Marissa Haque: Actress, producer, lawyer

Marissa Haque: Actress, producer, lawyer

By T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA(JP): Don't mess around with Marissa.

At 33, Marissa Haque Fawzi is more than a famous model and
film actress, she is a lawyer and the president of the Rana Artha
Mulia production house.

Marissa, a graduate of the School of Law at the University of
Trisakti in Jakarta, isn't content with her law degree and is now
planning to study communications at the graduate school of the
University of Indonesia.

"Never feel too old to learn," she philosophized.

She is as tough as she is beautiful. In 1988 she sued Varia
Pengadilan, the Indonesian Judges' Association monthly, for
illegally using her picture in its advertisement. Marissa
withdrew the suit after the association apologized.

She has also proven her acting ability. In 1985 she won the
national Citra Film Award for best actress in Tinggal Landas Buat
Kekasih (Goodbye My Love) which was directed by Sophan Sophian.
Two years later she picked up the Asian film Festival award for
best actress for Matahari Matahari (The Sun) under the direction
of the late Arifin C. Noor.

Last year, her work, Salah Asoehan (Poor Upbringing), won
first place for best TV series, best cinematography, and best art
director in the Festival Sinetron Indonesia (Indonesian
Television Drama Festival). Her Masih Ada Kapal ke Padang (There
Will Be A Ship To Padang), directed by MT Risyaf, has been
nominated in this year's festival. Salah Asoehan is based on
Abdoel Moeis's classic novel and directed by Ami Priyono. Both
movies have strong cultural and traditional elements.

Marissa worked at a law firm for several months before
deciding to establish a production house in 1989 with her rock
singer husband Ikang Fawzi and her mother. She named it Rana
Artha Mulia because she believed in idealism in film production.
In Javanese rana means screen, artha money and mulia noble.

Now 100 people work at Rana Artha Mulia. Marissa's main worry
is that not all her employees are disciplined. She also complains
that many new artists also lack discipline.

Rana Artha Mulia was established with only Rp 15 million
(US$6,521) inn capital.

"I had to work hard to raise funds from private companies,"
Marissa said.

"And I got bank loans amounting close to Rp 200 million to
start the business," she said in a recent interview with The
Jakarta Post.

She produced two movies, Yang Tercinta (Beloved) and Sepondok
Dua Cinta (Two Loves Under One Roof), but the film industry in
Indonesia was sluggish and Marissa decided to stop producing
wide-screen films. She has concentrated on commercials,
documentary films and TV mini-series. Marissa, with her dare-to-
be-different slogan, has become a successful TV series producer.
Her difference is in theme, cultural background and location.

Marissa is now busy with two new TV series, Ujang dan Aceng
(Ujang and Aceng) and Antara Jakarta dan Perth (Between Jakarta
and Perth). Both run for nine episodes.

Antara Jakarta dan Perth is a soap opera about rich
Indonesians. It features handsome actors and beautiful actresses
playing in terrific locations in Indonesia and Australia.

"Biar miskin asal sombong," Marissa said with a laugh.

The informal expression means "no matter how poor you are, be
high profile." For some people it means "Don't feel inferior even
though you are poor."

Marissa says that even though she does not have a lot of
money, she is able to shoot overseas because she is good at
keeping production costs low. She also has friends who will lend
a hand when she is abroad. Films which are partly made abroad are
not always more expensive than locally made films, she insisted.

It costs her between Rp 500 million and Rp 1 billion to
produce one TV mini-series.

Ujang dan Aceng is a multicultural comedy focussing on the
Sundanese and Indonesian Chinese.

Marissa herself grew up is a multi-racial family. Her mother,
who died in 1991, had Javanese and Maduranese royal blood. Her
paternal grandfather was from India and her paternal grandmother
had French and Dutch blood.

She produced Ujang and Aceng not because of her mixed blood,
but because she sees multiculturalism as an issue in Indonesia.
Her other TV series, Kembang Setaman (Assorted Flowers), is a
love story exploring the two different cultures of Java and
China.

Marissa longs to make one film but dares not.

"I want to make a film on Marsinah, but I'd better play it
safe," she confessed.

Marsinah is a labor activist who was killed in 1993 after
staging demonstrations in demand of better welfare.

Earlier this year the government banned a play by Teater Buruh
Indonesia (Indonesian Labor Theater), which was based on
Marsinah's story. The play was banned upon the consideration that
it might disturb the political stability.

Acting

With sponsorship from the Ministry of Manpower, Marissa will
make Purnama di Atas Kota Jeddah (Moon Over Jeddah), a 12-episode
TV mini-series about Indonesian housemaids in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia. Production is scheduled to start in January and finish
within five months. Marissa will play one of the maids.

"I play when I miss acting," she said.

Last year she acted in Masih Ada Kapal ke Padang.

Marissa clearly inherited her artistic ability from her
parents. Her father paints and her mother played the piano.

Her sisters Soraya Haque and Shahnaz Natasha are also
celebrities. A popular model, Soraya has a production house and a
personal grooming school. Natasha, who has just finished studying
civil engineering at the University of Indonesia, was crowned
Miss Favourite and Miss Science and Technology in April this
year. She is also an actrees and a model.

Marissa joined Guruh Soekarno Putra's Swara Mahardhika dance
group while in high school. She later built her career as a
model. Her first movie, Kembang Semusim (Flower of the Season)
was released in 1980 and she then ascended to Indonesian stardom.

At the peak of her movie career, she was criticized for acting
in a cheap sex-comedy, Gawang Gawat (Unsafe Gate), but she has
generally been able to keep her love life and personal life free
from gossip. Her husband, Ikang, is a rock singer and executive
in property business. He has acted in some of Marissa's TV
series. The couple has two daughters, Bella, 8, and Kiki, 7.

Marissa, Ikang and the girls have been seen together in a
number of commercials.

"It's my clients' request, not mine," she said.

She encourages her children to model to build their self-
confidence, but she does not want to exploit them. She does not
spoil them, either. Marissa teaches Bella and Kiki to mix with
other children in the neighborhood. The girls go to a nearby
public school, where Marissa's driver and butcher send their
children.

"It's not that I could not afford the best private school, but
I want the children to be down-to-earth," she said.

She remembers her childhood. Her father worked for an oil
company and he had to move from one place to another.

She has big plans for the girls. She will send them to Perth
after they graduate from junior high school.

She believes it is worth it for Indonesian children to study
abroad. Among the advantages is the chance to become fluent in
English.

"After all, Perth is only four-hours-and-a-half by airplane
from Jakarta," she said.