Aruna and Her Palate is a film about friendship and food that is wrapped with intrigue and conspiracy. Aruna (Dian Sastrowardoyo) is a single woman in her 30s. Apart from her job in an NGO, Aruna is passionate about food. One day she is assigned to investigate bird flu cases in several places in Indonesia. She then travels along her friends; the food critic Nad (Hannah Al - Rashid) who wants to write a book and the chef Bono (Nicholas Saputra), who wants to discover authentic recipes of Indonesian culinary. In the middle of their journey, Aruna meets Farish (Oka Antara), a former colleague who secretly keeps an eye on her.
The four of them have different traits; Aruna who is still innocent and simple, Bono who is calm and adventurous, Nad who is elegant and Farish who is different from the three. “Basically Farish is a stern person who does everything based on rules, ” said Oka Antara. “He’s the opposite of Aruna who depends on her instinct. But that’s where the dynamic happens. Behind the journey of people who like foods, Farish sees foods as something superficial and the function is to make your stomach full. But Farish has a secret beneath his weakness. ”
Meanwhile, Dian described Aruna as a person who has a romantic relationship with foods. “Outside of her work, if she gets to choose between food and a romantic partner, she will choose food, ” said Dian who admitted that she liked to eat and try new menus. “Actually the four characters here are different, ” said Hannah. “But it’s always interesting for them to gather and talk about love, politics, foods – everyone has different opinions. Sharing opinions, debating – it’s all relatable in real life. ”
Nicholas, who confessed that he likes to cook for himself and his friends, hoped audiences could relate to the film. There are also people who travel with foods as their base, ” Nicho said. “Hopefully this film can inspire and become a reflection of ourselves. ”