In Singapore, Kiki Darling leaves film after conviction draws attention
In Singapore, actor and content creator Kiki Darling, whose real name is Hari Kishen Balakrishnan, has left the cast of director Jack Neo’s upcoming film Ah Boys To Firefighters. This happened after information about his previous conviction for sexual assault resurfaced online, Channel NewsAsia reports.
Scenes with the actor will be reshot
A representative of the film’s team from J Team Productions said he had not known about Balakrishnan’s previous conviction. According to him, none of the actors had declared any prior criminal convictions.
After discussions with the project team, Balakrishnan decided to withdraw from the role. A company representative noted that the continued involvement of the actor, who had one of the lead roles, could create reputational risks for the film.
Scenes already filmed with him will be removed. The team is looking for another actor for the role and plans to conduct additional filming and the necessary editing. According to the project representative’s assessment, this should not significantly affect the theatrical release plans.
Previous case
As CNA reported in 2021, the then-20-year-old Balakrishnan pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual assault by penetration and to making an obscene video recording. Another charge of committing an outrage of modesty was taken into consideration by the court during sentencing.
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The court heard that Balakrishnan sexually assaulted his 23-year-old acquaintance, who was nearly unconscious after consuming alcohol. He also recorded seven video clips of sexual acts involving the victim. The recordings were later deleted, but police recovered them during a forensic examination.
Balakrishnan was sentenced to at least six months in a reformative training programme for people under 21 who have committed relatively serious crimes.
Film plans
Balakrishnan was set to play Ramesh Menon, one of four national servicemen assigned to the same fire station. He was introduced as part of the four new lead actors on August 31 following an open casting call that attracted more than a thousand applicants.
The film is in production, with its release scheduled for Chinese New Year in 2027.
