The Indonesian Film Industry and Indian Community bade farewell last week to one of its most senior and respected members — renowned producer Shankar Samtani. Popularly known as Subagio Samtono or Pak Sam, this 73 year-old is remembered not only for the movies he produced, but also for his spirituality and service to the community.
Born in the province of Tando Adam, Sindh (now known as Pakistan), his parents migrated to Indonesia when he was a child.
His father, a successful textile businessman, sent him to be educated in Singapore.
However, at the age of 20, he lost his father and returned to Indonesia to support his family.
It wasn’t long before he discovered that he didn’t enjoy being in the textile business; his true passion was in movies.
So he teamed up with film producer and good friend, Turino Junaidy, and tried his luck in the film business, producing movies including Seribu Langkah (A thousand steps), Gadis Diseberang Djalan (Girls across the road) and Maut Mendjelang Magrib (Death before dusk).
In 1968, Shankar, together with his younger brother Gope Samtani, founded Rapi Films and imported movies from USA, Hong Kong, Europe and India.
A mere three years later, they started producing their own films. Airmata Kekasih (Lover’s tears), their first movie, starred the late Suzanna, a popular actress at that time.
Movies like Ateng Sok Tahu (Ateng pretends to know) and Akibat Pergaulan Bebas (The result of promiscuity) made it to the Box Office, while Dimana Kau Ibu (Where are you, Mum) earned prominent actor Rano Karno the Best Child Actor Award in the 1974 Asian Film Festival.
Shankar was also one of the first to produce soap operas for television. His debut, Noktah Merah Perkawinan (Trouble in marriage), won local awards in 1996 and gained high ratings with Indonesian and Malaysian viewers.
“Pak Sam didn’t produce movies only to make money. For him, a movie needed to have an inspiring, meaningful story,” remembers Gope.
“One such movie was Pasukan Berani Mati [Brave soldiers], a brilliant war story that wasn’t a popular genre in the 1980s.”
His passion for making movies never faded. Even in his last days, he was in discussion with director Hanung Bramantyo for an upcoming religious film to be produced later this year.
At the age of 27, he became a disciple of Spiritual Guru, Swami Madhavdas-ji Maharaj, of the Prem Prakash Mandal Organization in India.
Inspired by his Guru’s teachings of love and service, Shankar, together with other members of the Indian Community, organized weekly spiritual-gatherings and monthly donation-drives to aid the less-privileged.
After handing over the daily business operations to the next generation, Shankar committed himself to making a difference to the community.
In 2005, the two brothers sponsored free monthly cataract operations at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital for those who could not afford the operation costs.
But after seeing the large number of patients, they decided to set up their own clinic and in September 2008, Klinik Kasih Sayang was inaugurated by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo and Satguru Swami Bhagat Prakash-ji Maharaj.
With the support of doctors, over 1,500 free cataract operations have since been conducted. Here, patients can also consult the GP for a subsidized fee of ten thousand rupiah, inclusive of medication.
With all these acts of service, it is no wonder that people remember him as a man of great humility and inspiration.
“Though highly successful, Shankar always shied away from interviews and photographs, giving the credit of a serial’s success to his crew. Perhaps this is why most of the crew has stayed loyal to him for over 30 years.
His life will serve as an example that no matter how successful we become — we should always remain humble and serve the less-privileged,” says Gope.
Indeed, he has left an indelible mark and will be dearly missed by his family, the Indonesian Film Industry, the Indian Community and those whose lives were impacted by him.
