Actor Kiki Darling dropped from Jack Neo’s Ah Boys To Firefighters after sexual assault conviction

Local film-maker Jack Neo (centre) will remove newcomer Kiki Darling (far right) from his upcoming movie Ah Boys To Firefighters and recast his role.

ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Published Sep 09, 2026, 06:05 PM

Updated Sep 09, 2026, 06:45 PM

Kiki Darling was dropped from Jack Neo's movie Ah Boys To Firefighters after his past sexual assault conviction was discovered.

His scenes will be cut and the role recast, with plans for reshoots to avoid reputational risks.

The production team will tighten casting procedures to prevent similar issues in future projects.

SINGAPORE – Local film-maker Jack Neo will remove content creator Kiki Darling from his upcoming movie Ah Boys To Firefighters and recast his role, after learning that the actor had previously been convicted of sexual assault.

His scenes will be cut from the movie, with the production team now looking for another actor to take over his role, and planning reshoots.

Kiki, 24, whose real name is Hari Kishen Balakrishnan, was one of four new leading men unveiled for the movie on Aug 31, following an open casting call in June that attracted more than 1,000 hopefuls.

A spokesperson for the Ah Boys To Firefighters production team told The Straits Times on Sept 9 that it verified the news of his conviction only on Sept 8, after information about the case surfaced online.

“We were very surprised to hear about it,” said the spokesperson.

None of the production crew had been aware of Hari’s previous conviction before then, added the spokesperson.

Following discussions with Hari, he decided to step down from the role.

“He 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,” said the spokesperson.

Hari had been cast as Ramesh Menon, one of four national servicemen posted to the same fire station in Ah Boys To Firefighters. Also starring in the film are Singapore actors Raynold Tan, 28, and Luqmaan Hakiim, 23, and Malaysian actor and content creator Chai Chang Yong, 30.

According to a CNA report in September 2021, Hari, then 20, was sentenced to at least six months’ reformative training after pleading guilty to one count of sexual assault by penetration and one count of making an obscene film. A molestation charge was taken into consideration for sentencing.

The offences took place in November 2020 after a drinking session involving Hari, a 23-year-old male victim and several friends.

According to court proceedings reported at the time, the victim was almost unconscious after drinking alcohol at a friend’s apartment. Hari sexually assaulted him in a bedroom and filmed seven video clips of the acts. The victim had not indicated consent before he passed out.

Hari later deleted the clips, but police recovered them during forensic investigations. He was arrested the day after the incident.

During sentencing, District Judge May Mesenas said rehabilitation was the predominant consideration for young offenders, although deterrence also had to be taken into account because of the seriousness of the offences.

News of Hari’s conviction comes just over a week after Neo introduced him and the other newcomers to the media during a set visit at Punggol Fire Station on Aug 31, the 10th day of the movie’s month-long shoot.

The film’s spokesperson did not reveal how much footage involving Hari had already been shot, but said the changes “should not have much impact” on the movie’s theatrical release.

The film is slated for release during Chinese New Year in 2027, which falls in February.

Ah Boys To Firefighters marks Neo’s return to the national service theme that powered his commercially successful Ah Boys To Men franchise (2012 to 2017), although the upcoming movie is not a sequel.

It follows four national servicemen who are posted to the same fire station, with differing attitudes towards their service. As they respond to emergencies, they grapple with fear, trauma, guilt and the responsibility that comes with saving lives.

The movie also reunites Neo with Ah Boys To Men alumni Tosh Zhang, Maxi Lim and Noah Yap, who play senior firefighters mentoring the younger recruits.

Neo had previously said he wanted the movie’s new ensemble to reflect more closely the racial mix he observed among Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel.

Following the episode, the production team will tighten its casting procedures for future projects.

“The entire production team, especially the casting department, will be more stringent when conducting auditions for future movie projects,” said the spokesperson, adding that cast members would also be reminded of consequences relating to their declarations.

Joanne Soh is a lifestyle correspondent at The Straits Times, with a special interest in entertainment and pop culture.

