PETALING JAYA – After months of speculation about his relationship with a woman other than his wife, Malaysian film-maker Syamsul Yusof has finally admitted that he has married Malaysian actress Ira Kazar in Thailand.
The 38-year-old director of top-grossing historical film Mat Kilau (2022) said 27-year-old Ira’s father, actor Kazar Saisi, was present as the bride’s guardian at the wedding.
Syamsul shared his new marital status via a video posted to Instagram last Friday.
He also said that he is legally still the husband of Malaysian actress Puteri Sarah Liyana, 37, whom he married in 2014. They have two children: Syaikhul Islam, six, and Summayyah, four.
“I want to explain all of this and put an end (to all this talk). Although I don’t believe my relationship matters should be discussed on social media, it has come to this. What can I do?” he said in the video.
Syamsul’s relationship with Ira was gossip fodder in Malaysia for most of 2022. At one point, Puteri Sarah went on social media to expose Ira as the “other woman” and the cause for the rift in her marriage.
“I want to confirm that Ira and I (have been) legally married, in the presence of her father, Kazar, in Thailand. We decided to get married in Thailand to simplify certain things,” Syamsul said in the video.
He added that he hopes that he can reunite with Puteri Sarah to sort out their marital issues, which have been brewing for months.
“Puteri Sarah is still my wife. I hope Sarah will come home so we can sort out our problems. There is no need to publicise on social media and shame others.”
Puteri Sarah claimed via Instagram Stories in April 2022 that Ira had been trying to come between her and Syamsul since 2019. She further alleged that Ira had harassed her with hurtful comments using fake accounts on social media.
Unable to cope, Puteri Sarah felt she had no choice but to expose “the home-wrecker”.
The explosive revelation filled social media feeds, chats and headlines in Malaysia, eclipsing even news of the Sabah state government’s collapse after just 27 months.
Ira claimed the top spot in the “Trending” chart on Twitter, followed by Syamsul, the son of renowned actor, director and producer Datuk Yusof Haslam.
A look at Twitter last Saturday found more than 35,500 tweets with Syamsul’s name and 25,000 mentioning Ira, many of them containing expletives.
Twitter users sympathised with Puteri Sarah, who is on holiday in Japan with her children.
One user, @nasyhali, called out Syamsul for “throwing away a diamond”.
Another, @liyanaliyana, even said she was glad she had given Mat Kilau a miss when it was released in cinemas in June.
The film about the historic titular Malay warrior (played by Adi Putra) – who fought British colonialists during the Pahang Uprising in Pahang, British Malaya, before independence – netted RM97 million (S$29.5 million) from screenings in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei in 50 days.
Statements by Syamsul’s parents also made the news.
His father Yusof said he was disappointed that Syamsul had not informed him of his decision to wed Ira, while Syamsul’s mother, Datin Patimah Ismail, said she found out only after her son got married.
In his video, Syamsul also made unfavourable comments about Puteri Sarah, claiming that she “took off with our children without the husband’s permission”.
“I don’t want people to say that I am not fulfilling my duty as a husband.”
Puteri Sarah rebutted his claims by posting a video last Friday, calling him an absentee dad.
“I left home in 2020 and I’m sure you remember why,” she said in the video. “When you came to visit your own parents’ house, you knew I lived there.”
She added that she is mulling legal action over Syamsul’s second marriage. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
