Jajang just wants to get things right

Joko E.H. Anwar, Contributor, Jakarta

Jajang C. Noer just finished shooting the last scene of her 10th made-for-TV movie last week. She sat down on a sofa and turned on the TV, only to find her 9th movie playing.

"Oh my God, I didn't remember that it was going to be on tonight," said Jajang, looking a bit embarrassed.

She might be too busy to remember the airing schedule of her own movies, but she cannot be blamed for it. At 50, she is arguably one of the most prolific director/actresses working in the local movie industry today.

At the end of October, she just finished filming the big- screen feature Biola Tak Berdawai (The Stringless Violin), in which she co-stars with teen heartthrob Nicholas Saputra. Only days after the wrap, she had already began directing her 10th TV movie project. Now that the production is finished, she is already working on her 11th.

Does she stress out working under such a demanding schedule? None of her crew or colleagues who have worked with her are likely to assent. On location, either behind or in front of the camera, she seems to be relaxed and full of an infectious joy.

Endlessly puffing her kretek (clove) cigarettes, the slender woman, whose real name is Lidia Djunita Pamontjak, is always available to crew and colleagues seeking a refreshing conversation.

Even when many film stars from her generation have started to fade out, Jajang's star has only become brighter as the local film industry has started to revive.

This year, she won the Best Actress award at the Cinemaya Film Festival in India for her mesmerizing performance as a mother trying to reach out to her troubled daughter in Riri Riza's Eliana, Eliana.

In 1990, the Paris-born woman also won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Bibir Mer (Mer's Lips) which was directed by her late husband, the renowned film director Arifin C. Noer.

As a director, Jajang's directorial debut titled Bukan Perempuan Biasa (No Ordinary Woman) won the award for best drama series in the Festival Sinetron Indonesia (FSI) 1997, which awards local TV movies and series.

"Jajang has the ability to direct actors very well, probably because she's a great actress herself," praised well-known actress Ria Irawan. She starred in Jajang's 10th TV movie and played alongside her in Biola Tak Berdawai.

However, with all the recognition she has received from film festivals, crew, colleagues and friends, Jajang is still humble.

She will not hesitate to take part in small projects without payment to help struggling filmmakers to realize their dreams.

Earlier this year, she took part in an independent short movie project and recently starred in an embarrassingly bad horror flick, Satu Nyawa dalam Denting Lonceng Kecil (One Soul in the Ring of a Small Bell), which is scheduled to be released early next year. "I was mesmerized by the producer's effort to get the movie made," Jajang said when asked about her reasons for taking part in the movie.

Her humble nature may come from her father, the late Nazir Datuk Pamontjak, who was Indonesia's first ambassador to France from 1950 to 1953.

Jajang said that despite his noble family upbringing in West Sumatra, her father would spend hours at a warung (food stall), chatting and playing cards with villagers.

"My father was a warung guy. They even made a song about him called Si Nazir dari Selayo (Nazir from Selayo)," Jajang said. Her father died in Switzerland when she was 13.

However, Jajang's seemingly reckless choice of roles comes from her past carefree attitude. "I was very flighty when I was young, probably because I always got what I wanted," Jajang said.

An only child, Jajang admitted to being a spoiled brat, trying many things but never quite finishing them, including her tertiary education in Paris, Los Angeles, and here, at the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Indonesia.

"I did not know what I wanted to be then," Jajang said.

However, it was also her flighty attitude which brought her to the world she loves.

She joined Arifin C. Noer's theater group Teater Ketjil in 1972 simply because her boyfriend's sister was joining it. There, Jajang started to realize the place to which she might belong.

Arifin was already married to another woman at the time, but fell in love with Jajang and left his wife in order to marry her.

The marriage often became the subject of conversation among people who knew them both, and at times was judged to be rocky, with Jajang often blamed for the situation.

Jajang, however, said that her marriage to Arifin was "nice, fun, fulfilling and educating."

"We loved each other until the day he died," Jajang said.

It was Arifin's teleplay, which he did not finish, that Jajang completed and released as her directorial debut.

"I didn't get the chance easily. The producer (TV series tycoon Raam Punjabi) did not have faith in me and it took me one and a half years until I finally got it," Jajang said.

At that time, Raam had already made a deal with Arifin to offer the project to top-ranking local directors to take over from Arifin.

"I called those directors one by one, asking them to turn down Raam's offer," Jajang recalled.

When she finally completed the project and it turned out to be a success, many were surprised.

"People tend to think of me as an irresponsible person," Jajang said, but admitted that she could not blame them.

Now, however, she seems to be more committed in her life.

"I have a lot of regrets, failures. I just want to do things right, now."