UPDATE: Actor Fauzi Nawawi deletes rape scene apology, posts ‘be careful’ message to critics
A Malaysian actor is being slammed for engaging in locker room talk when discussing a rape scene involving an actress he was not supposed to name.
Following the widespread backlash, Fauzi Nawawi, 48, yesterday apologized for naming actress Raja Farah Aziz when divulging details of a deleted rape scene during a recent talk show. He did not explicitly apologize for the crude language he used when fleshing out details of the scene on the Rumah No. 107 show, citing irrepressible male urges.
“I want to apologize to everyone that had been affected by the video, especially to Raja Farah, her husband, and her family,” the Gerak Khas actor said on Instagram with sentimental music in the background. The deleted scene was meant for the Anak Halal (2007) film.
“When we were shooting this segment, I had asked the production staff to censor the sensitive parts because whenever we talk among men, we cannot really control ourselves, and I accidentally let Raja Farah’s name slip,” he added. “It is my fault, I was ignorant, and I will do better next time.”
The episode was aired in June but a viral clip of it surfaced online yesterday and has since been viewed millions of times.
Fauzi discussed the rape scene after host and former radio DJ Shuk Sahar asked whether he preferred doing robbery or rape scenes when playing the villain.
“When people say I look like a rapist, I feel more excited to act out the scene. In the film Anak Halal, there was a scene in which I was raping Raja Farah. She was wearing tight shorts and her legs were spread out. The crew was all watching us, we were all sweating. I was trying my best to control my tiredness and lust,” Fauzi said. Farah’s family reportedly requested for the scene to be removed.
The talk show was also hosted by Khir Rahman, and had other actors Zul Huzaimy and Fairuz Zainal Abidin as guests. It was aired on channel 107 of the Astro network.
Farah, 33, her husband Iskandar Ismail, 39, along with more than 16,000 others have condemned Fauzi for revealing the actress’ name and criticized the casual way they talked about the criminal act.
“I feel very vulnerable and disrespected by what was said in the clip. I hope those who were involved in the conversation will apologize personally,” Farah said in an Instagram video.
Iskandar chimed in: “This is disrespectful towards women … It is unnecessary in the first place… would he [Fauzi] speak to his sisters or his mother this way?”
Others who commented include Twitter user Jjungwoneo: “He himself knew that the parents told [not to] show the scene and but then proceeds to explain it with detail is just gross and disgusting.”
Women’s rights non-profit All Women’s Action Society also weighed in on the talk show, saying: “[Five] prominent people in the local media industry, talking about performing rape like it’s a kink. Rape is NOT a joke! And ‘pleasant’ should be the last thing in mind when talking about it.”
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