Actor Kiki Darling leaves Ah Boys To Firefighters after past sexual assault conviction surfaces online
The production team said it was unaware of Kiki Darling’s previous conviction and that his scenes will be removed following his resignation from the upcoming film.
Director Jack Neo (centre) with the initially announced main cast of Ah Boys to Firefighters, including Kiki Darling (right). (Photo: Instagram/@jackneock)
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Local content creator Kiki Darling has resigned from his role in director Jack Neo’s upcoming film Ah Boys To Firefighters after his past sexual assault conviction resurfaced online.
Kiki, whose real name is Hari Kishen Balakrishnan, had been cast as one of the film’s four new leading men.
His past conviction came to public attention after a video by content creator S Subhraaj went viral online, identifying Hari as the man previously convicted of sexually assaulting a male friend who was drunk and almost unconscious.
In 2021, CNA reported that Hari, who was then 20, pleaded guilty to one count each of sexual assault by penetration and making an obscene film, while another charge of molestation was taken into consideration for sentencing.
The court heard that Hari sexually assaulted his 23-year-old male friend, who was almost unconscious after drinking. Hari also recorded seven video clips of the sexual acts involving the victim, which were later deleted but recovered by police during forensic investigations. Hari was arrested the day after the offence and sentenced to at least six months’ reformative training, a rehabilitation programme for those below the age of 21 who commit relatively serious crimes.
In a statement to CNA Lifestyle, a representative of the Ah Boys To Firefighters production team from J Team Productions said that the team was “very surprised to hear about” the past conviction.
“None of the production crew was aware of his previous conviction, as none of the cast members had declared that they had any prior convictions,” the representative said.
Following discussions with the production team, Hari decided to resign from his role.
“Kiki also understands that if we were to continue with him, given that he is one of the main characters, there are potential reputational risks in us casting him,” the representative said.
“It’s very unfortunate that this happened in the middle of the production. We had communicated with all parties and had sought their understanding.”
Scenes Hari had already filmed will be removed from the movie. The production team is now looking for another actor to take over his role and plans to carry out reshoots and the necessary editing.
“It should not have much impact on the theatrical release plans,” the representative added.
Hari was one of four new leading men unveiled for Ah Boys To Firefighters on Aug 31, following an open casting call in June that attracted more than 1,000 hopefuls.
He was set to play Ramesh Menon, one of four national servicemen posted to the same fire station. The other three new leads are Luqmaan Hakiim, Raynold Tan and Chai Chang Yong.
They join returning cast members from the Ah Boys To Men franchise, including Noah Yap, Tosh Zhang and Maxi Lim.
In response to the backlash over Hari’s casting, the production representative said: “The entire production team, especially the casting department, will be more stringent when conducting auditions for future movie projects, and we will remind the cast of the consequences of their declarations.”
Ah Boys To Firefighters is currently in production and is slated for release during Chinese New Year in 2027.
Source: CNA/iz
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