DUNGUN: “Durian Mustaqim” is not a new variety of the country’s king of fruits, but it is going viral and has become a household name due to the creativity of a Youtuber, Muhamad Sukri Sulaiman.
Muhamad Sukri, 26, from Kampung Sura Tengah, Dungun, is responsible for triggering this 'Durian Mustaqim' phenomenon through a series of videos uploaded on social media, such as YouTube, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.
He said the act in the video portrayed the current reality about durians, including the high price buyers are complaining about, problems facing durian growers and price manipulation by middlemen.
“I chose the name ‘ Mustaqim’ because it sounds like Musang King. It is catchy and suitable to be used as a brand name to market the video, but the price of the Mustaqim durian, which is RM800 per kilogram, is just a joke.
“I did not expect it to become viral and used as a 'benchmark' for netizens to compare the price of the king of fruits in the local market,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
Muhamad Sukri, who owns Sukri Sulaiman Production, is a household name in Terengganu, having produced various types of creative videos since 2016 and won many competitions.
“I started with only using my smartphone to produce the videos to help entrepreneurs in the Terengganu area to promote their products and services for free.
“Over time, I receive many requests, prompting me to also take up courses with some well-known Youtubers on making an income by producing the videos,” he said, adding that he also hold classes for those keen to be Youtubers.
On the challenges in producing the Mustaqim durian video, Muhamad Sukri said the shooting started in May last year, involving 10 series, with seven of them done this year with the shooting location only in the compound of his home due to the implementation of the Movement Control Order.
“The actors are my close friends and neighbours. We use whatever ‘props’ available, build our own hut in the backyard to create a place and atmosphere like in a durian orchard.
“The dialogue is in the Terengganu dialect, although it may sound harsh, but it is the normal conversation we hear, and for those who do not understand, we have subtitles,” he added.
He said among the lessons conveyed in the video were for traders to not cheat buyers and for the public to understand the hard work of the durian growers in ensuring good quality durians.
Apart from the video on “Durian Mustaqim”, other videos produced by Muhamad Sukri included 'Suamiku Rock’ which has 6.3 million views on Facebook. -Bernama
