Comedy Horror Debut, Imam Darto Says 'Gudang Merica' Film is the Most Budget-Wasting Project

JAKARTA - Imam Darto is back to hit the big screen industry with his latest work titled Gudang Merica. In a press conference held recently, Darto bluntly called this comedy horror film a very wild project and challenged the common sense of the crew and the players.

"I want to learn how to make horror movies. Well, it turns out that the pot is reciprocated, there is a story like this. Wow, it seems okay, but there must still be comedy, there must still be scenes that waste money like burning, of course, wasting the budget," said Imam Darto in South Jakarta, Wednesday, April 15.

Darto feels lucky because the MVP Pictures party gives him full freedom to explore ideas that he calls "funky". He admits that he is not dictated in determining the creative direction of the film which he claims will provide a very different viewing experience.

"Alhamdulillahnya diberikan keleluasaan yang seluas-luasnya gitu untuk berkreasi dan berkarya. Enggak terlalu didiktein harus begini harus begini enggak. Udah terserah deh lo bikin apa aja gitu. Jadi makanya kita bikin film apa sih, guys? Crazy kan filmnya? Filmnya crazy, funky banget, jujur funky asyik deh," lanjutnya.

However, behind the scenes, the producer Warman from Fabrik Cerita actually revealed a unique fact. Although working on a horror film, Darto and he are very timid figures, so the shooting process is very romantic and funny.

"The biggest challenge for us is actually because I and Darto happen to be cowards. So what are we going to do with a horror film? That's the question, right? So during the 20 days of shooting, we always go to the bathroom together. It's romantic enough, and the connecting room is too," said Warman laughing.

Warman also slightly criticized Darto's habit of being happy to include dangerous scenes for the sake of film aesthetics. He was hesitant about Darto's vision of returning to using fire elements intensively in Gudang Merica.

"Regarding the burning, it seems that this director has not learned. Only the donkey falls into the same hole twice. Because we have had a shootout, 'I just want it to be easy,' it exploded. That's it, 'I just want it to be easy,' burning. Yeah, that's it," added Warman.

Darto's idea was also recognized by Hernawan Yoga who acted as Comedy Consultant. He admitted that his most difficult task was to keep Darto's ideas from deviating too far from the path they should be.

"The hard thing is actually to hold it. Hold Pak Darto with his wildness. Pak Darto, if you give an idea, 'Wan seems like this, this, this, sure sir?' I guess it's sure. It's like that on the set, back to the monitor, 'But are you sure, Wan?'" recalled Hernawan Yoga.

Fatih Unru, one of the players who has often worked with Darto, also confirmed the atmosphere of the set which was full of impulsiveness. He must always be ready with sudden instructions which are often unreasonable.

"The challenge is to hold back laughter. It's crazy. Basically, when filming with Mr. Darto, we as actors must be ready to capture impulsive impulses. When making a film, there are characters like this, who would have thought of that? But we have to carry it out because it's the director's order," said Fatih.

Imam Darto closed the session with the hope that this film could be accepted and provide a new experience for the audience.

"That's the experience we want to give that when you watch, 'Wow, it turns out that there is a big one that can only be seen or discovered if you watch it.' We won't spill it in the trailer," concluded Darto.

The film Gudang Merica itself will be played by Ardhito Pramono, Arla Ailani, Fatih Unru, Zulfa Maharani, Benidictus Siregar. The plan is for the film Gudang Merica to begin airing on May 21.