Aminah Cendrakasih

Biography

Cendrakasih was born Siti Aminah in Magelang, Central Java, Dutch East Indies, on 29 January 1938. She is the daughter of the comedian Husin Nagib and the actress Wolly Sutinah. In her childhood she moved to Jakarta. Cendrakasih studied at a Sekolah Kepandaian Putri, a school which taught young girls skills needed to manage a household.

Cendrakasih began acting in her teens, at first on stage and later in film. JB Kristanto, in his catalogue of Indonesian films, lists her as having a role in S Waldy's Musafir Kelana (The Wanderer, 1953). The Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran, meanwhile, writes that Cendrakasih made her feature film debut Ali Joego's Oh, Ibuku (O, My Mother, 1955). Cendrakasih subsequently appeared in Gambang Semarang (Gambang from Semarang, 1955) alongside her mother. Her first starring role was Ibu dan Putri (Mother and Daughter, 1955), directed by Ha van Wu and co-starring Lies Noor. Over the next four years she appeared in a further eleven films, including starring roles in Taman Harapan (Garden of Hope, 1957), Tjambuk Api (Whips of Fire, 1958), and Pak Prawiro (Mr Prawiro, 1958). After completing Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang (After Darkness There is Light, 1959), directed by Ho Ah Loke, she married a Betawi man and took a hiatus from acting.

In 1970, Cendrakasih returned to acting, at first taking several television roles before returning to the silver screen the following year. She acted in sixty films in nine years, including Hostess Anita (Anita the Hostess, 1971), Aku Tak Berdosa (I Haven't Sinned, 1972), Si Doel Anak Modern (Doel the Modern Child, 1976), and Betty Bencong Slebor (Betty the Clumsy Transvestite, 1978). She was also a member of the Association of Islamic Arts and Culture (Himpunan Seni Budaya Islam) and the Betawi Cultural Institute (Lembaga Kebudayaan Betawi).

Cendrakasih remained highly active during the 1980s, appearing in some forty-two films. Her final feature film of the decade, and her last feature film as of 2016, was Lebih Asyik Sama Kamu (More Interesting with You, 1989). She also continued to act on television, including in the serial Rumah Masa Depan (House of the Future, 1984–1985). She achieved her greatest fame, however, with the series Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (Doel the Schoolchild, 1994–2005). Director and star Rano Karno wrote for her and cast her in the role of Lela, Doel's mother, who is often referred to as Mak Nyak. In her book on the series, Klarijn Loven describes the character as offering a positive depiction of a house wife as an alternative for the common depiction of mothers as career women.

Cendrakasih suffers from glaucoma, has lost her eyesight, and is bedridden. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bandung Film Festival in 2012, and another at the 2013 Indonesian Movie Awards. As Cendrakasih was in the hospital, the latter award was accepted by her daughter Ade Purba Sari.

Filmography

Cendrakasih has appeared in almost a hundred and twenty films in her fifty-year career.