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Movie poster for Kang Solah from Kang Mak x Nenek Gayung (2025)

Kang Solah from Kang Mak x Nenek Gayung

2025
1h 56m
Director: Herwin Novianto
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Overview

Solah Vicenzio returns to his hometown, accompanied by Fajrul, Jaka, and Supra. Solah imagines his homecoming will be celebrated like that of a hero but instead, he’s mistaken for a ghost. His disappointment deepens when he learns that the girl he’s long had feelings for, Dara Gonzales, is about to marry his own younger brother, Iqbal. However, their wedding is disrupted by terrifying appearances of a ghostly figure—Nenek Gayung, the corpse-washing spirit searching for her next victim to bathe. The only way to save Iqbal and Dara’s wedding is for Solah and his friends to confront Nenek Gayung and seek help from Kangmas Pusi.

Cast

12 people

Reviews

6 min read
AI-generated editorial review
Ghosts, Giggles, and the Art of Not Taking Yourself Too Seriously

I’ll admit it: I went into Kang Solah from Kang Mak x Nenek Gayung expecting a mess. Not the good kind of mess—the kind where you squint at the screen and wonder if anyone involved paused to ask, “Wait, does this actually make sense?” But somewhere between the Bollywood dance number in the forest and the corpse-washing ghost who feels more like a chaotic auntie than a terror, I found myself grinning. This film isn’t trying to be smart. It’s trying to be fun. And in a year where so much cinema feels like homework, that’s not nothing.

A dimly lit village scene at dusk, with lanterns casting long shadows as Solah and his friends stand in a tense standoff with an unseen presence.

Herwin Novianto, the director steering this franchise ship, has a knack for turning folklore into farce. His 2024 remake Kang Mak from Pee Mak was a box-office hit in Indonesia, and Kang Solah is its rowdier, more unhinged cousin. Where the first film played it relatively straight—a soldier returns to his ghostly wife, à la Thai original Pee Mak—this spin-off throws caution to the wind. It’s not just a sequel; it’s a crossover event, mashing up the Kang Mak universe with the Indonesian urban legend of Nenek Gayung, a spirit who washes corpses and, apparently, crashes weddings. The result is a film that feels like it was written during a caffeine-fueled brainstorming session: “What if the ghost-wife guy’s brother is in love with the same woman? And what if a corpse-washer shows up? And what if we throw in a Bollywood dance number for no reason?”

The film’s greatest strength is its cast, a mix of stand-up comedians and veteran actors who clearly relish the chance to goof off. Rigen Rakelna, stepping into the lead role of Solah, is a revelation—not because he’s a dramatic powerhouse, but because he commits so fully to the absurdity. Solah is a war veteran who returns home expecting a hero’s welcome, only to be mistaken for a ghost. It’s a premise ripe for pathos, but Rakelna plays it for laughs, his expressions oscillating between wounded pride and manic energy. His chemistry with Indra Jegel, who plays the fast-talking Fajrul, is electric. Their banter feels improvised, even when it’s not, and their physical comedy—especially in the “five become one” team-up sequences—lands more often than it misses.

But the real scene-stealer is Asri Welas as Nenek Gayung. The corpse-washing ghost is a staple of Indonesian horror, but here she’s reimagined as a source of chaos rather than terror. Welas, known for her comedic chops, dials back the scares in favor of a performance that’s equal parts eerie and ridiculous. She moves like a marionette with its strings cut, her voice a raspy whisper that somehow still manages to sound like she’s complaining about the state of the wedding buffet. It’s a delicate balance, and Welas walks it perfectly. The horror elements are there—she is a ghost, after all—but they’re secondary to the film’s primary goal: making you laugh.

Audience Opinions

AI summary of viewer review patterns
Audience 6.5/10 AI
"A chaotic but entertaining mashup of comedy, fantasy, and horror with standout performances overshadowed by uneven pacing."

Viewers appreciate the film’s bold attempt to blend genres, particularly praising the comedic timing and energy of the lead cast. However, the story’s disjointed structure and overstuffed plot leave many feeling it struggles to find a cohesive tone, swinging between slapstick humor and horror without fully committing to either. The visual style and chemistry among the main actors are frequently highlighted as saving graces.

