Iko Uwais Responds to the Controversy of the Film 'TIMUR', Using the Analogy of a Fried Rice Seller

Kapanlagi.com - The pride of Indonesian action actors, Iko Uwais, finally makes his directorial debut with his latest film titled TIMUR. However, even before its release, the film has already become a hot topic on social media, guys.

Netizens have highlighted the appearance of the young character Prabowo Subianto as the leader of the Kopassus troops, which some parties consider an attempt to 'polish the image' of the President during his term.

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1. Analogize the Fried Rice Seller

In response to the negative comments, Iko Uwais provided a rather unique and relatable response. During a press conference, this husband of Audy Item used a simple analogy about a fried rice seller in the Blok M area to explain his views on the ongoing pros and cons.

"If I say, where do you want to eat? In Blok M, there are many food vendors lined up, all selling fried rice. But you’ve already judged all the flavors, all of them are salty," said Iko Uwais at the press conference in South Jakarta, Thursday (4/12/2025).

2. Don’t Care About Netizens' Judgement

Iko Uwais in the film TIMUR (credit: instagram.com/filmtimurofficial)

The star of the film THE RAID believes that netizens sometimes rush to label or judge a work without "tasting it" or watching it first. In fact, Iko is very confident that every film offers different experiences and flavors for its audience.

"So I don’t care about everyone’s judgement. What matters is the taste. If it tastes good, feel free to have more; if it doesn’t taste good, just leave it. That’s it," said Iko casually.

3. Clarifying Political Accusations

Film TIMUR (credit: instagram.com/filmtimurofficial)

Besides the matter of taste, Iko also clarified the accusation that this film was made because of political momentum. He explained that the process of working on the film Timur actually started a long time ago, even before Prabowo Subianto was elected as President of the Republic of Indonesia in the last election.

"Honestly, at the time we were producing this film, before Mr. became President, we had been working for two years, right? Almost three years for the process," Iko continued explaining the quite long production timeline.

4. Film Inspired by the Mapenduma Operation

As information, the film TIMUR is a production of Uwais Pictures inspired by the Mapenduma Operation. The story centers on the drama of three friends: Timur, Sila, and Apolo. Timur and Sila grow into trained soldiers assigned to rescue hostages from a terrorist group, where one of the hostages turns out to be their own friend, Apolo.

The film, with a script written by Titien Wattimena, features a star-studded cast including Iko Uwais, Jimmy Kobogau, Aufa Assagaf, Yasamin Jasem, Yusuf Mahardika, and Stefan William. For those curious about the action and direction of Iko Uwais, the film TIMUR is set to premiere in theaters starting December 18, 2025.

(kpl/aal/pit)