'Panji Koming' comes to life on television

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Panji Koming, a Javanese court servant, or abdi dalem, who first came to life in a comic strip in the Kompas daily in 1979, is getting ready to assume human form.

After more than 20 years as a comic strip, Panji Koming is beginning a new life as a television series of the same name.

"The idea to film Panji Koming actually came from Guruh Soekarnoputra in 1981, but making it a reality turned out to be quite difficult at the time," Panji Koming creator Dwi Koendoro Brotoatmodjo said.

The TV series will be aired weekly on new television station TV-7 beginning in June, in time for the celebration of Kompas' 37th anniversary on June 28.

For the series, Panji Koming will be played by the relatively unknown Ari Satrio. And another new actor, Aviv Elham, will play Panji's best friend, Pailul. Former Miss Sunsilk Imelda Lubis will take on the role of Panji's sweetheart, Ni Woro Ciblon, while Pailul's girlfriend, Ni Dyah Gembili, will be played by Kissinger May, who is the sister of well-known presenter Dewi Hughes.

Unlike the comic version, which is thick with subtle criticism of the government, Dwi said the television series would be pure entertainment.

Dwi's clever and humorous social criticisms successfully ushered the comic strip through the era of former president Soeharto, when rigorous censorship was the order of the day.

"Of course there will be social criticism in the TV show, but not as thick as in the comic version. We want the show to appeal to all ages, and not everybody likes political stories or even understands them," he said.

But if the television version's true to the comic, Panji Koming might at times turn into slapstick comedy.

Dwi admitted that interpreting comic characters into television was a challenging task.

"Comic characters let the readers' imagination go wild, the story is interpreted according to the imagination of each reader," he said.

"It's different with television. Shows dictate what the viewers see, there's not enough room for imagination."

Therefore, Dwi and TV-7's production team are ready for criticism and to make adjustments to the show, with the goal of making the show closer to audience expectations of what the characters should be like.

The TV series Panji Koming will be set during the Majapahit era prior to the Paregreg civil war (1401-1406), during a time of strife between the king, Wikramawardhana, and his daughter, Kusumawardhani (Ratu Ayu Kencanawungu in the show, played by actress Intan Savila).

The Majapahit kingdom has been weakened, especially by the rebellion of the king's brother-in-law, Bhre Wirabhumi (Adipati Menakjingga in the series).

"Besides the historical characters and the comic strip characters, there will also be new characters in the TV version in line with today's society. That's what a parody is all about after all."