{ "id": "ep1bh1871w", "slug": "nagabonar", "title": "Nagabonar", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical", "label": "War and historical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics", "label": "Historical dramas and epics", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z", "label": "Titles M to Z", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z.alpha-m-to-sa", "label": "Titles M to Sa", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z.alpha-m-to-sa" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000: War and historical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical", "label": "War and historical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Nagabonar (Naga Bonar), 1986/1987 Indonesian comedy-drama by M.T. Risyaf, written by Asrul Sani, starring Deddy Mizwar as a pickpocket turned self-appointed general; won six 1987 FFI Citra Awards including Best Film.", "snippet": "Nagabonar (Naga Bonar), 1986/1987 Indonesian comedy-drama by M.T. Risyaf, written by Asrul Sani, starring Deddy Mizwar as a pickpocket turned self-appointed general; won six 1987 FFI Citra Awards including Best Film.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z.alpha-m-to-sa", "markdown": "# Nagabonar\n\n**Nagabonar** (also released as *Naga Bonar*) is an Indonesian comedy-drama film about a Medan pickpocket who appoints himself a general during the Indonesian war of independence, produced in 1986 and released in 1987. It was directed by M.T. Risyaf, written by Asrul Sani, and stars Deddy Mizwar in the title role, with Nurul Arifin as Kirana and Afrizal Anoda as Bujang.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) At the 1987 Indonesian Film Festival (Festival Film Indonesia, FFI) it won Citra Awards, including Best Film, and made Deddy Mizwar a star.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) • [2](https://lsf.go.id/storage/app/media/magazine/2026/R5%20LSF%20Edisi%2001%20Volume%202%20tahun%202026%20OK.pdf) The character became one of the most recognizable figures in Indonesian popular cinema, appearing in a 2007 sequel, a 2008 restored re-release, a 2019 remake, and a 2022 third installment.[3](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/57267/nagabonar-jadi-2-tak-lagi-mengenang-penjajahan) • [4](https://amp.kompas.com/hype/read/2022/06/10/170225066/sinopsis-film-nagabonar-dari-pertama-hingga-terbaru-jangan-terlewat)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original film | *Naga Bonar*, produced 1986, released 18 June 1987; comedy-drama set in the independence war in North Sumatra[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) |\n| Director and writer | Directed by M.T. Risyaf; screenplay and story by Asrul Sani[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) |\n| Lead cast | Deddy Mizwar as Nagabonar, Nurul Arifin as Kirana, Afrizal Anoda as Bujang, Roldiah Matulessy as Nagabonar's mother[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) |\n| 1987 FFI Citra Awards | Won Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Story, Best Actor (Mizwar), Best Supporting Actress (Roldiah), Best Music (Franki Raden), and Best Sound (Hadi Artomo)[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) |\n| International recognition | Indonesia's representative at the 60th Academy Awards[2](https://lsf.go.id/storage/app/media/magazine/2026/R5%20LSF%20Edisi%2001%20Volume%202%20tahun%202026%20OK.pdf) |\n| 2008 restoration | Re-released 8 May 2008 as *Nagabonar*, 101 minutes against the original 108, with dialogue re-recorded by surviving cast and music re-recorded in Dolby Surround[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) |\n| Sequels | *Nagabonar Jadi 2* (2007), directed by Deddy Mizwar; *Naga Naga Naga* (2022)[3](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/57267/nagabonar-jadi-2-tak-lagi-mengenang-penjajahan) • [4](https://amp.kompas.com/hype/read/2022/06/10/170225066/sinopsis-film-nagabonar-dari-pertama-hingga-terbaru-jangan-terlewat) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and character\n\nThe story is set during the physical revolution of 1945 to 1949, when Indonesian forces fought the returning Dutch in [North Sumatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-sumatra). Nagabonar is a former pickpocket who operated around Kesawan in Medan, with no education, described as naive, loyal to his friends, reckless, and honest.[5](https://tirto.id/asrul-sani-pengarang-serba-bisa-yang-melahirkan-jenderal-nagabonar-gnux) • [6](https://rec.id/naga-bonar/) When the Japanese occupying forces withdraw in 1945, he declares himself a general of the liberation forces; according to the IMDb synopsis, the mask gradually becomes his true self and he turns into a genuine soldier and patriot.