What viewers praise
  • Energetic lead performances Rigen Rakelna and Indra Jegel deliver lively, charismatic performances that keep the film engaging despite its flaws.
  • Creative genre blending The mix of comedy, fantasy, and horror offers a fresh, if messy, take on familiar tropes.
  • Strong comedic moments The humor lands well in spots, particularly in scenes featuring the ensemble cast’s chemistry.
  • Visually engaging The film’s aesthetic and production design are praised for their creativity and attention to detail.
Common complaints
  • Uneven pacing The story jumps between tones and plot threads too quickly, leaving some viewers confused or disengaged.
  • Overstuffed plot Too many subplots and characters dilute the focus, making the narrative feel cluttered.
  • Tonal whiplash The shifts between comedy and horror are jarring, with some scenes failing to balance the two effectively.
  • Underdeveloped side characters Supporting roles often feel shallow or underutilized, detracting from the film’s potential depth.
Recommended for
Fans of Indonesian genre-blending films Comedy-horror enthusiasts Rigen Rakelna and Indra Jegel fans Those who enjoy chaotic, high-energy movies Herwin Novianto’s filmography followers

Full Plot (Spoilers)

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Buzz & Rumors

Public reports
AI-researched entertainment notes

Kang Solah’s Real-Life Chaos: Casting Shade, Wife Permission & Comedy Set Carnage

Indonesia’s favorite horror-comedy spin-off didn’t just summon ghosts on screen — it summoned gossip in real life. From a public “who-picked-the-girl?” showdown to a husband asking his wife for approval before fake-engaging a co-star, Kang Solah from Kang Mak x Nenek Gayung is quietly one of the messiest wholesome productions out there.


Cast Feuds & Press-Conference Shade

“You picked your own fiancée!” — Indra Jegel vs. Rigen Rakelna

At an August 24, 2025 press conference in Jakarta, Indra Jegel decided to spice things up by publicly claiming that Rigen Rakelna personally chose Davina Karamoy to be his leading lady in Kang Solah.

  • Indra’s line that launched a thousand side-eyes:

“Bahkan, ini kalau enggak percaya, tanya sama Bu Erica, Rigen pemeran ceweknya Rigen yang pilih.” Roughly: “If you don’t believe it, ask Bu Erica — Rigen picked his own female co-star.”

  • Rigen instantly clapped back, calling it a lie and basically hitting the “everyone calm down” button:

“Enggak maksudnya tuh, maksudnya gini, tenang jangan panik, maksudnya karena Davina kan emang bagus mainnya.” [1] Translation: “No, that’s not what it is, calm down, it’s because Davina is genuinely good at acting.”

  • In another interview, he sharpened the denial:

“Itu bohong, enggak ada begitu. Maksudnya, Davina memang aktingnya bagus, bukan karena saya yang pilih,” he said while laughing — “That’s a lie, there’s no such thing. Davina’s acting is just good, it’s not because I chose her.”

The mysterious “Bu Erica”

Indra keeps pointing to a shadowy “Bu Erica” as his alleged witness, but no one has publicly clarified who she is — casting director, producer, or just the ultimate office gossip? Fans have been left to speculate, because neither Indra nor Rigen has followed up with receipts. [1][3][4]

Roasted by comedy legends on his own movie

At the same presser, senior legend Indro Warkop happily poured more oil on the fire. When Indra joked that a “nyosor” (almost-kiss) moment in the trailer was Rigen’s own request, Indro chimed in:

  • “Kalau yang sampai beneran (ciuman), itu diedit,” he quipped — basically: “If there was a real kiss, it got edited out.”

The room reportedly erupted, with Rigen becoming the official “punching bag” of the event — Suara.com described him as “jadi bulan-bulanan” (everyone’s target for teasing) just for being paired with Davina. [2]


Romance Rumors & Real-Life Love Lives

Rigen’s very married — and he had to get wife sign-off

Before anyone could seriously ship Kang Solah and Dara, Rigen made it clear he is a married man and not sneaking in any method-acting romance.

  • On whether his wife got jealous:

“Enggak, enggak cemberut. Dia mah udah ikhlas juga lah. Dia percaya lah kalau Davina tuh profesional gitu,” he said — “No, she doesn’t sulk. She’s sincere about it. She believes Davina is professional.” [5]

  • He also stressed, “Ya saya juga profesional gitu,” [5] giving big faithful family man doing his job energy.
  • And that spicy “jealous wife” content you see floating around? He openly called it gimmick:

“Kalau misalkan ngelihat di media sosial ya itu bagian dari ya gimmick juga lah. Kebetulan Indah kan juga ngonten banget kan. Dia kan sekarang seleb TikTok gitu dia sekarang.” [5] Translation: “If you see it on social media, that’s just gimmick. Indah makes a lot of content — she’s basically a TikTok celeb now.”

Davina’s off-screen dating headlines

While Davina Karamoy’s connection to Rigen is strictly professional (and thoroughly wife-approved), her real-life love life has been busy:

  • Entertainment accounts and social media gossip have repeatedly linked her romantically to musician Ardhito Pramono, reporting that their relationship is getting “more serious” in 2025.

None of that is directly tied to Kang Solah, but fans absolutely dragged those headlines into their ship debates once the movie dropped.


On-Set Drama & Comedy Mayhem

A set that was basically a 2-hour stand-up show

With Rigen, Indra Jegel, Indro Warkop, Tora Sudiro, Andre Taulany, Praz Teguh and more all in one project, this was never going to be a calm, “method-acting-in-a-corner” kind of shoot.

