Axed 'Fifty Shades of Grey': Film contains racy sex scenes - Censorship Board

The film adaptation of the famous novel, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' has been banned from Malaysian cinemas due to its explicit and raunchy scenes deemed unsuitable Malaysian audiences.

Malaysian film distributor, United International Pictures (UIP) initially said that the film slated to open in Malaysia on February 12.

Malaysian Film Censorship Board (LPF) chief, Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid in an interview with Astro AWANI said that the film laden with pornography scenes that are deemed sensitive for discerning Malaysian audiences.

"There's a scene that showed the woman tied to a stake of bed and hit his partner with a whip. There is no reason for us to allow such films screened in our country.

The board made a decision in view of the film containing scenes that are not of natural sexual content,” said Abdul Halim.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar in an interview with Astro AWANI said that the selling of the erotic romance novel is however not banned in this country.

“Film is different. A visual medium and writing are two different aspects. The film can not be screened here as it shown a lot of sex scene.

“Unlike the novel, it just a narrative and if its banned, Malaysia must be labelled as a very narrow-minded in publishing issue,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Fifty Shades of Grey is an American film directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson with a screenplay by Kelly Marcel.

Based on E. L. James' best-selling novel of the same name, the film is starring by Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson.

The film will premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 11 and will have a wide release on February 13.

In the United States, the movie has been rated with an R certification in which they are under the age of 18 years can still watch the movie with an adult.

Singapore is still waiting for an official classification for the film.