Words Bruce Emond Illustration Mufty Fairuz

Actor Arifin Putra was caught in “hectic” mood, set to fly out to Germany the next day, answering emails and getting everything in order before his departure. “I have a lot of things to do. But it’s a good kind of hectic,” he said. From his start in TV, he has gone on to land a range of prime roles during his movie career, from playing in horror flicks, action movies (including 2014’s The Raid: Berandal, which was released in the US) and romances. The 29-year-old’s goal is to bring Indonesian culture to the world through the medium of film.

I am, in three words …

Ambitious; warm, in the sense that I really care about my family; curious — I’m a very curious person.

My best trait …

Being a perfectionist. It’s my best and also my worst. I always want to be as well prepared as possible, and I am my own worst critic.

My greatest achievement …

To be able to buy a house with my mother that was really a present to her for all the nice things she did for me as a child. I’m very proud of that.

I would never …

Go bungee jumping; I would rather do sky-diving if I had to […].

I am bored by …

Just waiting for nothing. For something uncertain. And conversations with no substance.

My favorite food …

Spaetzle with Hungarian goulash.

And movie …

Forrest Gump. It’s the only movie I can watch over and over again in a loop and never get bored of it. There are so many beautiful moments in it.

Favorite journey …

My most powerful one was to Nepal and going to the Himalayas. When you are high up in the mountains you really get to know yourself, the good and the bad.

Great weekend for me …

Staying home, eating homemade food, watching Netflix and playing PS4.

Favorite social media …

It was Instagram but I am getting to like Facebook more and more. On Instagram, you show what you have been doing. On Facebook, you can tell more of a story.

Favorite spot in Jakarta …

My apartment balcony, with its great view of the surrounding area.

Don’t ever call me …

I don’t know, stubborn maybe. Because I will stubbornly deny it.

When the going gets tough, I …

Go to the cinema by myself, with my cellphone turned off. I can think things through as I watch the movie, and when I come out I have a solution.

My life motto …

Live every day to the fullest because you never know when it will be your last. And at the end of the day,
I want to be able to say that I lived a full life.

I still need to …

Help to bring Indonesian culture to an international audience through the medium of film. The Raid kind of did that, and I feel there is still more we can do to showcase Indonesia.

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