New Soekarno Film Keeps History Alive

Jakarta Globe, Lisa Siregar, December 16, 2013

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