Ketika Cinta Bertasbih

Ketika Cinta Bertasbih^[a] is a 2009 Indonesian Islamic romance film directed by Chaerul Umam. Starring Cholidi Asadil Alam, Alice Norin, and Oki Setiana Dewi, it follows a young Indonesian student of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, who is caught in a love triangle with the daughter of an ambassador and a master's student.

Based on the novel of the same name by Habiburrahman El Shirazy, Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was released following the success of Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love, 2008). Dissatisfied with the earlier adaptation of his novel, the filmmakers cast amateurs through a lengthy open audition process and emphasized the film's Islamic nature. Produced with a budget of approximately Rp 40 billion (USD 4 million), Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was released on 11 June 2009 to commercial success, becoming the best-selling Indonesian film of the year. The film received several awards, as well as a sequel and two television series.

Azzam (Cholidi Asadil Alam) is an Indonesian student at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Eliana (Alice Norin) asks him to cater an event hosted by her father, the Indonesian ambassador. The following day, she offers him a French kiss in return, which he refuses. Ali (Didi Petet), an embassy driver, urges him not to return Eliana's affection, instead suggesting the master's student Anna (Oki Setiana Dewi) as a better match. Although Azzam doubts their compatibility, as he sells food whereas Anna is the daughter of a noted kyai (Islamic scholar), Ali insists. Following up on Ali's recommendation, Azzam learns that Anna has already received a proposal from his friend Furqon (Andi Arsyil Rahman). He is dissuaded from pursuing a relationship by Ustad Mujab (Habiburrahman El Shirazy), who emphasises their different statuses. Meanwhile, Anna and Furqon both have qualms about their potential relationship.

A series of tribulations challenges the Indonesian students. Azzam's apartment is broached by police looking for a criminal named Wail; although they leave, Azzam's roommate Fadhil (Lucky Perdana) faints. Meanwhile, Furqon, preparing to defend his thesis, awakens to an email threatening to release compromising pictures should he fail to pay. Anna and her friend leave their bags on a bus; Azzam helps them, paying a taxi driver to chase after the bus so they can retrieve their belongings. After their interaction on the bus, Anna and Azzam develop affections for each other. However, as Anna never introduced herself, they realize the difficulty of reuniting. Seeing that Anna is due to moderate a seminar, Azzam attends and recognizes her from the bus. He asks Mujab to introduce them, but Anna cannot as she is due to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for research. Meanwhile, Eliana continues to pursue Azzam, asking him to cater her birthday.

Furqon learns that his extorter, revealed to be an Israeli serial blackmailer, has been caught. He is advised that most of her victims develop AIDS; after being tested, he is found to be HIV positive. To ensure the secrecy of his diagnosis, he returns to Indonesia. Anna also return to Indonesia, befriending Azzam's sister during a speaking tour in Surakarta, Central Java. She formally accepts Furqon's proposal upon the condition that he not take a second wife. Furqon, remembering his promise not to spread the disease, is conflicted. Azzam and Eliana also fly to Indonesia, taking the same flight. After disembarking, they are surrounded by a group of reporters intent on learning about Eliana's upcoming soap opera. Eliana attempts to introduce Azzam as her boyfriend. Azzam dismisses this, calling himself her tempeh seller, and waves to his sister.

Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was directed by Chaerul Umam, who had a reputation for directing films with Islamic themes but had not worked in cinema since the failure of Fatahillah in 1997,^[1] for SinemArt Pictures.^[2] The soundtrack for the film was provided by Anto Hoed and Melly Goeslaw;^[1] the latter considered the soundtrack more difficult than her usual work on teen romances, due to its religious themes.^[3] Cinematography was handled by Rudy Kurwet, with artistic direction by El Badrun and sound arrangement by Adityawan Susanto. Editing was handled by Rizal Basri.^[2]