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288127/)\n\nHis rise begins with practical exploits: with his companions, including Lukman, a rice trader educated to high-school level, Murad, a coffee-stall keeper, the former schoolteacher Bardjo, and his close friend Bujang, he organizes a people's militia in rural North Sumatra and empties a Japanese ammunition depot to use against NICA (Dutch colonial administration restored after Japanese rule). His comrades then name him leader at a meeting and give him the highest rank, turning the pickpocket into \"Jenderal Nagabonar\".[5](https://tirto.id/asrul-sani-pengarang-serba-bisa-yang-melahirkan-jenderal-nagabonar-gnux) The film's comedy mocks heroism while keeping a historically grounded setting, and it weaves in a love story with Kirana, a doctor's daughter who sides with the Dutch, along with Nagabonar's friendship with Bujang and his obedience to his mother.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/)\n\nThe character's catchphrase, \"Apa kata dunia!?\" (\"What will the world say!?\"), became legendary, and his farewell speech over the fallen Bujang, five clipped sentences ending \"Sekarang, matilah kau!\" (\"Now, you die!\"), is one of the film's best-remembered scenes.[5](https://tirto.id/asrul-sani-pengarang-serba-bisa-yang-melahirkan-jenderal-nagabonar-gnux)\n\n### Restoration and sequels\n\n**2008 restoration.** On 8 May 2008 the badly damaged film was restored and re-released under the same title, *Nagabonar*. Dialogue was re-recorded by surviving cast members, except for Roldiah Matulessy, whose voice was by then very old, and the music was rewritten and re-recorded by the same composer, Franki Raden, in Dolby Surround. The restored version runs 101 minutes, seven minutes shorter than the 108-minute original.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/)\n\n**Nagabonar Jadi 2 (2007).** Twenty years after the original, Deddy Mizwar returned as Nagabonar and also directed the sequel, written by Musfar Yasin, with Tora Sudiro as Bonaga, Nagabonar's adopted son, and Wulan Guritno as Monita. The setting moved to the present: instead of colonizers, Nagabonar faces globalization and capitalism, in a conflict over Bonaga's plan to sell the family palm plantation where Kirana, Nagabonar's mother, and Bujang are buried.[3](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/57267/nagabonar-jadi-2-tak-lagi-mengenang-penjajahan) At the 2007 FFI in Riau, Musfar Yasin won the Citra Award for Best Original Screenplay, and Mizwar was nominated for Best Director.[13](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/3315/nagabonar-jadi-2) Films with the Nagabonar character took 31 awards at the Indonesia Movie Awards in 2008.[14](https://jurnal.usahid.ac.id/index.php/mahardikaadiwidia/article/download/12/650)\n\n**Later installments.** *Nagabonar: Reborn* (2019), with Gading Marten in the title role, was produced by Gusti Randa and directed by Dedi Setiadi as a complete retelling from the character's childhood rather than a sequel; production was halted at one point after Deddy Mizwar, who held the rights, objected that permission had been granted by the wrong party.[15](https://www.historia.id/article/kemasan-anyar-nagabonar-vv9bd) • [16](https://mediaindonesia.com/hiburan/197713/merasa-dilangkahi-deddy-mizwar-minta-syuting-nagabonar-reborn-dihentikan) *Naga Naga Naga* (2022), again starring and directed by Deddy Mizwar, follows Bonaga and Monita dealing with their daughter Monaga's schooling, with Nagabonar as the grandfather.[4](https://amp.kompas.com/hype/read/2022/06/10/170225066/sinopsis-film-nagabonar-dari-pertama-hingga-terbaru-jangan-terlewat)\n\n## Creation and inspiration\n\nThe screenplay came from **Asrul Sani**, an Indonesian man of letters active since the early 1940s who broke with the poetic conventions of the magazine Poedjangga Baroe, took part in the cultural debates of the 1950s and 1960s, and also worked as a translator and film director.[5](https://tirto.id/asrul-sani-pengarang-serba-bisa-yang-melahirkan-jenderal-nagabonar-gnux) • [8](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/profil/index/director/2694/index.html) The published screenplay appeared in 1988 as *Jendral Naga Bonar: Skenario film* (Pustaka Karya Grafika Utama, Jakarta, 151 pages).[9](https://perpustakaan.jakarta.go.id/digital-book/detail?cn=INLIS000000000055204)\n\nThe character is said to have been inspired by Timur Pane, a Medan figure known as a bandit and pickpocket who appointed himself a general of his own militia.[10](https://www.historia.id/article/naga-bonar-lahir-kembali-6m7gr)\n\n## Reception and critical reading\n\nNewspaper reviews at release read the film as a portrait of the revolutionary period told through ordinary people swept along by events rather than by revolutionary idealism or romanticism. *Kompas* (5 March 1987) noted characters driven to follow the flow of revolution; *Jawa Pos* compared the uneducated regional fighter with the smarter, educated upper class in Java; and *Tempo* (21 March 1987) described a struggle story free of revolutionary romanticism. Asked to comment on his own film, Asrul Sani called it \"an introspection, how far we are, also as a nation deviating from our natural size\" (*Kompas*, 15 March 1987).