Indonesia's renowned producer
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Indonesia's renowned producer


Raam Punjabi, producer of "Soekarno: Indonesia Merdeka".

President of the Indonesian film production company, Multivision Plus, Raam Punjabi is a famous Indian Indonesian producer who is also referred to as 'Indonesia's own soap king' due to the many soap operas he has produced.

Raam is currently one of the most successful producers in Indonesia and with his production company, he has become one of Indonesia's most well-known production powerhouse.

Moreover, Raam is also responsible for creating and producing many of Indonesia's most popular comedy and drama series such as "Pengalaman Pertama", "Wah Cantiknya!", "Gara-Gara" and more.

In 2013, Raam won the ASEAN Spirit Award along with directors Hanung Bramantyo and Hestu Saputra for the 2012 drama film, "Cinta Tapi Beda".

We caught up to interview Raam recently to speak more of his latest venture, "Soekarno: Indonesia Merdeka" and how he managed to deliver a compelling story on the life of Indonesia's most prominent figure.


At the Malaysian Gala Premiere of "Soekarno" at TGV Cinemas, 1 Utama.

Hi Raam, why did you decide to take on and produce "Soekarno"?
You see, Soekarno was a very inspirational person. He inspired everybody and that's the main reason I did a movie on him. Because he united the country, he created the slogan of 'One Nation, One Country, One Language'. I believe his way of thinking inspired many people including me, and no one can replace him as the founding father of Indonesia, which is why I made a movie on him.

Will you be making more films on other Indonesian presidents?
Well, I have a few ideas and plans in mind, but honestly speaking, it will not be as gung-ho as I was for Soekarno. Soekarno is the man who really inspires me from my young age and then when I came into this business, the first thing I had in mind was to make a movie about Soekarno.

You see at the age of 20, Soekarno was already thinking about liberating the country, compared to the youth and young adults nowadays, what are they thinking in their mind? Clubbing? Drugs? So, what I can say is that I really wish we have more 'Soekarnos' who can unite the country.

The film recently won three awards at the Bandung Film Festival 2014. How do you feel about this?
It was great knowing that my hard work finally paid off and is being appreciated.


Ario Bayu is the lead of "Soekarno".
Were you expecting to win awards for "Soekarno"?
No, not at all. When I make a movie, I don't expect anything. How much profit will I gain or how much loss, I don't think of those things. But yes, I have to admit, movie making has to make money, or else there will be no point of doing it in the first place. But in case you don't gain much from the production, there will be other aspects that will still satisfy you, and that is you are fulfilling your own passion.

If we don't have a movie of Soekarno, the new generation will not know the founding father of the country, the man who united the people of Indonesia, but now they will know!

Moreover, in Bali, the school there organised that for every day for three months the students in the school will be able to watch the movie in batches and I think it is great step! That was the initiative made by the Bali government. Now we are trying to do that in other cities as well.

So, these are the benefits you get when you made a great movie and the result satisfies you. You feel that you did a great job and now people are following your movie.


The producer along with his cast from "Soekarno".
Do you think that actor Ario Bayu did a good job in portraying Soekarno?
I think no one else could've done better. Under the guidance of director Hanung, he did a really good job. When I watched Ario in the film, it was as if I've watched the real Soekarno. I could not find anybody else who can fit the role better than Ario.

There has been some controversy regarding this film and Soekarno's real daughter who was against Ario playing her father. Do you have any comments on this?
Yes, it's not like I have anything to hide. This issue has even been taken to the court, but I am happy that in the end, the court decided that there is no fault with the movie and that MVP Pictures is the rightful owner of the movie. Additionally, kind of as an affirmation, the film even won a few awards at Bandung Film Festival. Everybody has already given their verdict that there is nothing wrong with the movie and the movie truly did inspire them.

If anyone else have a different way of thinking, that is their right. I have no right to tell them how they should think, it is their prerogative. But the movie has got the clearance amongst the public, it won three awards and the movie is now shown internationally.

Who do you think the film will appeal to?
From my point of view, the movie will appeal to three generations; the first generation is those who were active during the Soekarno's days, the second generation is the young people who were growing up at that time who knew about the existence of Soekarno, the third generation are the kids of today, which I want to fall in love with the idea of Soekarno, to really know the first president of Indonesia. So, I don't think there will be any generation that will not appreciate this movie.

Now that your work for "Soekarno" is done and delivered, what's next for you?
Soekarno is a great movie, but I want to make movies better than Soekarno in the time to come. This will need a lot of time, research and discussion, so I'm not going to stop at Soekarno. I want to do more films like Soekarno!

"Soekarno" is now showing in cinemas in Malaysia.


Related Movies:
Soekarno (Indonesian) (02 Oct 2014)

Dailymotion article page COMY


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