Bandar Taruhan Bola Review

In Bandar Taruhan Bola, the protagonist, a twenty-one-year-old Muslim girl named Ayesha, is forced to choose between her beliefs and her family's religious obligations. The decision, which is made by an Islamic mullah who has been invited by her father, will decide her destiny. And it is the mullah who gives her a choice: Will she join him and his brother in a deadly game of "hide and seek", or will she remain committed to her family's faith? The game is being organized in order to celebrate the anniversary of their father's death; and the mullah is determined to find a way to make this occasion memorable.

The game is set in the city of Bandar Taruhan Bola   in Malaysia, and Ayesha is taken to the home of one of her friends, Saleh. At the house, Ayesha finds a note from the mullah that says that there will be a contest of "hide and seek" at the house, and the winner will get the life of his brother and sister-in-law. The game is so intense that when it ends, Ayesha is dead, and her body is discovered by the mullah. This incident forces the young woman to finally make up her mind, and when it is revealed that she is a Muslim, she realizes that she must choose between her faith and her family.

Ayesha must decide if she wants to be with the mullah, a man she had only seen in passing and who did not seem all that religious - or if she wants to follow her family's traditions. As in many Islamic societies, the family has always been the primary pillar of strength in the Muslim world. And because of this tradition, many have been put to death because they did not follow the dictates of their religion. But Ayesha knows that the mullah is after her life. And since the game requires her to conceal and then find her own brother and sister, she realizes that she must do both. After all, she is already a part of the family, and it is her family that she is hiding from.

When Ayesha finally realizes that she must choose, she goes to the home of Saleh's father, where the game takes place. She hides in his bedroom until the game is over. She finds herself being called upon by the mullah, whose presence she initially finds suspicious. But when he reveals that he has been sent by her father, Ayesha realizes that this person is actually a friend of hers: It is Saleh's brother, Ali.

When Saleh's father learns of the mullah's plan, he decides to accompany the mullah, and fight the game himself. When Saleh meets the man, the game turns ugly, and the two brothers come into the picture. In the end, Ali is left behind in order to escape with his brother; but before he does, Ali manages to kill the young mullah and take his brother with him. Afterward, Ali and Saleh run away together; but Saleh does not know where she is. Her search for her brother brings her to Borneo, where she is reunited with Ali.

Like most Islamic fables, the plot of "Bandar Taruhan" is steeped in Islam; but unfortunately, the story also comes dangerously close to being a little racist as well. As Saleh is a Muslim, she is often treated as a child-like creature, and her innocence is questioned by her neighbors and even by other Muslims. Ayesha is the epitome of purity, as her innocence has been questioned before: She has to hide her identity while she hides her faith. For that reason, the film can be said to fall in the category of "cultural insensitivity."