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Jefri Nichol and Lutesha discuss 'Ali Topan' and reconstructing a legacy
Two actors share how they delicately walked the tightrope between staying true to the originals and putting a modern stamp amid changing times.
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The notorious street kid: Directed by Sidharta Tata ('Quarantine Tales'), the 2024 revamped version of 'Ali Topan' stars Jefri Nichol ('Jakarta, City of Dreamers') in the title role. The 'Ali Topan' chronicles were first introduced by the late litterateur and journalist Teguh Esha in 'Stop' magazine in 1972. (Courtesy of Visinema Pictures/--)
L
aunching a successful fictional character series is already a daunting task. Honoring a series that has endured for almost half a century while also revamping them for the modern world, however, is perhaps an uphill battle that is more treacherous than might be imaginable.
This could very well describe the Ali Topan saga, and how Visinema Pictures is attempting to revive it for 21st-century audiences.
First authored by Indonesian litterateur and journalist Teguh Esha as a literary series in 1972, the story of the so-called anak jalanan (street kid) who fights for his ideals in the corrupted metropolis has spawned three published novels, two motion picture adaptations in the 1970s, one music album, one soap opera adaptation in 1997 starring Ari Sihasale, and, most recently, another feature film to premiere on Feb. 14, exactly 52 years after the first Ali Topan story was published in the now-defunct Stop magazine.
Helming this colossal ark is Sidharta Tata (Quarantine Tales) with the 25-year-old, Citra Award-nominee Jefri Nichol (Jakarta, City of Dreamers) inheriting the title role. Furthermore, it would not have been Ali Topan without the equally venerated heroine, Anna Karenina, a role that is now bequeathed to the Citra Award-nominee Lutesha (13 Bombs in Jakarta). The two actors had a sit down with The Jakarta Post on Jan. 22 to discuss the picture.
