Taking on a Legend

At 26, Dian Sastrowardoyo is the prodigal daughter of Indonesian cinema with credits and international awards for a string of popular movies. After a brief hiatus from the big screen, she has returned with a startling performance as one of the Mahabharata’s most beloved characters, Drupadi. Maggie Tiojakin learns more about the film and the woman who made it happen.

Thirty minutes before the press conference is scheduled to begin, the Goethe Institute seems oddly quiet, almost deserted. Three young men at the reception desk glance warily at the door, double-checking the guest list. Their instructions are simple but firm: no entertainment media allowed, entrance by invitation only.

In the main hall, half a dozen people are busily stacking and moving boxes of goods for the event, testing large speakers for sound quality, mounting posters on walls and setting up screens.

In the next room, sheltered by knocked-up cardboard partitions, Dian Sastrowardyo is giving interviews to a small select group of journalists. Occasionally she interrupts to ask one of the production crew about the equipment setup in the main hall.

“Why is it making such a terrible noise?” she asks the production manager, referring to the loud, intermittent static coming from the speakers. “Is everything OK?”

The production manager tells her they’re doing a sound check and there’s nothing to worry about. Dian raises her eyebrows, turns around as though she can actually see through the cardboard wall and says, “Are you sure? It sounds like something is broken.”

The task of technical supervision is one of those she has taken on in her new role as a producer. A first-timer on the job, Dian says she has much to learn from her seniors, such as Mira Lesmana or Leo Sutanto, who are both heavily involved in the making of Drupadi.

What was the story behind her role as a film producer?

“There was no story,” she said, pausing briefly as more loud static erupts from behind her. She tries to ignore it. “This project was essentially born under the supervision of Leila and me. We did the pitch together. Once SinemArt came on board, they told me that with everything I was doing I should also be credited as a producer. That was pretty much it.”

As an art film – and a short one at that (30 minutes) – Drupadi boasts a litany of A-grade industry personalities: Leo Sutanto (executive producer), Mira Lesmana (producer), Riri Riza (director), Leila S. Chudori (scriptwriter), Dian, Nicholas Saputra, Butet Kartaredjasa, Ario Bayu, Donny Alamsyah, Dwi Sasono, Djarot Dharsono and Chitra Subijakto (costume designer). Scheduled for release at this year’s Jakarta International Film Festival, Drupadi is expected to reach international and local audiences.

A classic tale inspired by the Hindu epic of Mahabharata, the story of Drupadi begins when her father, King of Panchala, asks the god of fire (Agni) to help him beget a daughter whose unsurpassing beauty would win the heart of his rival, Arjuna, one of the five princes of Pandava. Through a series of events, Drupadi ends up marrying all five Pandavas and becomes an object of dispute and ownership among the brothers.

“Drupadi had five husbands, it’s true. But what happened to her was more complex than that. It’s not about her engaging in polyandry,” says Dian. “It’s about her resilience in the whole trade-off. Here was a woman who stood up for herself in a time when women were told to sit still and accept whatever was given to them.”

(Early in September, a week following the press conference, the World Hindu Youth Organization staged a protest condemning the film for reducing Drupadi from demigod to flawed human being.)

Drupadi’s resistance is the heart and soul of the film, according to Dian and Leila, who did much of their research by thumbing through old books and Hindu scriptures, as well as consulting watered-down versions of the tale according to Javanese and Sumatran interpretations.

Dian concludes the message she wants to deliver is one that addresses a universal concern: the objectification of women. She compares the story to the present-day issue of human trafficking around the world.

“In the history of human civilization, women have been subjected to a lot of things,” she says. “From abuse to the deprivation of basic, human rights to shame – you name it. But you’d be surprised to see how much of the past has survived in our modern culture. Human trafficking is one.”

To prepare for the lead role, Dian cleared two months out of her busy schedule (she has also been a philosophy lecturer at the University of Indonesia) and took up lessons in traditional dance. The film, a combination of drama and musical, enlisted renowned choreographer, Sutopo Tedjobaskoro, and a reputable dance troupe from Padepokan Bagong Kussudiardja.

“Fortunately, I did some dancing as a child,” says Dian. “I’m not a professional dancer, but I’m familiar with most of the moves and rhythms of Javanese traditional dances.”

Asked what it’s like to reunite on screen with actor Nicholas Saputra (who plays Arjuna), Dian chuckles. Their breakthrough roles in the teen romantic comedy titled Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? made them household names

“Nico is like my dentist,” she comments. “We see each other on a regular basis and, on screen, we have a good chemistry. Of course, it’s thrilling to work with him again, but it’s not necessarily a surprise – is it?”

Recounting the previous 15 days spent with the rest of the cast in Yogyakarta for the shoot, Dian is both tired and excited. Tired, because the shoot wrapped two days before the press conference; excited, because she believes everyone is committed “110 percent” to the film.

“Working with Riri was great,” she adds. “He’s the kind of director who knows what he wants from the get-go. He’ll give you an explicit rundown of where he needs you to be in a certain scene and what he wants you to be doing, so you don’t just stand there waiting for your turn to talk.”

In Drupadi, the dialogue is excruciatingly difficult, says Dian. Although the film appeals to contemporary audiences, it employs the poetic language of an ancient society. This, apparently, makes the actors’ job somewhat problematic.

“It’s not one of those films where you sit at a table, eat dinner and say ‘Hey, what have you been up to lately?’” Dian elaborates. “This is a film where you play cards with your friends and talk about the meaning of life – in stanzas. So it was important for us to master our diction.”

She praises the script as something “close to a Shakespearean work”. Leila S. Chudori, a senior editor and film critic at Tempo magazine, whose scriptwriting credits include her initial collaboration with Dian in Dunia Tanpa Koma (TV series, 2006) – an overly ambitious attempt at portraying the livelihood of media journalists (Dian played the lead, Raya) as they tried to uncover crimes committed by a drug lord (played by Surya Saputra).

Will this be another overly ambitious attempt to commercialize a legendary epic?

“I can’t say whether the audience will like (the film) or not,” says Dian. “From our point of view, we’ve done the best we can to provide people with a different kind of material. We sure hope it entertains.”

Five minutes later, a group walks through the front door dressed in promotional shirts bearing the film’s title and logo. Their faces are familiar. Mira Lesmana blows affectionate kisses all around, while Nicholas Saputra acknowledges Dian with a nod. Riri Riza approaches Dian and motions for a quick hug.

“Is everything set?” asks Mira, smiling.

“All set and ready to go,” replies Dian, as the static ebbs and is replaced by the sound of the buzzing crowd.

The party has arrived.

+Photos by Anton Ismael and Andry Dilindra 

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