  • Davina openly admitted that not laughing was one of her biggest acting challenges on the film, because she was surrounded by comedians going full chaos mode between takes.
  • Behind-the-scenes clips show exactly that vibe: X account @FilmIndoSource posted video of Asri Welas, Rigen Rakelna and Andre Taulany fooling around on set, just clowning in costume in between shots.
  • YTYouTube·Bloopers "Kang Solah From Kang Mak X Nenek Gayun…
    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nlrJIdqhnTA
  • Multiple blooper reels were cut together and released as promos: Uncle Indro doing “fight science,” Rigen and Kenzy Taulany messing up dramatic beats, the cast breaking character mid-horror scare — pure chaos. [8]

“Kang Solah is the punching bag” energy

Suara.com’s coverage of the casting press conference makes it clear that Rigen’s real role, off screen, is “guy everyone dunks on for content.” Between Indra’s fake-accusations and Indro’s roasting about edited-out kissing, Rigen played the good sport, laughing along while becoming the unofficial main character of every meme. [2]


Love Triangles, On-Screen & Off (At Least in Fans’ Minds)

On-screen: Kenzy Taulany ‘steals’ Davina from Rigen

The film’s core romantic mess is already tabloid-ready:

  • Dara (Davina) is originally Kang Solah’s fiancée.
  • Then younger brother Iqbal — played by Kenzy Taulany — ends up engaged to her instead. [4][7]

Headlines quickly leaned into it: Suara.com framed it as “Kenzy Rebut Davina Karamoy dari Rigen,” [7] which sounds a lot more like a love-life exposé than a plot synopsis.

Davina herself teased it in interviews, confirming Dara is “tunangannya Kang Solah” at first before circumstances shift, and playing up the comedic heartbreak of the situation. [7]

Off-screen: ships, but no receipts

  • Fans, predictably, started shipping:
  • Rigen–Davina, thanks to the engagement storyline and near-kiss trailer moment.
  • Kenzy–Davina, fueled by the plot twist of Iqbal “winning” Dara in the movie. [7]
  • However, there are no confirmed reports that any of these pairings spilled into real life. All solid reporting still frames it as strictly on-camera chemistry and marketing-friendly banter.

Scandals, Controversies & Soft-Drama Casting Issues

The “did Rigen rig the casting?” mini-scandal

The closest thing to a scandal around Kang Solah is that ongoing, half-jokey, half-serious accusation from Indra Jegel that Rigen used his influence to be paired with Davina. [1][2][3][4]

  • Indra has repeated versions of this story in different outlets, always with a wink — blaming Rigen for the near-kiss scene and teasing that Rigen specifically requested Davina.
  • Rigen, meanwhile, has consistently denied it and pushed the line that:
  • Casting was handled by the production team.
  • Davina is there because she is “mantap” (great), talented and deserving. [1][4]

The tone in most coverage is light and comedic, but the fact that multiple outlets wrote it up shows how much the public latched onto this as the production’s main “scandal.”

No lawsuits, no big moral panic — just “is this too silly?”

Based on available reporting:

  • There are no lawsuits, harassment scandals, or major moral controversies tied to the film or its production.
  • The loudest criticism has been more about tone than behavior: some reviewers say the movie feels like a spin-off that’s “too light” and relies heavily on the comedians’ riffing, which, for some viewers, makes the emotional beats (like Solah’s heartbreak) feel overshadowed by jokes.

That mild critical backlash, plus the comedy-over-horror balance, has fed into fan debates about whether Kang Solah was really necessary as a spin-off — or just an excuse to let the comedians go wild in a new setting.


Wild Trivia, OST Battles & Folklore Mashup Chaos

Rigen allegedly fought for the dangdut OST

In a very Indonesian form of drama, one of the big creative tussles was reportedly over the soundtrack.

  • Antara reported that Rigen pushed for a specific classic dangdut song to be used as the film’s soundtrack because he felt it fit the emotional tone of Solah’s journey.
  • The song choice ultimately made it through and became part of the film’s OST — a decision that paid off when the track started getting recycled as a TikTok background audio in Kang Solah edits and memes even before the film’s wide release. [12]

A horror-comedy that keeps mutating

Kang Solah from Kang Mak x Nenek Gayung isn’t just a sequel. It’s:

Indonesian film accounts on Instagram described it as a “spin-off yang berani memadukan horor adaptasi Pee Mak dengan sentuhan lokal Nenek Gayung,” [10] which many fans read as: “We’re throwing everything spooky and silly into one cinematic blender.”

Critical take: chemistry over everything

A review on Suara’s Liks vertical paints Kang Solah as a “spin-off tanpa beban” — a low-pressure continuation where the laughs come uninvited and the story plays mostly as a goofy hangout with familiar faces. [11]

Fans across social media echo the same sentiment: whatever you think of the plot, the chaotic chemistry between the “squad” — Solah, Fajrul, Jaka, Supra — is the real main event. [11]


Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.