New version of 'Ramayana' at Dunia Fantasi

By Primastuti Handayani

JAKARTA (JP): A scow carrying 20 people slowly enters a green tunnel before dropping suddenly, splashing water on the passengers' clothes.

Getting wet is only one of the many surprises awaiting visitors to Wahana Rama Sinta, the latest ride at Dunia Fantasi ("Dufan") at Ancol, North Jakarta.

Inaugurated by Governor Surjadi Soedirdja on Tuesday, Wahana Rama Sinta offers a modern version of the epic Ramayana. The story is represented along the scow ride in the tunnel, which takes eight minutes to complete.

Surprises greet visitors from the very beginning, but the ride is free of the heart-throbbing experiences one usually encounters on a roller-coaster ride.

After the splash, the scow turns left, entering a long dark cave with a jungle panorama. It is cold and misty. Sinta is seen on the left side asking Laksmana, who is standing across from her, to find her husband Rama, the crown-prince of the Ayodyapala kingdom. He is hunting for a golden deer for her.

Laksmana, a younger brother of Rama, guards his sister-in-law with a circle of flames around her. The flames are one of the many special effects in the cave.

As the scow continues there appears a hologram of Sarpakanaka, a sister of Rahwana, the king of Alengka, who is meant to frighten the passengers.

In the next cave, Rahwana abducts Sinta.

Next, a giant screen shows Rahwana fighting with Jatayu, a huge eagle who is faithful to Rama. In a departure from the original text, Rahwana uses a laser gun to kill Jatayu.

The passengers then arrive at the Alengka kingdom, which is very dark and full of mystery. Sinta looks very sad, although Rahwana's sister, Trijata, is trying to cheer her up.

The kingdom's people are in a jovial mood, throwing parties to celebrate the success of their king in getting himself a beautiful bride. They are shocked when Hanoman, a white-haired monkey who is Rama's deputy, arrives in town and starts burning down the kingdom.

The scow glides along the canal and passengers see a lot of monkeys, led by Sugriwa, a red-haired monkey, building a bridge to get to Alengka.

Another surprise comes when a dragon shows up suddenly on the left side of the scow, scaring off the monkeys. This is another part of the drama which is quite different from both the original Ramayana and the Javanese version, in which the monkeys are intimidated by giants.

Later, there is a fight between a robotic Rahwana and the monkey troops of Rama. The battle involves the use of laser guns and the passengers find themselves in the "cross fire".

Passengers later see Kumbakarna, Rahwana's faithful brother, being buried by the monkey troops, who have killed him.

Rahwana, fearing he will lose, runs away to the hills, but the hills hold him tight and he is defeated by Hanoman and meets his end.

Sinta is finally reunited with her husband, but Rama does not believe that she has been faithful to him in his absence. We then see Sinta burning herself to prove her purity. After being burnt she flies up into the sky, singing a song about faithfulness, and the scow drifts out of the tunnel to receive a new load of passengers.

That is how the Ramayana is represented in the Wahana Rama Sinta. The ride has nine scows, each with the capacity to carry 20 passengers.

Most of the first passengers on the ride said they did not think eight minutes were enough to enjoy the adventure.

However, there is no denying that the show's special effects at the show are extraordinary, particularly the laser tricks and the holograms. As the visitors enter the tunnel, a green laser beam somehow makes them unaware that the scow is sliding downward.

The sound effects are also remarkable but the music, which includes rap and dangdut, is monotonous and lousy. It is too bad that the music could not create an atmosphere that would enhance the passengers' feeling of involvement in the drama.

PT Pembangunan Jaya Imagineering Division Manager A. Teddy Darmanto says that the sound effects are automatically controlled by Digital Memory Recorder.

Teddy said the use of laser guns instead of bows and arrows is intended make the ride interesting for children, an idea with which Governor Surjadi agrees.

"Children will prefer to have something more modern," the governor said, adding that he did not think the use of modern weaponry in the show would encourage children to behave violently.

"They are already familiar with violence from the many western films shown on TV," he says. "The most important thing in the show is the message that truth will always win against evil."

Deciding on and planning the story line took more than a year, Teddy said, and actually constructing the ride took another five years.

"We also consulted dalangs (puppet masters) about the story in order to keep it the same as the original," he added.

In conjunction with the new ride, a live show is performed every Sunday and public holiday.

"The scenario for the stage performance was written by N. Riantiarno," Teddy said.

Ciputra, president of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, said that the story was adapted to its present form to make it easier for today's people to appreciate it.

So, Dufan-goers, be prepared for a new entertainment option. And don't forget, be prepared to get wet.