JP/Triwik Kurniasari

Launching a career in the theater, the 29-year-old has transformed herself into one of the country’s promising actresses.

Atiqah Hasiholan looked casual in a black-and-white striped sleeveless top and black pants for the interview at a beauty salon in Kemang, South Jakarta.

Assisted by a makeup artist, she was getting ready for an off-air show held by a soap producer in which she is its latest icon.

In between eyeliner, mascara and lipstick, Atiqah shared stories about her acting career, her latest projects and the role of her mother, senior actress-activist-politician Ratna Sarumpaet.

With her height, slender figure and high cheekbones, Atiqah is often mistaken for a model.

“I cannot even pose in front of the camera,” Atiqah says, giggling.

“When I did a photo session for [local fashion designer] Andreas Odang and the photographer told me to smile naturally, I was very stiff. It took me quite a long time before I got those natural poses,” added the woman, who is the designer’s muse.

Posing for a fashion spread displaying a designer’s collection is much more difficult for her than acting in front of a rolling camera.

“Those are two different things. Acting is not posing, it’s about playing to be somebody else,” she said.

Born in Jakarta on Jan. 3, 1982, Atiqah found her passion for acting after finishing her studies in media and psychology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

On summer holiday, she spared time to take part in her mother’s own theatrical project, Satu Merah Panggung.

Only after working in an office for some time did she realize acting was her true calling.

“When I was a little girl, I used to dream of becoming a lawyer. Back then I always had discussions and arguments with my driver. It never crossed my mind I was going to be an actor,” she says.

“Acting and playing in the theater is more enjoyable [than working in an office]. I decided to focus on theater and other mediums like film.”

Atiqah began to pursue acting professionally, making her big screen debut in the critically acclaimed Berbagi Suami (Love for Share) by renowned director and producer Nia Dinata.

In the film, she brushed shoulders with established actors like El Manik, Jajang C. Noer, Nungki Kusumastuti and Winky Wiryawan.

The part was soon followed by roles in multiple feature films as well as a number of made-for-TV movies.

She starred in the horror film Suster N, immersed herself as a karaoke girl in Cinta Setaman (Love Potpourri) and became a mysterious receptionist in Pintu Terlarang (The Forbidden Door).

Atiqah landed her biggest role in Jamila dan Sang Presiden (Jamila and the President), based on a play by Ratna. In the film, Atiqah played alongside a heavyweight cast of Christine Hakim, Ria Irawan, Surya Saputra and Fauzi Baadila.

Playing the leading role, she delved into her character of a prostitute awaiting a death sentence and refused any leniency by the president.

Some film observers may have criticized her overly theatrical acting in the flick, but Atiqah was welcomed by the country’s film industry as a promising new talent in the business.

She later appeared in Ruma Maida (Maida’s House), written by Ayu Utami and directed by Teddy Soeriaatmadja, where Atiqah plays Maida — a modest yet tomboyish university student in Jakarta who spends her time teaching street children in an old house. She accidentally finds out that the house holds many stories from the Dutch and Japanese colonization.

As a newcomer, Atiqah is not afraid of taking roles with negative images, as shown when she again took a role as a prostitute — her third — in 2010’s war movie Darah Garuda (Blood of the Eagles) where she makes a brief appearance as a traumatized Javanese courtesan named Lastri who lived in the 1940s.

Darah Garuda is the second installment of the Merah Putih (Red and White) trilogy, which tells the story of a band of heroic guerrilla soldiers who fight against returning Dutch troops.

The only hitch in her career so far was when she appeared in the comedy Mafia Insaf (Repentent Mafia), starring as a police officer who falls for a criminal. Her acting was not bad but the film was a cheap sex comedy with a dreadful story and poor directing.

Showing skin in a movie only to make male audience members excited is definitely a big no-no for her.

“Unless it is a very good project and does not have the main intention of displaying some skin, I might consider the offer,” says the actor, who has not starred in a TV series as she says there have been no good offers on the table yet.

Her mother has been Atiqah’s biggest influence and inspiration.

“She plays a big role in my life, not only as a mother who supports her children, but also in terms of acting skill. She’s the one who introduced me to the acting world and let me join her theater group.”

Her mother is also a good friend to discuss films with but that does not mean she will always ask for her approval every time she is offered a project. “It’s more sharing and discussing the role with her,” she says.

This year, Atiqah’s latest project is a challenging role in The Mirror Never Lies directed by 25-year-old filmmaker Kamila Andini, who is the daughter of prominent producer-director-script writer Garin Nugroho.

The film, a drama also starring award-winning actor Reza Rahadian, is a marine biodiversity portrait of the Wakatobi Islands in Southeast Sulawesi with its Bajo — boat-dwelling people famous as great sailors who live a nomadic life, earning them the nickname of sea gypsies.

The film centers on a 12-year-old Bajo girl named Pakis (played by newcomer Gita Novalista), who relentlessly strives to search for her father who was lost at sea. Atiqah portrays Pakis’ mother, Tayung, a Bajonese widow who struggles to raise her only child and support her family.

“This situation turns into a conflict between the mother and daughter,” Atiqah said.

Joining the project has brought her new knowledge about the Bajo and its unique culture.

“Tayung itself means sea urchin. Why the character is called Tayung? Because Bajo people like eating sea urchins, which are hard on the outside yet soft on the inside,” she explains.

“The name really reflects the character. Tayung is a strong woman and really loves her daughter.”

The Mirror Never Lies, a collaboration between the Wakatobi local government, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia and the SET Film Workshop, is an effort to raise people’s awareness about marine conservation as well as promote Wakatobi, which is home to hundreds of pristine coral and marine species, as the center of the World Coral Triangle.

“Bajo people are sea wanderers whose lives depend on marine resources to support their family. But today many young Bajonese have lost their [ancient] sailing skills like wind forecasting. They are more familiar with Western culture. That’s so sad.”

Her venture into the film world will not be a temporary thing,

Atiqah said she has fallen in love with acting, something she will be doing for a long time to come.

“I want to stick to the movie world, not only as an actress but also as one who works behind the screen,” said Atiqah, who was a producer in Jamila. “I want to try more.”

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