Courtesy of 700 Pictures

Some seek instant success and take shortcuts to get to the top. Young filmmaker Putrama Tuta prefers to take things one step at a time, believing good things come only from hard work.

Three years ago, Putrama Tuta announced the comeback of Catatan Si Boy (Boy’s Diary), a popular flick in the 1980s.

Since then, there have been questions about the drawn out filmmaking process, but they failed to discourage him, believing the right process was needed to produce good work.

“If I need more time to make this film better, I will take the time,” said the film’s producer and director.

“And then, if the result is not as perfect as we wanted it to be, at least we know that we have done our best, our craziest effort possible,” said Tuta, as his friends call him, in an interview at his office in 700 Pictures workshop in Kemang, South Jakarta.

His office reflects his passion for film. Toy figures of movie stars line his shelves and his desk, with pictures from classic movies splattered across the walls.

Talking about filming Catatan Si Boy made him enthusiastic and talkative — the words “extraordinary” and “fantastic” filled the air.

Tuta said the filming process was unforgettable, with some scenes shot in unbelievable locations across Jakarta.

“We closed the streets in Kuningan, the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, Jl. Sudirman and a section of the Cengkareng turnpike,” he said, referring to the city’s busiest traffic areas.

The new film’s cast includes Ario Bayu of Kala and Pintu Terlarang (Forbidden Door) fame, Carissa Putri of the Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love), Singaporean actor and model Paul Foster and a number of cast members from the original Catatan Si Boy.

The new flick, which is currently in post-production, is set to hit the big screen mid this year.

From its teaser, the film certainly promises speed, action and a dose of romance.

Just like the original Catatan Si Boy series, the new flick features the metropolitan city’s glamorous life, with beautiful girls, luxurious cars and fights.

Despite these similar attributes, Tuta says the film is not a remake since it has a different storyline and main character.

Most people may recall the rich but good-mannered and religious Boy, the lead character in the original film adopted from a radio drama aired by Prambors.

The original starred Ongky Alexander as Boy, who writes his experiences and feelings in a diary, always looks stylish, drives expensive cars and attracts beautiful women. He was an idol for men and a boyfriend many women dreamed of.

Tuta said the new flick would not center around Boy anymore.

“It’s about how Boy gave his legacy as an idol to a young man who deserves to become an example.”

Boy’s diary would become a thread that connects the original movie and the new version.

Tuta said people know that Boy wrote a diary, but audiences never saw its content, so he is using that element as the key to creating a different storyline.

The main character of the new flick is Satrio (played by Ario Bayu), a hard-working and responsible character who learns a lot from Boy’s diary.

“If Bayu plays Boy’s son, it will not be too different from other movies. If he plays as Boy, nobody will accept it. Boy will always be Ongky Alexander, and nobody can replace him,” he said.

Tuta said Boy and his life in the original film series were too good to be true, so he injected a more real character in Satrio in the hope that he could be a new icon for young people.

He hopes his film — his first feature film — can deliver a message that people, regardless of their backgrounds, should work hard to succeed in life.

Tuta said he has been dreaming of making films since he watched boxing blockbuster Rocky when he was in junior high school. “The film changed my life. It made me believe that everybody has a chance to be somebody,” he said.

Rocky Balboa, a boxer played by action star Sylvester Stallone, inspired him so much that he has worked hard to learn about filmmaking since he was a teenager.

Born in Jakarta on Oct. 30, 1982, Tuta began learning filmmaking at Pusat Pendidikan Film dan Televisi, the film and television education center, currently chaired by producer Budiyati Abiyoga.

He made his way into the center by saying he was a college student, though in fact he was still in the third
year of senior high school, which meant he had to juggle between his regular school in the morning and evening courses at the center.

It was there he got in touch with real and experienced filmmakers such as Mira Lesmana and Teguh Karya, trying to gain as much experience as possible by working in film productions.

He later went to Melbourne, Australia, to study golf, and after completing the study, he enrolled in the Victoria College of Arts to learn filmmaking.

When his 13-year-old brother wanted to watch the original Catatan Si Boy film in his flat in Melbourne, the idea to revisit the film came to Tuta. At first, he dismissed the idea, thinking it would too hard to make.

After returning to Jakarta, Tuta’s friend, Zacky Sulistyo, raised a similar notion, breathing into life to Tuta’s buried vision.

With renewed spirit, he started to hunt for information on the legal rights to produce the movie.

“Prambors said I must be crazy trying to make the movie, but I assured them that I would make something different,” Tuta said.

He said that receiving the call from the radio station approving his plan was a part of a great moment for celebration, as his wife had just told him that he would become a father as well.

Tuta said making a follow-up of a popular film like Catatan Si Boy was not as easy as some people may assume.

“I never dreamed that I could top the film’s past glory. But the least I can do is to give my best and deliver,” he says.

“Rocky had a chance for a rematch against Apollo Creed and won. If Catatan Si Boy is my chance, I will take it.”

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