In Demand by Several Directors, Here's Why Manoj Punjabi Finally Chose Awi Suryadi to Direct 'KKN DI DESA PENARI'

Kapanlagi.com - Since it went viral on Twitter, the story of KKN in Desa Penari written by Simple Man has become the target of several film production houses. And in the end, MD Pictures managed to obtain the rights to bring the story to the big screen.

After that, several famous directors competed to offer themselves to direct the film KKN DI DESA PENARI. And in the end, Awi Suryadi was chosen by Manoj Punjabi, the founder of MD Pictures. What was the reason?

"Awi Suryadi has worked with MD before, he made DANUR. Now, when this went viral, he was really eager, so we couldn't say no. I'm excited to work with someone who is excited. And Awi is very passionate, so we can go all out," said Manoj in an exclusive interview with KapanLagi.com recently.

1. The Original Author is Not Involved Much

'KKN DI DESA PENARI' will be released on April 30, 2022 / Credit Photo: Instagram - kknmovie

As we know, until now Simpleman, the creator of the KKN DI DESA PENARI story thread, is a mysterious figure. No one knows his real identity or the location of the real events he narrates.

So the question is, how involved was Simpleman in the production process of the KKN DI DESA PENARI film?

"I always believe that the author of the book, the original writer, should not be too involved, otherwise it would be biased. And Simpleman also left it to MD, because he knows that when it comes to making a film, it's a different expertise. So our interaction is quite healthy and he doesn't get involved in things like it has to be this way or that way," continued Manoj.

2. Spending More Than Rp 15 Billion Budget

'KKN DI DESA PENARI' will be released on April 30, 2022 / Credit Photo: Instagram - kknmovie

Manoj himself is quite open about the budget for KKN DI DESA PENARI. According to him, the production costs for KKN DI DESA PENARI could reach above Rp 15 billion!

"We faced a lot of challenges during filming. The budget increased, but Alhamdulillah everything ended well and smoothly. The budget range is above Rp 15 billion. That's insane," he added.

3. Showing on April 30, 2022

Poster 'KKN DI DESA PENARI UNCUT VERSION' / Photo Credit: MD Pictures

KKN DI DESA PENARI was originally scheduled to be released in 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic caused the screening of this film, directed by Awi Suryadi, to be postponed. And in early 2022, after a 2-year wait, film lovers finally received good news because KKN DI DESA PENARI was scheduled to be shown in February 2022, before being postponed again.

"It was supposed to be released in 2020, but as we all know, the pandemic caused a delay. Then we came up with a strategy to release it in February because fans were eager to watch it quickly, so we also chose the right date, but the situation did not allow it. Imagine if I released it in February, PPKM level 3, it would definitely have an effect," said Manoj Punjabi in an exclusive interview with the KapanLagi.com team on Monday (28/3).

But don't worry, because there is now a fixed date for the screening of KKN DI DESA PENARI, which is on April 30, 2022. Well, hopefully there are no more obstacles that will require this MD Pictures film to be postponed again. Fingers crossed.

4. Watch the Trailer!

(kpl/gtr)