POPULAR actor Fattah Amin, 33, is happy to play a bomoh for the first time.
In his first Indonesian movie, 'Trinil: Kembalikan Tubuhku' which is based on a popular radio drama series from the 1980s, he plays an Indonesian-based Malaysian doctor named Yusuf who doubles as a faith healer.
HEADLESS GHOST
"Dr Yusuf is also a detective who investigates the background of the heroine Rara's family in order to determine the source of a headless female ghost that has been haunting her bungalow for days," said Fattah at the press preview of Trinil in Kuala Lumpur recently.
"He is an upright man who is spiritual and dedicated to his work. I love him, and I'm happy that many Indonesian fans love him too," said Fattah.
One young female fan even embraced Fattah and cried when the film premiered in Jakarta, Indonesia last month.
FEW OFFERS
Fattah is thankful to Trinil's acclaimed director Hanung Bramantyo for guiding him all the way.
Fattah would love to star in more Indonesian films, and has received a few offers.
"I never expected myself to become a hit with Indonesian fans so soon. I guess Indonesian movie-goers remembered me from my role as Awang in 'Mat Kilau'."
JAVANESE MANTRA
Fattah admitted that it was a bit of a challenge to recite a mantra in Javanese in one important scene.
"I am really fortunate that my grandmother could speak a little Javanese, and I learnt a bit of the difficult language from her."
BELL-BOTTOMS
Fattah is happy that Trinil is set in the 1970s because that was a decade with wild and crazy fashion.
"Yusuf is so cool. I love his funky 1970s fashion, complete with denim jackets, bell-bottomed trousers and wavy hair."
SECOND HORROR
Hanung, 48, said that Trinil was not his first horror film, as he directed 'Lentera Merah' in 2006.
"It is so good to come back to horror after 18 years," he said.
CHILD ABUSE
Hanung, the man behind romantic films like 'Ayat-Ayat Cinta' and historical films like 'Soekarno: Indonesia Merdeka', said that Trinil was also about family, child abuse, greed and forgiveness.
"We filmed Trinil in December 2022 around Jogjakarta. It was raining most of the time and on many days we had to brave the rain unless it was too heavy," he said.
UNLOVED CHILD
Trinil's main star Carmela Van Der Kruk said that she strongly identified with the long-suffering heroine Rara.
"Rara has gone through terrible experiences, as a daughter who has grown up abused and unloved by her real mother," said Carmela.
TALENTED AND PASSIONATE
Balinese actor Rangga Nattra who plays Rara's husband Sutan, said that he got along great with Fattah, and described him as "talented, passionate and willing to learn".
"I'm very impressed with his ability to immerse himself into his character," he said.
MAHARAJA LAWAK
Veteran actress Wulan Guritno said that she loved her role as the antagonist Ayu, the mother of Rara.
"I'm so happy that Trinil is going to be screened in Malaysia. I'm as mean as can be here, a far cry from earlier roles," said Wulan who was a guest judge on 'Maharaja Lawak'.
FARM WORKERS
Trinil, which has made RM13 million at the box office in Indonesia since it premiered on Jan 4 also stars Shalom Razade, Alexzander Wlan, Willem Bevers and Elly Luthan.
The film is about the headless ghost which haunts Rara, the orphaned owner of a tea plantation in Jogjakarta.
This ghost haunts the farm workers and causes a few of them to hang themselves.
UNSAVOURY STORIES
When Rara's husband Sutan finds her shaking in her sleep and floating up to the ceiling, he seeks help from his close friend Yusuf, who finds the ghost too powerful to banish.
Yusuf investigates the history behind Rara's plantation, and uncovers several unsavoury stories involving her late parents.
WIDE FOLLOWING
Trinil, which hit cinemas on Feb 22, is produced by Dapur Film, Seven Skies Motion, Double Tree Film and Rocket Studio Entertainment.
Producer Azlin Hilda Abdul Latif said that they chose to have the film screened in Malaysia as hit films in Indonesia had always been enjoyed by Malaysians.