Didi Petet, an actor with the heart of a mime

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"Shabby, huh?" said actor Didi Petet, catching my surprised look at glancing around the faded building and surroundings of the School of Performing Arts at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ), where he teaches and is an alumnus.

Forget Fame or Juilliard, the IKJ is filled with dusty and gloomy narrow halls and classrooms.

"The IKJ is owned by Jakarta administration, but we hardly receive any financial support," said Didi, 48, who was just installed in April as the new dean.

Expecting any income from student tuitions is unlikely, as few high school graduates enroll at the school, as they prefer more "popular" majors, like cinematography or fine arts, which offers greater job opportunities.

It will be a tough job for Didi to revive the school, but he is eager for the challenge, because "it's the funnest school in the whole world".

Talking with Didi confirmed my personal belief that the humblest people are usually those with great talent and experience -- although there are always exceptions.

He repeatedly apologized for being 20 minutes late, and spoke gracefully, never boasting or in a way to diminish others.

Didi may not be the most eloquent nor most cerebral actor, but he is certainly one of the most prolific. He has also successfully crossed over to feature films and television, instead of staying in the ivory tower of heavyweight dramatic theater.

"There are no castes in acting. (That) Theater is higher than film, film is higher than soap operas -- that's nonsense. All of these are mediums for an actor," said the father of six.

Didi is no sell-out to "commercial" acting, and is still actively involved in the local theater scene.

His portrayals are enjoyable and believable, breathing life into a diverse repertoire of characters without overacting.

Aside from his role as effeminate Emon in the ultra-hip 1980s' teen flick Catatan Si Boy (Boy's diary) and its sequels, another memorable role was as a father in the touching TV drama Pulang (Going home) in the early 1990s.

Under the guiding eye of the late Teguh Karya, a legendary director, Didi convincingly acted the part opposite his troubled young daughter (Rini S. Bono) and spinster sister (Niniek L. Karim). Whereas Rini and Didi are contemporaries, Niniek is around 10 years their senior.

He is a rare a gem, and it is no wonder that he tops the cast list for up-and-coming directors.

He has recently starred in at least three films over the same number of years: Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure, 2000), Pasir Berbisik (Whispering sands, 2002) and last year's teen hit Eiffel, I'm in Love, all of which struck a chord with young audiences.

Didi attributes his acting talent to education -- aside from his broad dramatic experiences.

"There are many good actors who have no formal training in acting, but a school provides a method, a shortcut on how to deliver a good performance. You'll find it anyway, even if you don't go to acting school, but it takes longer," he said.

His reputation as a film actor is undeniable, but rarely is his recalled as a mime, something he did in the 1970s as an IKJ student, long before he ventured into film.

"I often performed as a stage pantomime with my friend, the late Sena Utoyo. We didn't realize, however, that the form was called pantomime -- until a German mime came and held a workshop..."

Sena and Didi proceeded to explore the media in depth and performed all over the country, eventually taking their act abroad.

Pantomime groups were almost nonexistent back then, as Didi explained, pantomiming is more difficult than acting.

In 1986, when the duo was invited to a six-month workshop in Canada, they realized that there was more to a mime than white makeup and mimicking.

"The pantomime in Western countries has gone beyond mimicking and movement. There was an actor who dove into a large bowl, throwing out pieces of plastic until it covered the whole stage. Another actor did this semi-acrobatic thing, imitating a toy. These are also considered pantomime.

"It seemed there was no limit anymore -- we could use props or music. Since then, we had more confidence to develop our pantomime," said Didi.

They threw out the white makeup and formed Sena Didi Mime, a pantomime theater group. Its debut performance was in 1987 with Becak (Pedicab), on their removal and banning from the city streets.

Collaborating with other actors and musician Harry Roesli, the group still sticks to the mute basics of pantomime, but they did use their voices as background noises and sound effects.

"The sound of a door, for instance ... creak," he imitates. "We can change it to, like, (whispering) 'Wiranto...' or 'Amien Rais'. We can, can't we? It's not a word, just a sound," said Didi.

Sena Didi Mime's signature style includes the elimination of gender or even human identity.

Didi dedicated more of his effort and talents when he ventured into film, which was more broadly appreciated than pantomime.

"The sad thing when you are a mime is that Indonesians do not yet appreciate silence. They whisper, comment, boo -- even when the performance hasn't started. That's another reason we use music...," he said.

Fellow mimes are hard to find, as only a few can master the difficult art, and production funds are sorely lacking -- the same goes for theater.

"The performing arts need a lot of money. Here at the IKJ, we can only provide theater space to students for their final exams. Otherwise, they have to finance productions themselves."

It was a great and painful loss for Didi when Sena died of a heart attack in 1998, at barely 45 years old. Sena, he said, was the one who was fully committed to the art of pantomime, more so than himself.

But Didi went on, although it was impossible to perform annually as before.

This April, however, Sena Didi Mime performed its Kaki-kaki Tangan (Accomplices), a portrayal of current events and conditions, in which Didi directed his students.

"I haven't performed since the 1990s... My body is getting heavier and I have trouble moving," he laughed.

Hopefully, the performance is not the last from the mime troupe.

As for Didi, it is time for another film, although he is secretive about it -- he only let it drop that he will play alongside young actress Dian Sastrowardoyo and former MTV Asia VJ Jamie Aditya.

"I enjoy each and every character I play. It's the feeling of being a different person that I enjoy most," he said.