Inul back on screen with a vengeance
Inul back on screen with a vengeance
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Who these days does not know of Inul Daratista, that woman from
Pasuruan, a small town in East Java, who has enthralled the
nation with her famously gyrating hips?
Criticism of her "erotic" dancing by the Indonesian Council of
Ulemas and Rhoma Irama, the chairman of the Indonesian
Association of Malay Music Artists, only served to fuel Inul's
skyrocketing fame.
After a two-month "leave of absence", Inul is back on the
nation's TV screens with a vengeance.
Not only does she appear in television commercials for an
energy drink, a soda, instant noodles and a mosquito coil, she
will also star in two variety shows and have her own sinetron (TV
drama) starting this June.
TransTV's Rindu Inul (Missing Inul) on June 4 marked the
return of Inul to the small screen after the row with Rhoma. It
was a two-hour variety show featuring well-known entertainers
such as Sophia Latjuba, Titiek Puspa, Memes, Dewi Gita and Dea
Mirella.
Beginning June 6, she will regularly grace SCTV's variety show
Sang Bintang (The Star), which promises to have Inul not only
demonstrating her famous "drilling" move, but also helping out in
magic shows and collaborating with other singers.
"We have tried to make sure that Inul's movements are as
aesthetic as possible, with help from Guruh Soekarnoputra and
Denny Malik," SCTV public relations manager Budi Darmawan said.
Sang Bintang will be aired live every Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Inul, who recently released her debut album Joget Sama-sama
(Dance Together), will also star in a new sinetron by noted
writer Arswendo Atmowiloto, called Kenapa Harus Inul? (Why Does
it Have to be Inul?), also on SCTV.
Arswendo said the sinetron was based on Inul's own life,
charting her rise to stardom and all of the controversies that
have surrounded her.
It promises to explain how the Inul phenomena came about, and
how a "nobody" could rise to become one of Indonesia's most
controversial figures.
Kenapa Harus Inul?, produced by Lenza Film, will also star
Irgi Achmad, Chintami Atmanegara, Torro Margens and Anwar Fuadi.
Kenapa Harus Inul? will air every Saturday beginning on June
28 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on SCTV