Big wigs on parade at 'Sinetron' awards night
By Dini S. Djalal
JAKARTA (JP): Shown live on all six stations across Indonesia, Thursday's Festival Sinetron Indonesia (FSI) was undoubtedly a big affair. Or should it have been called a wig affair?
Framing the faces of young personalities like Shahnaz Haque to seasoned actresses like Ira Wibowo, wigs were the show's big fashion statement. No Gucci gowns or De Beers diamonds for today's starlets eager to steal the spotlight and pump up FSI as the entertainment event of the year.
Instead the awards ceremony was a celebration of hair pieces, whether wigs, extensions, ringlets, cones and buns. The baked goods metaphor isn't exaggerated -- some of the hairdos were dead ringers for danishes!
In a country in love with American pop culture, the wig trend is surprisingly an Indonesian initiative. Would Michelle Pfeiffer or Julia Roberts hide their tresses under a beehive of polyester at the Oscars? Not if Giorgio Armani has anything to say about it.
Of course, it's early days in Indonesia for celebrity mania. Tabloids like Bintang and Nova are teaching the art of star- studded gaze, but, due to the electronic media's short reach beyond Java, the divide here between mortals and screen stars remains narrow. Celebrities here are small, albeit rich, fish in a very, very, big pond.
Not that this stops the publicity machine from turning on the hype. So when the cameras flash occasionally on celebrity hopefuls, they've got to look like a million bucks.
But judging by the outfits on parade at FSI this year, it's easier to look like a million rupiah (and actually shelling out much, much more) than it is to look good with less money.
Some spend prudently, foregoing the needless wig for one. Ayu Azhari, winner of the best actress category this year, received her award resplendent in a jade, gold-brocaded baju kurung (traditional tunic) and sarong. Her trademark long hair was swept back into a konde (traditional chignon), so when Ayu beamed at her well-wishers, stray tendrils couldn't obscure her joy.
Looking every bit the demure and refined Indonesian Ibu, Ayu, along with Dessy Ratnasari, who also proudly wore a kebaya and won the best supporting actress award, effortlessly outwitted her competition in the dress department.
Considering that turning up at the show as the world's biggest fashion victim can cost you audiences from Sabang to Merauke, that's a big victory.
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but some sartorial crimes can clutter anyone's vision. The gown host Titi Dwijayati squeezed into, for example, was a daring bright blue, but her monstrous matching turban, not to mention her thick square glasses, were beyond adventurous and verged on being challenging.
Not to be outdone was Venna Melinda's head-dress: a sparkling tiara crowning a waterfall of Scarlett O' Hara ringlets. Venna is a former beauty queen, the None Jakarta title among her accomplishments, so perhaps the regal trimmings were a reflection of her past glories.
Venna wasn't the only one parading like a princess -- royal ballgowns were worn by most of the awards presenters. Singer Nia Zulkarnaen's glittering electric blue body-glove, Sarah Vi's gold prom dress, host Debby Sahertian's candyfloss pink frock were all tributes to Dynasty-era debutante balls.
Even Peggy Melati Sukma, a talented young actress known for her natural and down-to-earth beauty, tiptoed down the stage in a yellow satin number with precious little bow details.
Worse yet, her helmet-like wig was so shellacked it could have been typhoon-proof, transforming her into a Minnie Mouse cartoon of her colorful self.
What was surprising was that yesteryear's starlets, glamor gals who have seen better days, looked classier than ever. Nurul Arifin, a once-infamous sex symbol turned acclaimed actress, kept her thick glasses on while showing off her voluptuous figure in a black sheer column. Former centerfold Sophia Latjuba also appeared with understated grace. She wore a sleek bias-cut iridescent gown with no jewelry, her gamine hairdo and newfound serenity were her only accessories.
Ayu Azhari and Dessy Ratnasari are also in the category of former teen dreams who have proven their talent. Now that they are taken seriously as actresses, they no longer need to flaunt their beauty and sensuality. Though still young (both are under 30 years old), they've aged gracefully, assumingly an almost patriotic femininity. In their recent projects, they have played simple women in traditional clothes rather than mansion matrons in gilt-edged Chanel. And to much praise, they are adopting this look off the screen.
And ultimately, it was the show, moving slowly and awkwardly with no acceptance speeches, just a practically mute handing over of awards that made watching paint dry seem more fun, that killed what style the stars had.
The real fashion show seemed to be taking place not at RCTI's studios, but in the commercials between the takes. Watching the stars of Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (Doel The Graduate), dominate the ads, changing out of one simple-folk outfit into another, was a more telling sign of the scope and state of popular television. Si Doel is a show about a low-income Betawi family. It won no awards this year but remains very popular -- just ask the actors getting paid millions of rupiah per product placement.