choix', meaning: 'There is my choice'. The Dutch museum said the print is a 'parody of both celibacy and the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology' – the mythological story of a Trojan prince named Paris who had to decide who was the fairest goddess among Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. The condom 'embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health, in an era when the quest for sensual pleasure was fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases – especially syphilis', the museum said. 'Acquiring the condom has enabled us to focus on 19th-century sexuality and prostitution, a subject that is underrepresented in our collection,' it said. Ms Zelen told the BBC that when she and her colleague first saw the condom at an auction in 2024, they 'were laughing'. 'No one else noticed it,' she said, and they were the only ones who bid on it. The 200-year-old condom on display at the Rijkmuseum in Amstermdam. PHOTO: RIJKSMUSEUM Since it was put on display, the museum has been packed with people – young and old – and the 'response has been amazing', said Ms Zelen. She said her institution was open to loan the artefact out to other museums, but noted that the condom was very delicate. It will be on display until the end of November. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New Paper
21 hours ago
- New Paper
S'porean actor Sunny Pang on filming Netflix's Havoc: 'They rehearse until everything is on point'
You might expect Hollywood heavyweights like Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker to breeze through their scenes with effortless charisma and minimal prep. But that wasn't what Singaporean actor Sunny Pang observed on the set of Havoc, a recently released Netflix film. "They rehearse and rehearse until everything you see is on point," Pang, 53, said in a recent interview with The New Paper, describing the actors' meticulous approach to their craft. Pang, who has been in the industry for 23 years, had a front-row seat to observe the work ethic of industry giants like Hardy and Whitaker after landing a role in Havoc, an action thriller directed by Gareth Evans. Pang plays the character Ching, a loyal sidekick of the movie's main antagonist, Mother, portrayed by Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann. What struck him most was not their star power, but their humility and discipline. "It was very humbling when you see a person like that, with such high status - obviously highly paid - but without an ego at all," he said. "He [Whitaker] even sat down with us to talk about things, like, 'How are you? Where are you from?' You know, [he was] curious about things, curious about you." Their professionalism challenged any assumptions he might have had about celebrity behaviour. Pang recounted how the cast hung out on several occasions, sharing conversations and laughter. Whitaker even treated the team to drinks, he added, and it was such gestures that helped foster a strong sense of camaraderie among the team. On one occasion, the cast went out to watch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings together, and Pang recounted the fond memory with a smile. "It was like a family," he said. "You step into a set that you don't know what to think, because you've been on an Asian set, never a Hollywood set. I was like, 'Okay, try not to panic'. And I see my friends (Yeo being one of them), and we start [saying] jokes and everything, and we know that we'll have a good time." For Pang, the journey to Hollywood has been anything but typical. He began his career as an actor in local productions such as Mediacorp's Code of Law. He was also a stunt choreographer for local short films before earning international recognition for his performances in Indonesian action films Headshot (2016) and The Night Comes for Us (2018). Those roles caught the attention of Evans, who later created Ching in Havoc specifically with Pang in mind. Sunny Pang in an interview with The New Paper. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER Even on a global stage, Pang remains grounded. He vividly remembered his first encounter with Whitaker, a long-time idol of his, describing it with awe. Recounting how professional and down-to-earth Whitaker was, Pang said: "Usually those Hollywood actors will not stay there for your reaction. That means the camera is on me, and I'm supposed to see everyone while giving lines to Yann Yann. But he stayed there. When asked if he wanted to retire and sit, he said, 'No, no, Sunny needs my eyeline.'" He also recalled receiving praise from Whitaker himself: "When I walked past him when I was done, I went to shake his hand and thank him. He said, 'What you did was cool, man. Keep it up!' I immediately texted my wife, 'Wah! Forest Whitaker said my acting is cool!' "I mean, it's such a rewarding time to see an Oscar-winning person give you that praise first, and to see him work. And you learn a lot of things," he added, describing the whole experience as a "masterclass" for him. Although the film is set in a fictional American city, it was shot primarily in Wales. After spending four months there immersed in filming and the local culture, Pang said the experience left a lasting impression - one he hopes to carry into Singapore's creative scene. "If you open your eyes a little bit more, you'll see a different side of what we can do. When I learn something from my time overseas, I come back, I don't keep it to myself. I want Singapore to evolve as well." He emphasised the need to encourage local talent to think differently and take creative risks. "What we lack is encouragement," he said. "Never doubt yourself, and always find ways to create opportunities." Looking ahead, Pang is turning his attention toward action directing. "Up to a certain point, you just have to let go (of acting)," he said. "You have to let the new generation evolve, using what you have experienced to let them evolve into something greater than what it is right now."
