Exclusive Angga Yunanda Culture Shock Comedy

JAKARTA - The talented young actor of the country, Angga Yunanda, again challenges his acting skills through the latest horror-comedy film titled Before Grandma is Picked Up.

In an exclusive interview to VOI's office recently, Shenina Cinnamon's husband shared in-depth stories about the creative process behind the scenes, from character surgery to his new experience trying out the comedy genre.

In the film Before Grandma is Picked Up, Angga plays a character named Hestu. He is described as having a twin brother named Akbar, but the two have very contrasting personalities. Angga describes Hestu as a figure who prioritizes logic, but has a rigid and stubborn side.

"Hestu has a twin brother named Akbar and you could say we have two very contrasting characters. So I'm a very logical person but I can say that I'm a little stiff and hard, and I'm a pretty stone-headed," said Angga to VOI.

Hestu's family background is quite complex. He and his brother were taken care of by their grandmother since childhood because their parents were gone. However, the grandmother's authoritarian parenting pattern made their relationship not harmonious. This is what triggered Hestu to wander and was determined not to go home before his grandmother died.

"It just so happens that we were taken care of by our grandmother since we were little. But yes, it can be said that most grandmothers are probably, very authoritarian and very different from what we might expect," he explained.

The conflict escalated when the grandmother actually died at a time considered sacred by the villagers, namely on the 6th, 6th month, 6th hour on Saturday Wage.

The death was actually the beginning of terror, where the spirit of the grandmother was restless looking for friends in the afterlife. Hestu and his family only have seven days to survive.

Personally, Angga admitted that he felt sorry for the character he played. Behind his tough nature, Hestu has a deep loneliness.

"Actually I'm pretty sorry for Hestu's character, because he always feels that he doesn't have anyone who loves him in his life. Because in fact he is quite alone, even though he has a twin who is very similar but very different in character," said Angga.

Through this character, Angga wants to convey a message about the importance of reconnecting or reconnecting with loved ones. According to him, this film teaches that everyone has a different way of showing love, and sensitivity to it is very important.

For Angga Yunanda, playing in a film with a thick comedy element is a new experience that is challenging. The actor who often plays in emotional drama films admits that comedy has its own techniques that are not easily conquered.

"Of course it's very fun, full of challenges. Because comedy has what, like its own technique. It must be difficult, and for comedians to be able to reach their current point, it must also take a journey," said Angga.

However, Angga feels very helped by the presence of senior actor and comedian colleagues who are involved in this project. He learned a lot about timing and how to deliver punchlines to be on target. The atmosphere of the shoot full of laughter made him more relaxed in exploring his humor.

"Here I started learning how to find techniques that could make people more entertained. So it was a very exciting and fun experience because here I never laughed during the shoot," he added enthusiastically.

Angga also told of a slight culture shock when switching from a serious drama to a comedy. If usually he is engrossed in the deepening of intense emotions, this time he had to brainstorm to put the funny points in a scene.

"At most, it's like brainstorming on how to punchlines that might be on target. Because usually it's not often like that in the drama scenarios to be able to have funny points, it has to be taken where," explained Angga.

However, Angga does not feel worried about the serious image that has always been attached to him. He actually really enjoys the process and fully trusts the director's vision and other fellow actors. As a connoisseur of Indonesian comedy films, Angga feels that this genre has a unique emotional closeness with the audience.

"Indonesian comedy films are definitely funny but they are very close, so they feel to the heart. That's what I like," he concluded.