Just 24 hours after sticking to its guns to keep the Deepavali greetings ‘Do the Dappan’ video clip on its official YouTube site, Petronas this evening issued a statement saying the three-minute clip is being taken off.

The oil company said: “After considering the varied feedback received from viewers on our ‘Do the Dappan’ video clip, produced as part of our ‘Be the Light’ 2012 Deepavali campaign, Petronas has decided to discontinue the video from its official YouTube page.”

In a right-about-turn from yesterday’s statement, Petronas added that the ‘Do the Dappan’ clip embedded with positive messages was produced for broadcast on its YouTube domain.

Howver, a check much later this evening showed that ‘Do the Dappan can still be viewed onYouTube.

The clip at this site comes with the message: Published on Nov 8, 2012 by malaysiavideos.
The video was pulled out from Petronas Youtube Channel after strong protests from Malaysian Indians. Disclaimer: The video is for archive purposes only and NO official link with Petronas or any company.

Petronas’ statement yesterday went on to thank the religious division of Malaysia Hindu Sangam for its invaluable advice and counsel in ensuring that its exhibition and messages were consistent with and reflected the spirit of the festival.

However, a Malaysia Hindu Sangam official today denied having approved the video clip.

Yesterday, the MIC said it was shocked to find out that Petronas had retained the advertisement despite its appeal to remove it.

The party’s secretary-general S Murugesan said today: “I would like to thank Petronas for listening to the people and removing the video clip from YouTube.

“We appreciate corporations that attempt to foster a better understanding of the various cultures but at the same time, request that they do more research before they embark on such projects.”

It is learnt that the directive to remove the ‘Do the Dappan’ came from the office of the president of Petronas.

Boycott Petronas threats made

Petronas’ Strategic Communications Department general manager Mohd Suhaimy Kamaruddin’s statement yesterday that the advertisement would not be removed from the site brought on more netizens blogging and commenting that they would boycott the products and services of Petronas.

A film and music director, S Retnaguru, said: “Using Tamil cinema as a bastion of Tamil culture, as Petronas claims to have relied on to create is its advertisement, is wrong.

“It’s akin to saying, ‘let’s do a Gangster Raya ad because story lines based on gangsterism are popular today in cinemas in Malaysia’. The Tamil cinema is a private enterprise and its monetisation model is based on glitz and glamour.”

Retnaguru added: “However, Petronas is the national pride. It has a track record of producing beautiful advertisements for any festivity that have become the benchmark for all Malaysians.

“Petronas is seen as an agency that encourages and reminds the youth and adults alike to renew their bonds with their families and to put their past behind on a day such as Deepavali. To remove the advertisement altogether is a wise decision and in the spirit of Deepavali.”

‘Totally misleading concept of Deepavali’

Local Indian pop culture icon Sasidharan Chandran, aka Sasi the Don, said: “Do the Dappan is a totally misleading concept of Deepavali and what it means. This looks like one of those lame content from locally-produced Deepavali shows.”

BBDO/Proximity Malaysia chief executive Michelle Achuthan added, “Aside from the obvious insensitivity to the origins of the Dappan, I as an Indian Malaysian find it contrite and stereotypical. I personally don’t see the humour or charm in it, although I know many find it entertaining.”

Quipped MagiqADs executive director VK Sailendra: “Feels more like a South Indian movie dance routine.”

Many viewers see ‘Do the Dappan’ as a far cry from the late film maker Yasmin Ahmad’s affectionate, meaningful and memorable work for Petronas on the celebration of Malaysian festivals.

M KRISHNAMOORTHY is a freelance correspondent and producer working with overseas TV networks. He has in the past interviewed Yasmin Ahmad and written reviews of Petronas commercials directed by her.