Sinetron’ offers some a dream

The allure of the entertainment industry was apparent in the demeanor and chatter of the good-looking people in the waiting room of a Central Jakarta production house specializing in local soap operas, known as sinetron.

A girl in her 20s wearing a tight blue T-shirt and shorts with long, straight, dark hair spoke with a well-built 30-something man in a yellow T-shirt and jeans with close-cropped black hair, while another attractive girl in a white shirt, skin-tight jeans and high heels cheerfully bantered with another would-be actor.

Some people there were cast as extras and were there to collect their pay, which ranged from Rp 60,000 (US$7.02) to Rp 200,000 per shooting call. Some wanted to try their luck at becoming stars by auditioning.

The conversations were loud and bawdy, belying the presence of a child under the age of five, Muhamad Bintang Setiawan, who was accompanied by his mother who seemed intent on launching him
to stardom.

His mother, Nurlina, explained that Bintang loved to sing. “I got the idea of bringing him in for a casting call. I hope he will be able to make it,” she said.

“We came here by motorcycle. We left home at 11 a.m. but didn’t get here until 2 p.m. because of the traffic and finding this place was difficult,” she said.

“I am certain this is worth trying,” Nurlina said.

She added that she had come prepared.

“I called the production house and asked them what was needed, and I brought two close-up pictures of Bintang as instructed,” Nurlina said.

Muhamad Nasri Yunus also harbored dreams of fame and fortune.

He carried two pictures of his 8-year-old daughter, Shafara Aldana, wrapped up in a glitzy package.

“She seems to have a talent for entertainment, so I brought her pictures with me. My friends say she has some good selling points,” he said, adding that he was also there to see if he could get a part in anything.

Yunus, who lives in Slipi, West Jakarta, claims not to be new to the industry, saying he had been an extra in several TV programs.

“The first film I was in as an extra was Lupus [starring Ryan Hidayat in 1987],” he said.

Yunus also named sinetron such as Rumah Bunga and Cinta Fitri in which he had played a doctor, a bank manager, or a dukun santet (shaman).

Despite his age, Yunus said he was optimistic he would be a superstar one day. “I believe my time will come,” he said.

Maya Ernita, a tall, slim woman with sharp dark eyes and long straight black hair, had a more pragmatic view of the possibilities before her.

Maya, who has worked as a model and had speaking roles in a number of minor independent films, said she expected no “instant escalator” to stardom.

“This is tedious work. I have been involved in theater since junior high,” she said. (aaa)