After a phenomenal year for Viu’s original series, the streaming company has decided to add to its roster with romantic-comedy Halustik (Holistic) – a series that explores the emergence of holistic lifestyles in today’s society.

Written by Sally Anom Sari, the show was the winner of Viu’s Pitching Forum 2018. Set for release in mid-September, Halustik will join a number of Viu’s other original series such as Switch, Sunshine and The Publicist.

The 13-episode show follows the life of young and successful banker Kanti (Tara Basro), who is fired from her job at a leading bank.

With the sudden change to her life, Kanti quickly moves on to become a spiritual financial advisor with the help of her best friend Niki (Lutesha), who is already part of the holistic lifestyle movement.

Along the way, Kanti crosses paths with Indra (Richard Kyle), a son of an entrepreneur and potential love interest, as well as Edo (Natalius Chendana), a debt collector who plays a role in her life.

Although not many plot details have been announced by Viu, the show is expected to feature a mix of drama, romance and comedy with powerful female leads.

Sari came up with the idea for the show from her own personal life. Growing up, she was always a logical thinker — always looking for literal ways to go about life.

When she grew older, the holistic world finally caught her eye, inspiring her to write Halustik.

 “I thought of the characters Kanti and Niki from my own life […] I went to university to major in physics and, for my whole life, I have thought through things logically. If you left me at home alone when I was younger, I would always be scared of robbers not ghosts. When I was finally older, the holistic world bugged me all the time. It doesn’t make any sense but I believe it too. It was like living in two worlds. So that’s how it is, the characters came from my personal life,” said Sari.

On board to direct Halustik are three award winning national and international directors — Nia Dinata, Lucky Kuswandi, and Andri Cung.

Previously, Nia and Andri have worked with Viu on a number of original series and were mentors for the contestants in the Viu Pitching Forum 2018.

Star of the show: Tara Basro plays as Kanti in Viu’s original series Halustik, which is set to be released in mid September. The show follows Kanti, a young banker, after she is fired from her job at a leading bank. She quickly turns herself into a spiritual financial adviser with a holistic lifestyle.(Courtesy of Viu)

Upon reading the script for Halustik, the directors were captivated by the unique storyline. Not only did they think it would attract many viewers but that it would also be relatable to the millennial audience.

“Indonesians, and Asians in general, are unique. On one side, they embrace modern lifestyles, but on the other hand there are plenty of people who still believe in holistic and spiritual beliefs. This contradiction will be an interesting story to bring forth to Viuers, [fans of Viu’s series,] in Indonesia,” Lucky said.

As well as directing, Nia co-wrote the series with Sari as they have been working together since 2010.

“Sally has actually been my student since 2010. She joined a workshop, a sort of master class, and I have seen that she has a lot of potential. So, if I didn’t mentor her it would be such a waste,” Nia said.

The Halustik cast features new and veteran actors with some having already featured in other Viu productions like Chendana, who previously played one of the main characters in Viu’s original film Kenapa Harus Bule? (Why Does It Have to be a Foreigner?).

Other actors are fresh faces in the industry, such as Lutesha, whose performance in her debut movie My Generation caught the attention of the director trio.

With a well-selected cast and a powerful combination of directors, Viu’s Halustik will attract fans from across Asia with its romantic-comedy and drama elements. Yet, its exploration of holistic and spiritual lifestyles will set it apart from generic Asian romantic-comedy and drama series.

The energetic cast was chosen not only for their personalities but also their abilities to challenge themselves with each character.

“Since the Viu Pitching Forum, Lucky and I have always thought that Tara needed to play Kanti. Honestly, Tara’s personality is very Niki-like but if we give an actress a character that they are like in day-to-day life, it’s useless because there’s no challenge,” Nia said.

“So, playing Kanti will challenge Tara to be strict, independent and show discipline to bring the most out of her character,”

“For Lutesha, I first saw her in Upi Avianto’s movie My Generation […] I really wanted to work with her so when we had this show I thought she was perfect to play Niki,”

“For Natalius, we were actually confused who to call in to play the character Edo. We saw him and thought he was perfect to play a debt collector,”

“For Richard, we thought of him for a character that makes a person like Kanti — who is disciplined, straightforward, independent and doesn’t want to think of guys — fall in love. It isn’t easy to make Kanti fall in love so we thought a guy like Richard would fit the role.”

Acting chops: Lutesha (left) acts out an intense scene in Halustik at Seribu Rasa. (JP/Audrey Cahyadi)

— The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post