'Keluarga Cemara' successfully shows slice of family life
'Keluarga Cemara' successfully shows slice of family life
By Lies Sartika
JAKARTA (JP): "Thank you, Emak (Mother), thank you, Abah (Father)," says the theme song of popular TV serial Keluarga Cemara (Cemara Family). The show, which airs at 12:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday on private station RCTI, is a firm favorite among both young and old viewers for its simple slice-of-life tales.
The show, based on a series of novels by noted writer Arswendo Atmowiloto, details the fortunes of a low-income family doing its best to survive the trials of life.
Abah (Adi Kurdi) is an honest man who operates a becak (pedicab) to support his wife Emak (singer Novia Kolopaking) and their three daughters, Euis (Cherya Ade), Cemara (Anisa Fujianti) and Agil (Puji Lestari). Life was not always as hard; in a riches-to-rags story, Abah was once an affluent businessman in Jakarta who lost all his money when he was cheated by a friend.
The family was forced to move to Sukabumi, a small town in West Java. As they struggle to make a living, they come into contact with an array of diverse and colorful characters. These include Tante Pressier and her much-loved daughter Pipin Pressier, Mang Jana, Bik Eha, Mang Wangsa and Ibu Lolo, the local teacher.
The storylines are simple -- most often centering on the daily struggle to make ends meet -- but they continually underline that honesty is always the best policy. Throughout his troubles and despite the loss of his fortune, Abah always makes the best of what life has dealt him. It is the maxim he emphasizes to his three daughters.
Directed by Dedi Setiadi, the show is in its fifth series on RCTI. It made its debut in October 1996 with a series of 16 programs, followed by 14 shows in its second season, with the three subsequent years each consisting of 26 episodes. The first series was rerun three times, and the second and third series also were rerun twice.
Monday's broadcast is the 84th episode in the series. There have been some cast and crew changes over the years, including the replacement of Lia Waroka, who played Emak in the first series, and Eduard P. Sirait, who directed the debut series. Except for Emak, the main actors have remained the same, with the relatively young Novia, 28, successfully playing against type as an older mother.
Arswendo's tales of the Cemara family were originally published in serialization in youth magazine Hai (the stories have been compiled and published in book form by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama). Arswendo is also the producer and writer for the series.
The series has been praised for providing viewing which is of great benefit to the entire family, especially children. It bears both moral and educational messages. Using simple storylines which are easily understood, the program conveys its intent.
In one episode, Abah helped a street child and invited the boy to stay in his home. The decision was opposed by Ema, who was afraid the boy would harm their daughters. She is ultimately won over to her husband's choice when the boy becomes the best friend of Agil. The little girl teaches manners to the boy, showing him how to behave, even how to eat properly. Episodes like this touch the hearts of viewers and keep them tuning in for more every day.
Unlike many locally produced television series which sell impossible dreams of grand mansions and great riches, Keluarga Cemara tells simple stories echoing the realities of life for many Indonesians doing their best in hard times.