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.