'Mat Angin' wins lion's share of 'sinetron' awards

By Yogita Tahil Ramani

JAKARTA (JP): Deddy Mizwar could not have been a happier man Thursday night, or at least happier than Mat Angin, the self- opinionated character he played in the TV comedy serial of the same name.

Mat Angin grabbed 11 awards at Festival Sinetron Indonesia, including best teleserial and comedy, and kudos to Deddy as best lead actor and director.

"It is an ordinary comedy serial with true Betawi characteristics because I am truly Betawi," said the modest, soft-spoken Deddy.

The 42-year-old has starred in more than 75 movies in a career spanning 21 years.

He received 13 nominations for the prestigious Citra awards in the Indonesian Film Festival. The annual event was discontinued several years ago as the local film industry slumped.

His four Citra awards were for best actor in the movies Arie Hanggara and Kuberikan Segalanya (I Gave My Everything), and best supporting actor in Naga Bonar and Opera Jakarta.

At last year's Festival Sinetron Indonesia, he won the Vidia award for best supporting actor in the drama, Vonis Kepagian (The Early Verdict).

Deddy said he focused more on content than technicalities in directing.

"I understand that in a teleserial, more attention is needed for details and technicalities as there is a much larger audience for TV," he said.

"However, we must concentrate on the story content first. And then comes packaging. With the right packaging and good story content, you can get both simple and complex messages across."

Other members of the Mat Angin cast are Anggia Jelita, Eddy Oglek, Wingkie Harun, Reggie Lawalata and Rosita Sanusi. The series won other awards in the categories of supporting actor, TV playwright, scriptwriter, cinematography, artistic arrangement, editing and sound.

The 21-episode Demi Gisela and TPI production tells of a poor Betawi man who is too overbearing to consider his neighbors' opinions.

He lets their views float past him like the wind, which is angin in Indonesian. Bickering harmoniously with his boastful neighbors and high-strung wife, he is on an unrelenting quest to prove himself to be the better, more knowledgeable person.

Very few actors win awards for playing bad guys. J.B. Wijaya is one of them.

According to costar Renny Djajoesman, J.B., as he is popularly called, the lead actor in Yossie Enes's Menyusuri Bayangan Diri (Following One's Own Shadow), is more known for his theater work than anything else.

"He is probably 27, 28. Very dedicated. He got into the skin of Robot Gedek."

In the TV drama, which is a semi-documentary production on the life of Robot Gedek, J.B. portrayed the deranged character who was seemingly steered by his own shadow -- "a black vision" -- to sodomize and sadistically kill underage boys. Gedek was given the death sentence earlier this year.

Jury-member Zoraya Perucha said that the thing about J.B. that won him the award was that he "succeeded in portraying a much hated, much abhorred person without drawing hatred from people.

"There was the objectivity in his acting that did not even earn sympathy, just a thorough understanding of Robot Gedek, his lifestyle and the way he communicated with different sorts of people."

Khadijah Azhari, better known by her stage name Ayu Azhari, is distinguishing herself as a performer of note, evidenced by back- to-back awards in the best actress in a drama category.

Winner for Noktah Merah Perkawinan last year, the 29-year-old triumphed for Perkawinan Siti Zubaedah (The Marriage Of Siti Zubaedah) this year.

She is the veteran of dozens of films in a seven-year career, and won the 1990 Festival Film Indonesia's Citra Award as best supporting actress in Agus Ilyas's Dua Kekasih (Two Lovers).

Perkawinan Siti Zubaedah is her third collaboration with director Teguh Karya, following the movies Ibunda (Mother) and Pacar Ketinggalan Kereta (Lover Missed the Train) --

Teguh said his leading lady "gave a performance that expresses the totality of womanhood.

"She has a right to that trophy, not only because she gave it her all (in the role), but she accurately portrayed a pregnant villager in trouble, something that could open the eyes of a lot of women in trouble."

Ayu has a reputation as a "difficult" actress, but Teguh said he was unfazed by her reputation.

"Other directors told me she was going to be trouble to work with, but she isn't. She is as dedicated to her work as she is easygoing in person."

The joint project of the National Family Planning Coordinating Board, private TV station TPI and Johns Hopkins University from the U.S. is an appeal for more attention to the lot of women, particularly in the risky period of childbirth.

"If I win it will be due to teamwork," Ayu said days before Thursday's announcement. "I'm grateful just to be nominated."

Ayu's body of filmwork includes Bercinta Dalam Badai (Making Love In A Storm), Catatan Si Boy I (Boy's Diary I), Taksi Juga (Taxi Again), and Harga Sebuah Kejujuran (The Price Of A Certain Truth).

In distinct contrast to Ayu Azhari, Chiata Hendrayani, winner of the Vidia trophy for best actress in a comedy, is a newcomer.

Better identified with as the face of Mustika Ratu (a local cosmetics giant), Chiata is a professional, elegant and relatively tall model.

So tall and elegant, TV critics confirmed before watching the sinetron, that her performance might not do justice to the role of a poor, Betawi widow struggling to support herself and her son. They were wrong.

In Fatima, a comedy serial revolving around a kind old man Babe (Bokir), and his lovely widowed daughter Fatima (Chiata Hendrayani), she sweetens the otherwise loud, multi-ethnic show.

Jury-member Zoraya Perucha said that Chiata's strength lay in her language and dialog delivery.

Even though she may have seemed an odd choice being quite wet behind the ears, "she was sweet, innocent, but could convey the pragmatism that comes with being a widow supporting a son, in spite of her modesty and the village humor."

"She uses the Betawi language -- villagers can sound quite crass using it -- in a way that appeals to her otherwise kind, but headstrong, father, her Batak neighbor and Sundanese friends."

"Something that offers something new. It wins in an era when Indonesia needs, most of all, a direction towards quality."

The director of Jalan Sepanjang Kenangan (Down Memory Lane), Hanny Saputra, put in a nutshell the qualities of the TV drama that won eight awards in its category, including best director and drama of the year.

A nationalist, idealist and Jakarta Arts Institute graduate, the 31-year-old's experience in the TV industry had been limited to producing Indonesian company profiles.

"To win was always an obsession and will always be. But, I don't intend to ever compromise quality ... it is my sole motivator."

In the pipeline for Hanny is a production exploring the lives of people with AIDS.

A suspense thriller with substance, Jalan Sepanjang Kenangan is the story of a psychopath scarred by the absence of parental love. In beautifully shot sequences exaggerated by color play and shifting camera angles, he vents his frustrations at being a nonentity instead of recognized as a worthy human being.

- Director: Hanny R Saputra.

- Cast: Sandy Nayoan, Novia Ardhana.

- Produced by PT Dikhara Nurani Artisan.

- Running Time -- 75 minutes.

Honored for best TV drama, director, supporting actor, artistic arrangement, cinematography, sound, musical arrangement and editing.