Exclusive, Elmand Conquers Emon's Iconic Role with Total Appreciation

JAKARTA - The internet world is developing so rapidly that every day it gives birth to various new names in the entertainment industry. Easily, new star candidates can be found in just one scroll.

Elmand can be called one of the candidate stars. He entered the singing world skyrocketed when his comedic content attracted attention. Since this article was released, the number of followers of his TikTok account has reached 211 thousand accounts with a total of up to 10 million likes.

With a skyrocketing following and dominating character on the internet, Elmand has managed to add one more scope to his career- acting. He was chosen to play Emon in the film Catatan Si Boy directed by Hanung Bramantyo which will be released this year.

"My name is Elmand. I'm on Catatan Si Boy playing the role of Emon, a bit similar, isn't it," said Elmand, starting a conversation with VOI that day.

Even though he has a large number of followers, Elmand revealed that he went through a lengthy casting process. Regarding the role, he only knows that the character of Emon was first popularized by the late Didi Petet, who was considered very iconic in his time.

"He said that Emon's casting included a lot of artists who were cast, that's it, if I'm not mistaken, in April he said May would be contacted if he was accepted. When it was already June, I was called again to be told to recast, I was also confused, it wasn't May but it was only June," said Elmand, explaining the casting process.

"Finally, after casting with Hanung directly, then in the afternoon he informed me that I would become Emon. I'm like "Oh oh!" So some of the cast members have read it first, so I just took a long time to join them," he continued.

Elmand admitted that acting was not difficult enough for his first role. Apart from having slightly similar characters, he explained that the roles of his mother and his friends really helped him in the Catatan Si Boy film.

"It's a bit challenging but the cast is very professional and I learned a lot from them. I learned a lot of acting from the acting coach so I can execute myself as Emon," he said firmly.

As he stated, his mother often shared stories about popular culture in the 80s, from movies to music. He easily gets an idea of that era which he will describe in the figure of Emon.

"My mother is a lover of Indonesian films, a lover of 80s music, so she always introduces her children to 80s songs, the film is like this, and so I also get the vibe when I want to play on Catatan Si Boy," said Elmand.

The "Kembali Ceria" singer explained that Emon's character is slightly similar to him. He considers himself a less quarrelsome and more flamboyant man.

"I'm more of a soft boy, there is a flamboyance, sometimes showing a feminine side, also a masculine side. So it's in the middle. Emon has a feminine side and is excited," said Elmand.

"I'm not always excited, that's challenging, being Emon is tiring because every act, every scene should make people laugh. It also has to be exciting so sometimes it really drains my energy," he said.

Instead of feeling inferior, Elmand actually tried to present what he practiced during the process. He was also greatly assisted by Angga Yunanda who played Boy in the film Catatan Si Boy.

"The first time I heard that Angga plays as Boy, I was a bit wow, he's experienced. The other players are also people who are used to acting, so at first I felt confused about playing Emon's character which was previously played by the late Didi Petet” said Elmand.

"Boy is really good friends with Emon and Andi, so I'm close with Angga and we exchange ideas. He's very professional too, he gives feedback, and he doesn't have any 'seniors-juniors'. It's nice to act with Angga," he explained.

Studied with Hanung Bramantyo

Elmand revealed that he was lucky enough to meet many people who wanted to help him in acting. Apart from acting teacher, he was also assisted by Hanung Bramantyo as the director who helped make him more expressive.

"Not really feeling inferior, but I feel more like this is an opportunity that I shouldn't waste," he continued.

“Indeed, there is no dream of acting, but behind that thought, it feels exciting when you play a movie. When I can play Emon in Catatan Si Boy, where Emon is so iconic and directed by Mr. Hanung Bramantyo and the actors are cool, I have to be at their level no matter what," said Elmand.

The first shooting experience left a pleasant impression on the 35-year-old. According to him, the production that lasted for one and a half months was not felt, to the point he missed acting again.

“That's fun! When in front of the camera, it all disappears. Because I'm a very expressive child and sometimes in the real world, we can't always express ourselves. In front of the camera, I express everything so I can express my feelings, this kind of style makes it seem that acting is that fun," Elmand said, recalling the shooting process.

"After a few months after shooting, I feel like I miss filming. I even told the manager I miss filming. Addicted to be in front of the camera," he said again.

Not giving up, Elmand is excited to develop his acting into several other projects. He even plans to attend an acting school so that his acting skills can be honed.

“Acting and singing are actually different arts. Express yourself together. But when it comes to singing, there is only one expression because we are singing a song, yes, the expression is the same, but acting is about life, a picture of life in one film, there is anger, joy, sadness, crying, and all kinds of things. Both have their own excitement in my opinion," he explained.

The film "Catatan Si Boy" tells the story of Boy (Angga Yunanda), a rich and good man who has two good friends. He separated from Nuke (Syifa Hadju) because Nuke continued her studies abroad. Boy actually finds a lover, Vera (Alyssa Daguise).

His closeness to Nuke irritated Jeffry (Arya Vasco) so that Boy and Jeffry had an argument. Their love triangle becomes a conflict that tests the characters.

The character Boy is told to have two good friends: Emon (Elmand) and Andi (Michael James). Emon and Andi always accompany Boy and take care of Boy.

"I think this is a blessing so people know me as Emon, especially since Emon is iconic. In the past, it was difficult to find a replacement for Emon, right? Many wanted to be Emon," said Elmand about his character.

“If people now remember that I am Emon, it means that I have succeeded in playing Emon. I'm grateful that only when I want to be offered another film results in me having to let go of Emon," he said.

"I want to get a strong character, for example, people in Jakarta but people from the village or have a strong accent, maybe a Javanese accent, Medan or a Chinese accent. I want to get that role because to let go of the previous role I have to be able to win the hearts of the audience with new skills," hoped Elmand.

Elmand himself wanted a strong characterization role for the project ahead of him. But for now, he wants to focus on bringing Catatan Si Boy to bring him together with the world of cinema.