Indonesia’s ‘Operasi Pesta Copet’ delights Malaysians with festival set heist comedy (VIDEO)

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — A music festival turned into a heist comedy, “Operasi Pesta Copet” has been delighting Malaysian audiences since its September 3 release. Directed by Edy Khemod and distributed by Antenna Entertainments, the film follows four young friends — Ijal, Adut, Tia, and Melodi — who each face financial troubles and decide to become pickpockets.

Their target? Pestapora, Indonesia’s massive music festival, where they plan to blend in and leave with 300 smartphones worth 600 million rupiah. The movie’s festival setting adds authenticity, as much of it was filmed during the real Pestapora festival, with the cast mingling among tens of thousands of concertgoers. The story is inspired by Edy Khemod's experience as the drummer of Indonesian rock band Seringai, where he once encountered professional pickpockets operating at concerts.

This experience led to the idea of turning festival pickpocketing into the central plot of a comedy. While the film initially aimed to be titled "Operasi Pestapora" during the 2025 festival, it was later renamed to better clarify its premise. Beyond its comedic premise, the film also tackles themes of financial hardship, unemployment, and the choices people make when they feel they have no other options.

To make their characters' criminal skills believable, the cast underwent about two months of sleight-of-hand training with a professional magician. Back in Indonesia, the film opened with 40,706 viewers on its first day, with some attendance possibly affected by demonstrations in Jakarta and other areas. As of September 6, Operasi Pesta Copet had reached 261,931 viewers in Malaysia, with audiences finding it appealing for its comedy about friendship, desperation, and an unconventional heist set in a real music festival.