Airing December 24, Janur Ireng Becomes A New Bet On Tora Sudiro Through A Serious Role In Horror Films

The works of the mystery writer SimpleMan have been raised to the big screen, this time through the film Janur Ireng.

MD Entertainment producer Manoj Punjabi, who has repeatedly teamed up with SimpleMan, expressed his deep belief that every story written by SimpleMan is always rooted in true stories.

According to Manoj, SimpleMan is very detailed and authentic in stringing his story together, especially those with Javanese cultural backgrounds.

"If he takes the Javanese element, it really has to be Javanese, Central Javanese, East Java, for him it's different. What can we do, together or want to try to cheat," said Manoj Punjabi in the South Jakarta area, recently.

This belief is obtained from his intense interaction with the author. He felt that there was a strong element of truth behind every narrative that was conveyed.

"So when we talk to him, when we talk about the story, he always says something I know, this is impossible to make up, there is, but an element of, the real element exists," he explained.

Director Kimo Stamboel also agreed. Although the story may feel familiar, the packaging is made different for the audience to enjoy.

"From SimpleMan, this is based on a real story. But indeed, yes, you must be familiar with the stories circulating in the community," added Kimo.

Furthermore, director Kimo Stamboel and producer Manoj Punjabi revealed an interesting fact regarding the selection process for players in this film.

As it turns out, the actor search process for the main character, Arjo, is the biggest challenge in the production process. Kimo Stamboel openly admits that finding the right actor for the role is not easy.

"That's precisely what, the last thing we can get is the character of Arjo, the main character," said Kimo when met in the Setiabudi area, South Jakarta, recently.

"Because it was very difficult to get this actor, which one could, from casting several times, we finally met, 'Oh, it turns out Tora can be serious and wants to,' that's it," he continued.

The decision to choose Tora Sudiro, who is very attached to the comedy image, is a deliberate gamble. Manoj Punjabi explained that they wanted to shape Tora's image from scratch for this role, removing all comedy elements attached to it.

"And from comedy, we want to form zero, there is not a scene where we will smile or laugh at Tora," said Manoj.

"Because of his seriousness but not too much, when we got it. So really his talent," concluded Manoj Punjabi.