本地电影导演梁智强（中）将把新人演员琪琪·达令（最右）从即将上映的电影《新兵正传》中移除，并重新选角。

《海峡时报》照片：梁崇俊

发布于 2026 年 9 月 9 日下午 6:05

更新于2026年9月9日下午6:45

在发现基基·达林过去的性侵罪行后，他被梁智强的电影《新兵正传》除名。

他的戏份将被删减，角色也将重新选角，并计划进行补拍以避免声誉风险。

生产团队将加强铸造工艺，以防止未来项目中出现类似问题。

新加坡——本地电影制作人梁智强在得知演员琪琪·达林曾被判性侵罪后，决定将这位内容创作者从即将上映的电影《新兵正传》中移除，并重新选角。

他的戏份将从电影中剪掉，制作团队目前正在寻找另一位演员来接替他的角色，并计划进行补拍。

24 岁的 Kiki，真名 Hari Kishen Balakrishnan，是 8 月 31 日公布的这部电影的四位新男主角之一。此前，该片在 6 月份进行了公开选角，吸引了 1000 多名怀揣梦想的应征者。

《新兵正传》剧组的一位发言人于 9 月 9 日告诉《海峡时报》，该剧组直到 9 月 8 日才证实了被告被定罪的消息，此前有关此案的信息已在网上流传开来。

发言人说：“我们听到这个消息感到非常惊讶。”

发言人补充说，此前制作团队中没有人知道哈里曾有犯罪记录。

与哈里商议后，他决定辞去该职务。

发言人表示：“他也明白，如果我们继续让他出演，考虑到他是主要角色之一，那么让他出演可能会给我们带来声誉风险。”

哈里在电影《新兵正传：消防员》中饰演拉梅什·梅农，他是四名被派往同一消防站的国民服役人员之一。该片其他主演包括新加坡演员雷诺·陈（28岁）和卢克曼·哈基姆（23岁），以及马来西亚演员兼内容创作者柴昌勇（30岁）。

据中央社2021年9月报道，时年20岁的哈里承认一项性侵罪（插入式性侵）和一项制作淫秽影片罪，被判处至少六个月的改造训练。量刑时，法庭考虑了猥亵罪的指控。

这些罪行发生在 2020 年 11 月，当时 23 岁的男性受害者 Hari 和几位朋友一起喝酒。

根据当时的法庭记录，受害者在朋友公寓饮酒后几乎失去意识。哈里在卧室里性侵了他，并拍摄了七段性侵过程的视频。受害者在昏迷前并未表示同意。

哈里后来删除了这些视频片段，但警方在法医调查中恢复了它们。事发第二天，他被警方逮捕。

在宣判时，地区法官梅·梅塞纳斯表示，对于年轻罪犯来说，改造是首要考虑因素，但由于罪行的严重性，也必须考虑威慑作用。

就在一周多前，Neo 于 8 月 31 日在榜鹅消防站的片场探班时，向媒体介绍了 Hari 和其他新演员。当时，这部电影的拍摄周期为一个月，这是拍摄的第 10 天。

该电影的发言人没有透露已经拍摄了多少与哈里有关的镜头，但表示这些改动“应该不会对电影的上映产生太大影响”。

该电影计划于2027年中国农历新年期间上映，也就是二月份。

《新兵正传：消防员篇》标志着梁朝伟回归他商业上成功的《新兵正传》系列（2012 年至 2017 年）的国民服役主题，尽管即将上映的这部电影并不是续集。

故事围绕四名被派往同一消防站的国民服役人员展开，他们对服役的态度各不相同。在应对各种紧急情况的过程中，他们必须克服恐惧、创伤、内疚以及拯救生命所带来的责任感。

这部电影也让Neo与《新兵正传》的几位老搭档张智强、林志强和叶若翰重聚，他们饰演资深消防员，指导年轻的新兵。

梁朝伟此前曾表示，他希望这部电影的新演员阵容能够更贴近他在新加坡民防部队人员中观察到的种族构成。

本集播出后，制作团队将加强未来项目的选角流程。

发言人表示：“整个制作团队，特别是选角部门，在未来的电影项目试镜时将会更加严格。”他还补充说，演员们也会被告知与其声明相关的后果。

Joanne Soh 是《海峡时报》的生活方式记者，尤其关注娱乐​​和流行文化。