Handling both acting and directing in Timur was a ‘headache’, says first-time film-maker Iko Uwais

SINGAPORE – With his latest film Timur (2025), Indonesian silat master-turned-Hollywood action star Iko Uwais is making yet another transition, this time from performer to full-fledged film-maker.

He acts in and, for the first time, directs the military drama about two men raised as brothers who find themselves on opposite ends of an ideological divide.

Having to handle both directing and starring roles was a big “headache”, the 42-year-old tells The Straits Times in a Zoom interview from Jakarta.

“It’s quite challenging because when I’m working in front of the camera, I have to be 100 per cent into my character,” he says. “But as a director, I had to work on every single thing – the sets, costumes, make-up, every single emotion for every single character.”

Speaking in a mix of English and Bahasa Indonesia, Iko adds that he feels lucky to have the support of all the “really professional” cast and crew, including producer Ryan Santoso.

Timur opens in Singapore cinemas on Jan 15 and is the first feature fully produced by Iko’s company Uwais Pictures. He plays the titular character, an elite soldier who leads a team trying to save a group taken hostage in the jungle.

He faces a moral dilemma when one of the terrorists (played by Indonesian actor Aufa Assagaf) turns out to be someone he grew up with.

While Timur is fictitious, it features realistic depictions of the Indonesian army, as well as an army officer character inspired by Indonesia’s President, former general Prabowo Subianto.

According to a press statement from Uwais Pictures, the film received full support from the Indonesian government, both during the research phase and throughout the technical aspects of production.

Ryan, 30, says their project received such backing largely due to Iko’s international acclaim.

The leading man made his name through cult action flicks Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011) and its sequel The Raid 2 (2014). He has also acted in Hollywood movies such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Mile 22 (2018) and Expend4bles (2023).

Ryan says in the same Zoom interview: “Even before he became an actor, Iko was an athlete who brought silat all over the world. So, from there, he gained respect from the government. And they’re supporting the film because they want to grow the film industry in Indonesia and bring an Indonesian film to the global stage.”

Like in his previous films, Timur features plenty of visceral close-combat scenes. Through his dual roles, Iko says he wanted the fight scenes to not only feature dramatic elements, but also highlight his experience with martial arts, especially silat.

He adds that he learnt a lot from working with American director-producer Peter Berg, who helmed Mile 22, especially in terms of techniques, such as how to move the camera and convey emotion in scenes.

The year ahead looks set to be busy for Iko, who is married to Indonesian singer Audy Uwais, 44, the performer of Timur’s theme song Nyanyian Timur (Eastern Song). The couple have two daughters aged seven and 12.

In November, it was reported he was cast in Road House 2, the sequel to the 2024 remake of the 1980s classic action thriller Road House.

He will also star in MRI, a hospital siege thriller co-produced by Uwais Pictures that reunites him with American director-producer Liam O’Donnell. The pair worked on the 2017 science-fiction film Beyond Skyline and its yet-to-be-released sequel Skyline: Warpath.

Adds Iko: “We also have several new projects in the works that have not been officially confirmed, but I am hopeful and looking forward to moving ahead with these ventures once everything is finalised.”