The screenplay for Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was written by Imam Tantowi, an established director,^[1] based on the novel of the same name by Habiburrahman El Shirazy.^[4] El Shirazy had risen to prominence through the commercial success of Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love, 2008), an adaptation of his 2004 novel which sold more than three million tickets.^[5] Despite this success, El Shirazy was displeased with the changes made during Hanung Bramantyo's adaptation, and thus decided to become more involved in the filmmaking process. He also sought a cast of amateurs, fearing that professional actors may move on to roles contrary to Islamic teachings.^[6]

Consequently, open casting for Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was conducted in several Indonesian cities, including Jakarta, Padang, Surabaya, Pontianak, and Makassar,^[7] over a period of three and a half months.^[4] These auditions were designed to find newcomers who had both the desired acting ability and understanding of Islamic teachings.^[7] After auditioning some 7,000 aspirants, a short list of candidates was compiled, with the final audition televised on RCTI and judged by a panel including El Shirazy.^[8]

These auditions resulted in the casting of Cholidi Asadil Alam, Alice Norin, Andi Arsyil Rahman, Oki Setiana Dewi, and Meyda Sefira. Aside from Norin, who had had experience in soap operas, none of the actors cast through the talent search had previous acting credits. All, however, had competed at the national level in other fields.^[9] Several supporting roles were taken by established actors such as Niniek L. Karim and Deddy Mizwar,^[2] though they had limited screentime.^[1]

The budget for Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was large by Indonesian standards, approximately Rp 40 billion (USD 4 million). Shooting took place in Egypt and in Indonesia.^[10] As part of its emphasis on Islamic messaging, unmarried actors and actresses were not allowed to touch on screen.^[11]

Prior to release, Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was promoted heavily,^[1] being billed as a "mega film" through large billboards. Emphasis was given to its location shooting in Egypt, as well as claims that it would "shake eight countries".^[4] The film received endorsements from prominent religious leaders and parliamentarians such as Hidayat Nur Wahid,^[4] and it was one of the first films labelled halal by the Indonesian Ulama Council.^[12] On 11 June 2009, Ketika Cinta Bertasbih received a wide release in 148 cinemas throughout Indonesia.^[4] Post-release advertising emphasized the growing viewership, with two million tickets sold after two months,^[4] and a total of three million tickets sold during the film's theatrical run.^[13] It was the best-selling Indonesian film of 2009.^[14]

Reviewing for The Jakarta Post, Nauval Yazid deemed Ketika Cinta Bertasbih a disappointment, staying too true to the novel and following an overly passive protagonist. He highlighted the film's panoramic views as its strongest asset.^[1] Internet reviews accused the film of being overly verbose, contrasting its use of diction with the more filmic approach used by Iranian filmmakers.^[4] Many audience members compared Ketika Cinta Bertasbih with Ayat-Ayat Cinta, generally unfavourably.^[11]

A sequel, Ketika Cinta Bertasbih 2, was announced for 17 September 2009, during the Ramadan holiday.^[4] Shot concurrently with the first film,^[15] it follows Azzam's life in Indonesia after graduating from Al Azhar, including his struggle selling bakso (meatball soup) and his ultimate marriage to Anna.^[16] This film was also a commercial success, though it did not sell as many tickets,^[13] with a viewership of approximately 1.4 million.^[11] Ketika Cinta Bertasbih 2 received two nominations at the 2009 Indonesian Film Festival, for best supporting actor and best supporting actress, as well as two Golden Screen Awards at the 2010 Indonesian Movie Awards.^[17]

A television adaptation of Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was broadcast on RCTI for Ramadan 2010.^[18] Taking place over 56 episodes and featuring the original cast,^[19] this series depicted Azzam and Anna as taking the leadership of a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) while dealing with difficulty conceiving a child.^[18] A second series, which received the subtitle Meraih Ridho Ilahi (Achieving the Divine's Blessing), followed in 2011 and ran for 25 episodes.^[19]

Ketika Cinta Bertasbih was received three awards at the 2010 Indonesian Movie Awards, as well as two awards at the 2010 Bandung Film Festival.^[20]

• Ketika Cinta Bertasbih at IMDb