Exclusive, Nayla Purnama Fights for Justice for Vina Through Film

JAKARTA - Films are not only a means of entertainment, but films are also a means of conveying information and a form of struggle against an issue. Anyone can convey this struggle, including Nayla D. Purnama, who is the main character in the film Vina: Sebelum 7 Hari.

The film Vina: Sebelum 7 Hari is an adaptation of a true story that occurred with the same name. Since this production was announced, this film has received criticism from a number of netizens. But never mind those cons, because Nayla had a different goal when joining this film.

“The process is quite long. Initially, before I was chosen as Vina, I actually wanted to be another character, Linda, Vina's friend. Thank God, it turns out the family agreed with me being Vina because the family said I looked like the deceased," said Nayla D. Purnama, recalling that moment to VOI.

When she was chosen as Vina, Nayla had the opportunity to chat with Vina's family. How surprised the actress who was born on May 15 was when she saw the response of Vina's grandmother.

"They see that I look like the deceased and it definitely helps the film so that people feel close to Vina, especially if the person is similar to the real person. When I met her family, I couldn't help but cry," said Nayla.

“Especially when chatting with her grandmother. She said, 'You are like my granddaughter. It's just that the deceased was a little taller than me," she continued.

Instead of feeling isolated, Nayla admitted that Vina's family had a lot of help. She admitted that Vina's family shared many stories about the deceased with Nayla. The perspective of her family members made Nayla impressed with Vina's family who welcomed her well.

"I had a chance to chat with her grandmother, she was the person who could be said to be closest to the deceased and I can say that she was quite close because we had dinner before the shooting process. I also chatted with the deceased's father, mother, sister and I got quite a lot of character research about the deceased from the family," said Nayla.

“Every time I chat with my deceased sister or mother, I'm really sad. Because every time they see me, they say they remember the deceased. Finally, when the trailer was launched yesterday, the deceased's father didn't want to go in and watch the trailer because the sound was very similar to when she was in a trance," she said, feeling happy to be able to present Vina's character.

The 16 year old actress admitted that the voice in the trailer was her real voice. She understands that the family was surprised by Nayla's voice as Vina. Nayla, who is still a teenager, also admitted that she wanted to help fight for Vina's case, which had not yet reached an end.

"The reason they agreed to make this film is so that the 3 perpetrators who are still at large are immediately given justice because this story is from 2016 but until now the perpetrator is free. Hopefully the case can be worked on so that people are aware of the existence of this case and Indonesian law is more concerned," explained Nayla.

Vina's case shocked the public because of the tragic fate of Vina and her lover, Rizky, who died as a result of the cruel actions of a group of motorbike gangs. In 2016, Vina was reported to have died in a traffic accident, but when the police carried out an investigation, they found a number of irregularities.

Nayla, who said that the 3 perpetrators had not been found, hoped that this film would be a way for the public to talk about this case again and, moreover, to catch the perpetrators. Therefore, when she found out that the film she was starring in had become controversial, she was confused.

"Regarding the lack of empathy of all kinds, the aim from the start of making the film was good, not for exploitation or anything because the story of the deceased was quite tragic. Again, the aim of making this is indeed good, especially as the family agrees and with this film, many people can learn from the story of the deceased," said Nayla Denny Purnama.

"So if you haven't watched it, it's better to watch it first before you can comment," she stressed.

Struggle For Justice

Nayla Purnama still needs a long journey, but the woman who is currently in high school expresses her love for films, especially the horror genre, in which she stars a lot.

"Actually, I've acted in drama films several times, but in the end I found joy in the process of shooting horror films because I like challenges. Every time there is a horror film I read the script, what new challenges are there in this film. If it's interesting, I'll take it, and in average horror film. Only if there is a drama, I don't put it away but still read the script so it depends on the script," she said.

"Shooting a drama is more mental, so our emotions really get mixed up and I can say that a drama film doesn't have too much physicality, whereas filming a horror is more physical for us because horror is dominant, it definitely ends more often in the morning because we shoot horror at night. (Horror) has more physical challenges like slinging, being flown from anywhere, both of which are fun to do, so I also want to try them all," continued Nayla.

Her name may have only received attention recently, but Nayla D. Purnama has started acting since she was still in elementary school. Starting from a small role, now Nayla is trusted to play the main character, including in her latest film.

"What I like about acting is the shooting process because I just like playing characters that are not myself. Every time I get a new character, that makes me happy. I have to succeed in creating this character so that you will believe it," she said.

"It's been a long journey even though I know this is still the starting point of my career, I can grow even bigger later, but for me to be involved in this Vina project, becoming Vina is a big opportunity for me until I had the chance to tell my mother, my face was on the poster and this is the real first time. In my opinion, all jobs have ups and downs, I don't do things like that all of a sudden. Movie casting keeps failing and keeps happening, that's normal. So now that I'm at this point, I'm more grateful because it's been a long process," she said again.

Fortunately, her career developed along with the support she received from her family and school. Nayla admits that she is still actively attending formal school and even continues to do assignments and take exams. She doesn't want her struggle as an actress to be in vain, like the struggle she is trying to present through her latest film. She also tries not to put aside her education for the sake of her career or vice versa.

"I know it's still a process, there's still a lot of journey to go through. Hopefully, in the next 5 years, Nayla will be more grateful and everything she wants can be achieved, even if it's not achieved, but that's okay, life is okay. I don't have a specific goal. I'm a person who lives in the present so I rarely think about the future or the past, I only think about today having to finish well, so I hope I stay like that," said Nayla.

Ending the conversation, Nayla hopes that her contribution to Vina: Sebelum 7 Hari reflects her struggle to help Vina's case get justice.

"Hopefully by watching this film you will care more, especially about the 3 topics that we cover, namely harassment, bullying and motorbike gangs. You also have to know that the impact of these three things is big for us and the fact that they are still happening in our environment today. That's what you need to pay attention to and end as quickly as possible. Hopefully the 3 perpetrators can be caught quickly because that is one of the goals of their family agreeing with this film," she said again.