Armando Siahaan

Piece of Mind: Political Dramas

The Manohara-inspired sinetron? That’s so yesterday.

Just turn on the TV, tune in to one of the political hearings, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself addicted to the ongoing dramas that are a gazillion times spicier than all the sinetrons combined.

Over the last several months, the country has been inundated by a sea of political brouhahas and the news channels, knowing a good thing when they see it, have been airing the stories live and unedited.

The murder trial of former antigraft czar Antasari Azhar, lawmakers questioning officials in the police versus KPK saga and, most recently, the hearings of the House special committee investigating the Bank Century bailout have all been aired live. Each of these cases presents a larger-than-life drama. Even better, some of the main characters in these political dramas are — in a theatrical sense — great actors.

I’m not saying these people are merely putting on a show for TV. But if we look at them hypothetically and imagine them as actors, there have been some Oscar-worthy performances.

Who can forget Susno Duadji and his entertaining antics? Susno frequently irritates with his weighty yet dubious statements, and let’s face it, if a director was looking for a sleazy-looking villain type, central casting would send Susno. For his part, Ruhut Sitompul consistently plays the role of tough lawmaker. Then there is iron lady Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. When summoned by lawmakers over the Bank Century case, she coolly rebutted those conducting the inquiry with her matter-of-fact eloquence and what-are-you-looking-at glare.

On the flip side is Rani Juliani. She not only dressed to impress during her testimony in the Antasari case, but also gave a steamy, sexually implicit account to the court. Anggodo, well, the less said about him the better. And the list goes on.

This has left me wondering whether these characters have acting coaches. I’ve even coined a term for these political shows: “politron” — the newest challenger to sinetrons.

These farcical acts on TV have turned politics into a major stage production. National events are no longer studied simply for their importance to the country, but are watched by many simply for the entertainment value.

I’m sure the TV stations are getting sky-high ratings, but the situation is alarming in that antics like these may leave people thinking that the grave state of our national affairs is nothing but a big joke.

If I were a movie producer — a rich and politically powerful one, as I am sure it would anger the “higher authorities” — I would definitely make a movie based on recent events. I can just imagine my big-budget efforts, replete with Hollywood stars.

The first would be “A Caddie’s Daddy,” or “A Daddy’s Caddie,” whichever works. Julie, a country girl, hopes to make it big in Jakarta, but finds it hard to achieve her dreams. To get by, she works as a caddie, offering special services beyond just carrying golf bags.

One of her clients is gunned down by a mobster under the employ of the Czar, another well-connected and jealous client. Julie’s life is in jeopardy when she must testify against the Czar in court.

Sharon Stone would play Julie, reprising her “Basic Instinct” role. The role of the Czar would go to a mustached and bespectacled Clint Eastwood, while the mobster role would be filled by Mike Tyson.

The second movie is “The Crocodile’s Game.” Rocco, a policeman, goes after two antigraft officials.

The twist in the story is when it is discovered that Rocco had played a crucial role in solving the biggest bank heist of the century, involving Minister Yani, who is prosecuted by a fierce lawmaker named Rudy. Then there’s Godo, the brother of a businessman on the run from the authorities, who may or may not be the mastermind of the whole mess. The movie climaxes when a Facebook campaign gets millions of people out on the streets. Twisted? You bet.

Jack Nicholson, who was perfect as a mobster in “The Departed,” would play Godo, Al Pacino as Rudy and Judy Dench as Yani. I can’t find anyone who would be able to do justice to the Rocco character aside from Susno Duadji himself.

With the combination of riveting plots, lively characters and the fact that millions of Indonesians would be able to relate to the stories, I have no doubt that these movies would clean up during award season.

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