Jajang just wants to get things right

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."