Jack Neo removes Kiki Darling from 'Ah Boys to Firefighters' movie after sexual assault revelations

Kiki Darling's role in the upcoming "Ah Boys to Firefighters" movie will be recast following the production team's discovery that he had previously been convicted of sexual assault.

The 24-year-old, whose real name is Hari Kishen Balakrishnan, was unveiled on Aug. 31 as one of the leading men in Jack Neo's latest film.

After Hari's casting, news of his previous conviction circulated online.

A spokesperson from the production told Mothership that they had verified the news on Sep. 8.

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

"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."

After discussions, Hari decided to resign from his role.

The spokesperson said the actor understood the "potential risks" to the production if he were to continue as one of the movie's main characters.

Prior conviction in 2021

CNA reported in September 2021 that Hari — then aged 20 — pleaded guility to committing sexual assault on a 23-year-old male friend after a night of drinking.

In the bedroom of a friend's apartment, Hari sexually assaulted the almost unconscious man for about 17 minutes.

The latter had not consented to the act before passing out.

Hari also took seven video clips of himself performing sex acts on the naked victim.

The clips were deleted, but police later recovered them during investigations.

Described as "stateless", the aspiring actor was sentenced to at least six months of reformative training, a regimented rehabilitation programme for those under 21 who commit relatively serious crimes.

Recasting and reshooting

Work to recast the role and reshoots are currently underway, while edits will be made to remove Hari from the film.

Casting for future movie projects would go through more stringent processes, the spokesperson added.

The film is set to portray the story of four young National Servicemen who are posted to the same fire station, each with very different attitudes towards their service.

It is slated for a 2027 Chinese New Year release.