Jakarta Globe, Lisa Siregar, December 16, 2013
Soekarno is best remembered as Indonesia’s first president. The man whose immortal words declared Indonesia as a new, free nation emerging from the destruction and chaos of World War II. But to many Indonesians, he is also remembered as a man of action who disliked being dependent on any party.
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| Actor Ario Bayu, center, as former President Soekarno in the new film ‘Soekarno: Indonesia Merdeka.’ (Photo courtesy of MVP Pictures) |
Soekarno is best remembered as Indonesia’s first president. The man whose immortal words declared Indonesia as a new, free nation emerging from the destruction and chaos of World War II. But to many Indonesians, he is also remembered as a man of action who disliked being dependent on any party.
One of his
most famous sayings was “ Jas Merah ,” short for “ Jangan Sekail kali
Meninggalkan Sejarah ” or “do not ever forget the history.”
It is a
strong statement and often quoted in many texts.
“Soekarno:
Indonesia Merdeka” the movie is an effort to keep the history alive for many
generations. Director Hanung Bramantyo, popular for directing religi-drama hits
such as “Ayat-Ayat Cinta” (“The Verses of Love”) and “Sang Pencerah” (“The
Enlightened One”), said his newest film is the only one about history that
relives the moment of our proclamation of independence. Most Indonesians have
heard Soekarno’s voice when reading the text, but no real footage from the
extremely important event, so Hanung decided to tackle that.
“I made
this film to commemorate Soekarno, and naturally, there has to be a scene of
when he proclaimed independence,” he said.
Unlike the
recent film “Lincoln,” starring Daniel Day Lewis, which only highlights the
last years of the former American president’s life, “Soekarno: Indonesia
Merdeka” has a very ambitious script that tells the story of Soekarno beginning
with his childhood.
Before
Soekarno, he was named Kusno, and as a young child, he was frail and very prone
to illness. His father changed his name to Soekarno in the hope that the boy
would someday be a knight like legendary hero Adipati Karno.
At age 24,
Soekarno (Ario Bayu) gives a very captivating speech demanding independence
from the colonial government. He is then exiled to Ende and Bengkulu, before
finally returning to Java upon the arrival of the Japanese army.
The film
reveals Soekarno’s qualities as a statesman and a ladies’ man. Known for being
married to nine women, the film includes two — his second wife Inggit (Maudy
Koesnaedi), who was with him during his difficult times, and his third wife
Fatmawati (Tika Bravani) who tailored the Indonesian flag used during the
proclamation of independence.
Lukman
Sardi portrays Soekarno’s sidekick, Hatta, while Tanta Ginting gives a powerful
performance as Sjahrir, a man with a fierce personality and short-tempered
remarks. These three figures often disagree with each other in their ways of
thinking. Through their dialogues, members of the audience see the fate of
their nation state as discussed decades ago.
The script,
also written by Hanung, is based on different literary sources, such as
Soekarno’s autobiography by Cindy Adams, “Penyambung Lidah Rakyat,” “Di Bawah
Bendera Revolusi” and other references from other real characters involved in
the story. Initially, Hanung wanted to create a Soekarno trilogy but after many
discussions and qualitative research, he decided to do only one first.
“If this
one is doing well, we hope we will be able to make two other movies,” he said.
Hanung said
this film is his interpretation of the history of Soekarno. When reading
literature for research, he was perplexed by the complexity of Soekarno’s
character. One question lingered in his mind while developing the script.
“It’s
whether or not Indonesia would exist if there was no Soekarno,” he said.
The film
was not without challenges. During production, Hanung encountered problems with
Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, the former president’s daughter and the current head
of Yayasan Pendidikan Soekarno. Soekarno’s family wanted another actor,
Anjasmara, to play the main role. Rachmawati held a press conference back in
September to announce that she no longer supported the production of the film
and pulled back as a financial backer of the project.
Hanung said
deciding on the main cast took a very long time. Before Ario Bayu, Hanung
considered to cast Agus Kuncoro as Soekarno. Both were filmed in full costume
during an important scene with Fatmawati. After a small group discussion, the
team decided to give the role to Ario Bayu.
“I know
it’s a tough choice, but the film is a matter of perspective,” he said. “I
don’t mean to discredit anyone by making this movie.”
Hanung kept
saying the film was not a critique. He simply realized that so far, no one had
done a movie about Soekarno, so he felt that it had to be done.
‘Soekarno:
Indonesia Merdeka’
Directed by
Hanung Bramantyo
Starring
Ario Bayu, Maudy Koesnaedi, Lukman Sardi
137 minutes
Indonesian
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