Mesmerizing: Maudy Ayunda stars as the young Ainun Habibie in the upcoming Habibie & Ainun 3. (Courtesy of MD Pictures)

Indonesians are still mourning the recent death of Indonesia’s third president, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, one of the most important figures during the last years of the New Order regime.

Habibie, in the last decade, has become something of a pop culture icon, a massive shift from his technocratic persona as the research and technology minister under authoritarian ruler Soeharto. Contemporary Indonesians see him as a loyal husband who stayed on the deathbed of his wife, Ainun, during her last days of battling cancer.

A photo of Habibie kissing Ainun as she laid dying mellowed almost an entire nation, and has inspired movie productions known as the Habibie-Ainun Universe saga with Habibie & Ainun in 2012 and Rudy Habibie in 2016, both produced my MD Pictures.

Following Habibie’s passing in September, MD Pictures announce the third and, probably, the last installment of the saga: Habibie & Ainun 3.

Having drawn more than 4 million moviegoers with Habibie & Ainun and over 2 million with Rudy Habibie, the third installment of the saga potentially become a big hit in theaters as well. It is set to have its public screening in December.

“For me, [Habibie & Ainun 3] is more than just a movie, because this means everything to Pak Habibie, and I hope it will become his legacy,” MD Pictures CEO Manoj Punjabi said during the release of the movie trailer in Jakarta recently.

Manoj noted the involvement of Habibie himself in the production of the film and how he had been eager to make the story as detailed as possible to capture the memories of him and Ainun.

“He was really involved even in the scenario and the dialogues, especially for the ending. So, when you watch the ending, the script is based on the words of Habibie himself,” Manoj said.

Habibie & Ainun 3 tells the story of the young Ainun, portrayed by Maudy Ayunda, and her struggle to study medicine at the University of Indonesia (UI), which was deemed impossible for a girl during the 1960s. The film also explores Ainun’s other romantic interests before she married Habibie.

According to director Hanung Bramantyo, who was also the director of the prequel, Rudy Habibie, the narrative of the young Ainun’s life is based on information from her college friend, Arlis Reksoprojo.

“I got a lot of information from Arlis; however, I could not get her to talk about Ainun’s boyfriends before [Ainun] met Habibie,” Hanung said, implying that some of the characters in the film were fictionalized.

Nevertheless, Habibie’s first son, Ilham Akbar Habibie, expressed his gratitude for the film and his hope that people would always remember his parents’ legacy.

“I have always said how significant father’s legacy was, not only in Indonesia but also overseas, where there are people who have mourned and remember him,” Ilham said.

— The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

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