Ibrahim Risyad Explores The Role Of Tobacco Collectors In The Horror Film Riba

JAKARTA Actor Ibrahim Risyad is believed to be starring in the latest horror film produced by Verona Films entitled Riba, previously known as Getih Anak. In this film, Ibrahim plays a tobacco collector who struggles to find happiness for his family.

To explore his character, Ibrahim admitted that he had made direct observations to a tobacco factory in Klaten, Central Java, where the shooting location took place.

"Incidentally, while filming in Klaten, we had a one-day workshop at his tobacco warehouse. That was my first time going to a tobacco warehouse, it really smelled different," said Ibrahim Risyad in the Central Jakarta area, Wednesday, October 15.

He said the experience was a challenge in itself because of the strong aroma of tobacco. In addition, he also learned to understand the tobacco manufacturing process to become a ready-to-distribute product.

"Inhaling tobacco in there is quite heavy. We also learned how to make tobacco a product. Quite a lot of workshops at that time," he continued.

Although he did not directly practice tobacco trafficking in films, Ibrahim still studied general knowledge so that he could interact naturally with the original collectors.

"At that time it was only general knowledge that I had to learn because the time was short. So so that when I met the original tobacco collectors, I could understand the context," he explained.

Ibrahim said the character deepening process lasted about two weeks before filming began.

"At that time we prepared for almost two weeks, the workshop was also quite intense," he said.

Meanwhile, producer Titin Suryani explained that Riba does not only rely on the terror of supernatural beings or jump sheets, but also brings psychological fear stemming from guilt due to a fatal decision.

"We want the audience of Indonesian films to feel horror that does not only come from supernatural beings, but also from sins and karma that are unavoidable," said Titin.

Riba is adapted from a true story popular on social media X (formerly Twitter), through a thread entitled Getih Anak on the @mitologue account. The thread has been read more than 3.9 million times and obtained more than 20 thousand likes.

The change of title from Getih Anak to Riba is referred to as a strategic step from the production side. According to Verona Films, the old title is considered too emphasizing the explicit horror element, while Riba represents moral messages and social issues raised in the story.

Riba is scheduled to hit theaters on December 4.