Going for laughs with comedian Tika Panggabean

By Bruce Emond

JAKARTA (JP): Tika Panggabean is accustomed to being the odd woman out.

She is the lone female performer in comedy group Project P and one of the few women entertainers in the country who does not conform to the entertainment industry dictates of being reed-thin and conventionally beautiful.

Tika clearly celebrates her differences -- and the opportunities they have afforded her.

Now 30, Tika is one of country's most popular emcees and the spokeswoman for a major laundry detergent. She began her career by chance six years ago when she was a student of international relations at Parahyangan University in Bandung.

"Project P was then a campus group, performing at small events, but the members were always looking for new people to join," Tika said.

The youngest of four children and raised in Jakarta, Tika had not considered a career in comedy.

"My family was more directed to singing, choirs, which is usual among Batak families in the arts. But my family is not too serious -- both of my parents are very democratically minded people and that's why I could be the way I am. They're flexible."

In an interview on Thursday, Tika shared her views on comedy and her plans for the future.

Question: You do a lot of additional jobs, such as emceeing and hosting shows. Do you think you are becoming better known outside of Project P?

Answer: Perhaps that is because I stand out more and am more "eye-catching" to the public and the media as the only woman in Project P. So I get some private jobs, but even those are still under the management of Project P. It's really all part of the effort of senior members of Project P so that everybody becomes known.

At the outset of the group only Danny and Yasur had a name, but they eventually said, "hey, how come we're the only ones who are well-known when the younger members are talented, too? We don't want it like this". So this has led to regeneration in the group, and allowed the public to get to know me personally, not only as part of Project P.

Q: How do you view yourself in the tradition of women comedians in Indonesian theater, such as Srimulat stage performances?

A: If I have a choice, and without belittling the term comedian, I personally prefer to be called an entertainer. I don't only work as a comedian, but also as an emcee as well as other roles and activities. My point is that I set out to entertain people, whether it is by making them laugh or by other means ...

The other thing is that I cannot always have the audience rolling in the aisles like (Srimulat performer) Nunung can. If I can make people relaxed, make them smile a little, then that is quite enough for me.

Q: And Project P offers a more sophisticated type of comedy than the usual physical humor...

A: I guess you could say it is a smarter type of humor. Maybe it is connected to our educational backgrounds; nearly all of Project P's members studied at university and most are graduates. So we have a moral responsibility to make performances which are not only funny but smart, which have good connotations and are not too vulgar. There are lots of ways to make people laugh -- you can use crude humor or you can use smoother methods which can be accepted by all segments of society and ages ...

And we have really focused on parody from the beginning. We'll take a famous story like Cinderella, which everybody is familiar with from its beginning to the end, and do something different. Like it's not Cinderella who ends up with the prince, but her stepmother! That is what gets laughs, and that is the something extra we have...

Q: Comedy is also an excellent medium to convey criticism...

A: It can be seen from two sides. Like Eko (Patrio) and Ulfa (Dwiyanti) have been criticized by the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) for being disrespectful in some of their comments during Sahur Kita (a special TV program during the fasting month). But then you have other people, like a singer, for instance, who can take things in their stride because they know it's just comedy -- "oh, it's only Tika saying that, that's a comedian for you". It all depends on who your audience is and how they take what you are doing.

Q: But when does comedy go too far and cross the boundaries of good taste?

A: There are a lot of limits, like who the audience is. If we're performing for a younger crowd, at a cafe or pub, where the audience is specific, then you can be a bit freer or vulgar. It's no problem. But if we're doing a TV program which is meant for family viewing, then we have to pay attention to several points, like whether the material is appropriate for children.

We have to be creative, and not just dig up the vulgar to look for something that is funny. Like sex -- everybody loves humor about sex, it's bound to be funny. But you don't have to keep on going back to sex to get laughs, that's really taking short cuts. There are lots of other subjects, and we need to explore them to ensure our creativity does not die.

Q: So there is always the danger of going for the lowest common denominator, the sex and farting jokes?

A: Yes, but at least with sex you can still be creative, it depends on how you approach the subject.

Q: Is there also the danger that as a woman in comedy you will become the butt of the joke?

A: You mean as a fat person? Well, you cannot support comedy which is always based on physical thinking. For instance, someone saying, "Hey, fatty, you look like King Kong". Maybe once it's OK, to get a laugh, but not over and over again. Try to be a little more creative, please. But I'm pretty flexible about jokes, just as long as I'm not made the clown slipping on the banana peel.

Q: But physical appearance is always emphasized in the entertainment industry, and in a communal society like here people feel they are free to comment on how you look.

A: Exactly, it's pretty saddening, isn't it? But I think that I, along with Hughes (another overweight entertainer) are beginning to show people that beauty is not everything, that what's more important is your brain. We need to get this across to the public, and I think we will eventually. Five, 10 years ago, the thinking of our people was very different from today, and now they can better accept those who are not beautiful, who do not have a great body but have something else.

Hopefully, with reform, it will happen, but it all comes down to education. If education is more of an equal standard, then people will start to realize that what is the point of being beautiful if you're stupid.

Q: What about the future -- will you stay in comedy?

A: God willing, I want to remain in this field. We are so American-minded here, and I see how remarkable it is that Oprah Winfrey, Jay Leno and Conan O' Brien have remained on top even though they are getting older. It means their team is strong, and they also are strong. It's inspired me -- how can I remain on top and be of value to people.

Q: The three entertainers you named are talk show hosts -- does that interest you?

A: Yes, it does. It is something I would really like to do, with the right team and the right concept.