Two decades after "Ada Apa Dengan Cinta?" (AADC), the Indonesian romance movie that sparked a phenomenon, renowned Indonesian director Riri Riza is bringing the iconic story back to life through a new film titled "Rangga & Cinta", the movie that was released on Nov 6 in local cinemas and winning fans all over the country.
And after "Sore: Istri dari Masa Depan" (also known as 'Sore: Wife From the Future') hit box office gold in Asia, and also Malaysia, the latest romance hit from Indonesia is doing the same again, having hit top marks throughout the Nusantara region and beyond.
Published by Miles Films with producers Mira Lesmana, Toto Prasetyanto, and Nicholas Saputra, known as the first generation Rangga. The film features young actors Leya Princy and El Putra Sarira as the main characters who revive the souls of Rangga and Cinta.
Leya revealed that she and El Putra were willing to explore several locations to live up to the spirit of their respective characters.
“To bring Rangga and Cinta’s characters to life and build rapport, we went to locations that were the setting for their stories, such as aesthetic cafes and bookstores.
“I also dressed like Cinta in that era,” she said when met during the Gala Premiere of "Rangga dan Cinta" in the capital recently.
The movie is brought in by top local producers Primeworks Studios, who have already hit top standards this year with mega-hits "Blood Brothers: Bara Naga", "Ejen Ali 2", the haunting "Qifarah", and also "Sore: Istri dari Masa Depan".
For director Riri, revisiting AADC was a deeply emotional experience.
"I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of this journey from the very beginning, starting with the script development," he shared during the event.
"Working on this project has been both an honour and a heartwarming experience. I was especially inspired when I met the young cast members chosen through a highly selective process."
To ensure authenticity and emotional depth, Riri implemented an intensive five-month training and rehearsal period.
"We spent almost five months refining every crucial scene. The biggest challenge was how to make this feel like a brand-new film without losing the soul of the original.
"I worked with many young and talented individuals, and their energy gives me great hope for the future of Indonesian cinema."
Producer Mira Lesmana, who has worked alongside Riri for various projects in the past, emphasised that this new musical production had been developed with meticulous care to preserve the emotional DNA of the original.
"This project took years of planning. We wanted to ensure that the essence of AADC — the themes of youth, poetry and the bittersweetness of love — remained intact," Mira explained.
Casting, she revealed, was one of the most challenging stages.
"We held open auditions involving over 700 young hopefuls before we finally discovered the perfect pair — El Putra Sarira as Rangga and Leya Princy as Cinta. Their chemistry felt natural from the start."
As for "Rangga and Cinta", this romantic musical film also combines literary elements, songs, and choreography as the main storytelling language.
It features reprises of classic songs composed by Melly Goeslaw and Anto Hoed, in addition to introducing new songs, including Rangga Cinta sung by Eva Celia and Bilal Indrajaya.
One of the film's main attractions is the bold decision to film almost all of the singing scenes live on set, rather than pre-recorded.
Every breath, every vocal vibration, and every subtle crack of emotion flowing from the actors is captured as it happens, making each song present with an authenticity that we rarely feel in a musical film. This authenticity elevates music as the language of the heart — not decoration, but the heart of the story.
Not just nostalgia, "Rangga dan Cinta" is described as a fresh, realistic, and close to the soul of today's generation's teenage love story.
The beautiful cinematography, simple dialogue, and musical scenes of Suara Hati Kekasih also went viral on TikTok when thousands of users joined the 'duet challenge' and made video reviews.
So, fans of romance movies if they are in search of romantic moments and ever-loving charm, have a go with this latest top offering from Indonesia's top movie producers.
