Playing Comedy For The First Time, Oka Between Feeling Stupid

Oka Antara (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Actor Oka Antara has finally tried the comedy genre through the film Gara-Gara Heritage. Oka said that he had never received an offer to star in a comedy film, this was the first time he received the offer and immediately decided to join the production team.

"The first time I felt stupid, I didn't understand a lot. Because here my friends are all funny, there's Arie, then there's Ernest, and the one who plays my wife is Hesti," said Oka during a press conference in Jakarta , Thursday, March 24.

In the film, directed and written by Muhadkly Acho, Oka plays Adam, the eldest son who blames his father, Dahlan's (Yayu Unru) harsh attitude for his life's failures.

Gara-Gara Heritage tells the story of three brothers who never get along and are forced to compete for an inheritance in the form of a guest house belonging to their father.

For Oka, the experience of his acting debut in the comedy genre gave him a lot of new knowledge about acting. Acting in the drama genre, said Oka, usually has to be strictly based on the scenario. While in the comedy genre this time, he gets the freedom to improvise.

Given the flexibility of improvisation provided in the comedy genre, Oka does not require special preparation for acting. During filming, he got improv lessons through other actors.

"The strength of a comedian is that if he makes a joke, he won't repeat it again. He will definitely use a different (joke), even taking five will be different. So I'm confused. strange. Well, go with the flow to see how friends give their energy," said Oka, quoted from ANTARA.

According to Oka, this film has an interesting side by presenting a comedic sub-plot brought by supporting actors who play guest house employees. This is also the first experience for Oka because previously he only played in films with plots that were directly focused on the main character.

Not only about comedy, Gara-Gara Heritage also presents a family drama side. According to Oka, the story in this film also has a close relationship with his family life, moreover he also has two brothers like in the film.

"My father is also old, born in '47. So I have had that conversation (inheritance) a few years ago, so when I read the script from here I was like, 'Oh, wow, this is a sibling rivalry that I can relate to,' anyway,'" said Oka.

He admitted that he was proud to be able to work with Ernest Prakarsa, who is already known for producing Indonesian box office comedy films. In Gara-Gara Comedy, Ernest served as a producer with Chand Parwez Servia.

"With me participating in this comedy film, I feel like Ernest might be able to see another side of me that can be processed and displayed differently than before," said Oka.

In addition, Oka said that he also wanted to put full trust in people who really understand working on this genre because he has never tried a comedy film, including Ernest. He hopes that "Gara-Gara Heritage" will receive a good response from Indonesian audiences when it is officially broadcast.

"Hopefully, it can be accepted by a wide audience because the last time I remember it, here (this film) I was shooting until I laughed a lot," he said.