What's so unique about 'Wah... Cantiknya'

What's so unique about 'Wah... Cantiknya'

By Tony Ryanto

JAKARTA (JP): Imagine Tom Cruise playing a mentally disabled
man lucky enough to have Catherine Zeta-Jones tell him she wants
to marry him because he is the only one she loves.

Well, something like this is happening in the TV drama-comedy
Wah ... Cantiknya, which for several weeks has occupied the
number one position in AC Nielsen Indonesia's weekly ratings.

Given a wide range of teleserials to choose from, the plots of
which are more or less alike, Indonesian viewers, men and women
of all age brackets and social classes, are flocking to
Cantiknya, which like Pernikahan Dini is said to contain
"something unique".

Playing the fictional Cruise-like character is Anjasmara, one
of the nation's leading heartthrobs who is often cast as the love
interest of not only one but several beautiful women.

In a role that at first seems too difficult to believe, he is
Cecep, the mentally disabled son of Ibu Sar (Nani Wijaya) who
only a few women care to be associated with.

So when the beautiful Tamara Blezynski (playing the role of
Kartika) tells Cecep she loves him and wants to marry him, Cecep
faints.

The question that immediately comes to mind for viewers is
this: "Why would Kartika want to marry Cecep, even if he is
sincere, childlike and good-natured?"

Well, the answer is something like this. Kartika hates men
after Ronald (Ponco Buwono) breaks her heart. But her father
Wiryo (HIM Damsyik) wants her to get married as soon as possible.
Obviously, she objects to this.

Kartika thinks everything will be all right after her father
passes away. But no, his will stipulates that she will not
receive her inheritance until she gets married. And there is a
deadline attached.

So Kartika, in a move that shocks everyone, chooses Cecep to
be her husband, thereby galvanizing Ronald into an act of
retaliation.

And for Kartika, her father is not really dead because she can
still communicate with him, leaving other characters wondering
why this beautiful women often talks to herself.

The casting of Nani Wijaya in the role of Cecep's mother is
perfect because playing Ibu Sar is a complete departure from the
usual roles that have been entrusted to her thus far: dignified
elderly ladies.

It's like seeing Margaret Thatcher taking a turn at some Jim
Carrey or Adam Sandler-like comedy.

On top of everything, the screenwriter introduces Kartika's
two aunts, Maya (Misye Arsita) and Moni (Arum Puspitarini), who
might remind viewers of the mother and butler characters in the
comedy series The Nanny.

Says Dhamoo Punjabi of Multivision Plus: "The story is like
the ingredients of a special dish, the director is the cook and
the actors constitute the packaging, the glitter and the come-
hither appeal of the end product.

"If the ingredients are bad, the cook cannot do anything about
it. If the cook is bad, excellent ingredients will not be put to
good effect. And if the casting is bad, the end product is a
mess."

Asked why he accepted a role that could negatively affect his
image, Anjasmara said he wants to be a full-fledged actor, which
is understandable.

Cecep, however, is a very difficult role, so much so that in a
number of instances exaggeration and over-the-top acting can't be
avoided. But again, this is understandable.

One thing is as clear as day: there are a lot of things in
this series that make you want to laugh. First Anjasmara; second
Damsyik, who is said to be perfectly cast as a ghost; third the
Iron Lady in a no-holds-barred all-out comedic role; and fourth
the two aunts.

Wah ... Cantiknya is aired every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on SCTV.