4 May – Having already made a household name for herself in Indonesia, action star Farali Khan feels blessed that more opportunities are open for her in the local film industry. The actress stars in Thorpe Ali's directorial debut, "VII XII" ("Tujuh Dua Belas") which is about the criminal cases of child abduction and illegal trafficking of human organs. Of mixed Chinese-Pakistani heritage, Farali explained that one cannot avoid the possibility and risk of injuries during the shooting of an action film, and this included having dislocated her jaw during a fight scene of the film. "This film is packed with action fight scenes and I only managed to train for two weeks before the shooting started. As a boxer, it is not easy for me to learn silat because my muscle memory is more on boxing." "There is always a risk of injuries and this is normal when you act in action movies. In addition to the bruises on my body, my jaw was also dislocated. But after receiving treatment, the doctor told me there was nothing serious so I just let it go," she said when met during the premiere and press conference of the movie at GSC at The Starling, Petaling Jaya on Tuesday night. Farali, however, does not put the blame on any party nor make a big deal of the matter since the choreography for the fight scene was changed at the last minute due to time constraints.
Sharing about her experience of working with Indonesian martial arts YouTube star, Chintya Candranaya and Master Agus Setiawan Jaya, Farali admitted that she did not face any issues in their collaboration because she is also fluent in Indonesian. "I really enjoyed working with them and it's easy for me to interact with them because I can speak their language. I consider them my second family." "I was also able to gain the knowledge of martial arts from those who have mastered it for many years. So I learned a lot since this film also uses a lot of martial arts movements during the fight scenes," she added. The safety of the cast is paramount in every production. As such, without using a stunt double, Farali makes sure that she trains and prepares properly for every fight scene. "If there is a stunt that I don't think I can do, I will talk to the production. What happened to me (the dislocated jaw) was an accident and there was nothing that could be avoided." "The production provides insurance and paramedics are on standby on the set when we work on the fight scenes," Farali said, having once broken her ankle while during the filming of the movie "Wira". At the same time, Farali also shared the good news that she is now expecting a baby and her pregnancy is about to enter its third trimester. "Praise be to God, throughout this pregnancy I did not experience any struggles and managed to fast fully throughout the month of Ramadan." "I am enjoying this pregnancy journey. I am happy because I can eat a lot since before I had to take care of my body to act in action movies," she said. Farali added that she had to turn down many acting offers since the beginning of her pregnancy, but promised to make a comeback after giving birth to her first child. "VII XII" tells the story of Safia, a martial arts athlete who has to fight for her life to save her nephew who has been kidnapped by a group of human organ traffickers.
In addition to Farali, this film also stars Johan As'ari and Adam Darwisyh. "VII XII" is currently screening in cinemas nationwide, opening on 4 May.