[11](https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jsm/article/download/27096/11074) Later scholarship has read the film as a parody that criticizes Javacentrism in Indonesian national narratives, since its Batak protagonist from North Sumatra carries a struggle usually depicted through Javanese figures.[11](https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jsm/article/download/27096/11074) A semiotic study has also traced the film's strong Batak cultural markers, from speech style and costume to the mother chewing betel.[12](https://garuda.kemdiktisaintek.go.id/documents/detail/2264417)\n\nThe film's runtimes are reported differently across databases: the Indonesian Film Center lists the 1986 production at 108 minutes, while IMDb and other databases give 95 minutes.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288127/)\n\n## Legacy\n\nThe film is a fixture of Indonesian television, broadcast almost every year around Independence Day on 17 August, and a 35 mm and VHS copy is held in the Sinematek Indonesia collection.[17](https://www.fimela.com/entertainment/read/2579761/naga-bonar-film-komedi-pembangkit-patriotisme-yang-melegenda) • [1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/) Its combination of comedy and patriotism is credited with reviving audience affection for Indonesian films during a difficult period for the industry in the late 1980s.[11](https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jsm/article/download/27096/11074)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Naga Bonar (1986), Indonesian Film Center](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/2226/)\n2. [Sudut Pandang, LSF Magazine Edisi 01 Volume 2 (2026)](https://lsf.go.id/storage/app/media/magazine/2026/R5%20LSF%20Edisi%2001%20Volume%202%20tahun%202026%20OK.pdf)\n3. [\"Nagabonar Jadi 2\" Tak Lagi Mengenang Penjajahan, ANTARA News (2007)](https://www.antaranews.com/berita/57267/nagabonar-jadi-2-tak-lagi-mengenang-penjajahan)\n4. [Sinopsis Film Nagabonar dari Pertama hingga Terbaru, Kompas.com (2022)](https://amp.kompas.com/hype/read/2022/06/10/170225066/sinopsis-film-nagabonar-dari-pertama-hingga-terbaru-jangan-terlewat)\n5. [Asrul Sani, Pengarang Serba Bisa yang Melahirkan Jenderal Nagabonar, tirto.id (2022)](https://tirto.id/asrul-sani-pengarang-serba-bisa-yang-melahirkan-jenderal-nagabonar-gnux)\n6. [Naga Bonar, REC Media](https://rec.id/naga-bonar/)\n7. [Naga Bonar (1987), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288127/)\n8. [Asrul Sani, Indonesian Film Center profile](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/profil/index/director/2694/index.html)\n9. [Jendral Naga Bonar: Skenario film, JAKLITERA, Perpustakaan Jakarta](https://perpustakaan.jakarta.go.id/digital-book/detail?cn=INLIS000000000055204)\n10. [Naga Bonar Lahir Kembali, Historia.ID (2019)](https://www.historia.id/article/naga-bonar-lahir-kembali-6m7gr)\n11. [Pamungkas: Criticism of Javacentrism from the Historical Parody of the Film Nagabonar (1986), The Journal of Society and Media (2024)](https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jsm/article/download/27096/11074)\n12. [Pergeseran Makna Kata \"Bujang\" pada Film Nagabonar Karya Asrul Sani, PROPORSI (2017)](https://garuda.kemdiktisaintek.go.id/documents/detail/2264417)\n13. [Nagabonar Jadi 2, Indonesian Film Center](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/3315/nagabonar-jadi-2)\n14. [Jurnal Mahardika Adiwidia Vol. 02 No. 1 (2022), Universitas Usahid](https://jurnal.usahid.ac.id/index.php/mahardikaadiwidia/article/download/12/650)\n15. [Kemasan Anyar Nagabonar, Historia.ID (2019)](https://www.historia.id/article/kemasan-anyar-nagabonar-vv9bd)\n16. [Merasa Dilangkahi, Deddy Mizwar Minta Syuting Nagabonar Reborn Dihentikan, Media Indonesia](https://mediaindonesia.com/hiburan/197713/merasa-dilangkahi-deddy-mizwar-minta-syuting-nagabonar-reborn-dihentikan)\n17. [Naga Bonar, Film Komedi Pembangkit Patriotisme yang Melegenda, Fimela (2016)](https://www.fimela.com/entertainment/read/2579761/naga-bonar-film-komedi-pembangkit-patriotisme-yang-melegenda)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › War and historical films (individual works) › Historical dramas and epics › Titles M to Z › Titles M to Sa*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/nagabonar", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/nagabonar.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Nagabonar\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/nagabonar. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Nagabonar](https://www.edgepedia.org/nagabonar)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/nagabonar](https://www.edgepedia.org/nagabonar). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Nagabonar\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/nagabonar. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Nagabonar, 1986/1987 Indonesian comedy-drama by M.T. Risyaf, written by Asrul Sani, starring Deddy Mizwar as a pickpocket turned self-appointed general; won six 1987 FFI Citra Awards including Best Film." }