Sidharta Tata and Fajar Martha Santosa drew on lived experience on the streets of Jogja to create the world of "Pertaruhan". The two directors, who also have writer credits on the series – talk about layering gambling and loans onto the story of a family struggling to survive in a chaotic world. 

Indonesian action drama, "Pertaruhan The Series 2", was one of streaming platform Vidio’s top performing original titles last year. The second season picked up the story where the first season left off, with Elzan risking everything to defend his family home against a bank’s attempts to confiscate their property and ruin their lives. As part of ContentAsia Awards’ director’s focus, series’ directors Sidharta Tata and Fajar Martha Santosa – who both also have writer credits on the show – explain why they returned to explore more of Indonesia’s criminal underworld.

What originally inspired you to portray this side of Indonesia? “We both have quite a bit of experience being on the streets. We grew up in an area known for thuggery, gambling, and city gangs in Jogja (Yogyakarta), Indonesia. However, unlike Jakarta, Jogja mixes a rich culture with gangster life that creates its own unique characteristics. This allowed us to honestly reconstruct the basic concept behind Pertaruhan.”

How did the project evolve from season one to Season two? “The driving force behind the creative process was the Penekawan development team, which we are both a part of. At the end of Pertaruhan Season 1, we wondered where will we take Elzan and his family next? What kind of world will they explore? From there, our idea evolved. If Pertaruhan is a story about a family struggling to survive in a chaotic world, what other chaos could they encounter? The concept of exploring gambling and loans then emerged. We then discussed this with Vidio and Screenplay, and the story developed further by adding new characters and events.”

"Pertaruhan The Series 2" had two million unique views in its first month on Vidio – making it one of the most successful series ever on the platform. What does this say about the popularity of this kind of drama in Indonesia? “That’s a very difficult question and there are many possibilities. We were also quite surprised by the number of views and so we tried to analyse it further. We think it comes down to three things. Action that is as realistic as possible and performed without stunt doubles. Straightforward dialogue, using everyday language and common curse-words that are often heard in real life. And a brand of straightforward and surprising comedy that fuses the action and script.”

What were the challenges in making this sequel? “There were certainly many challenges. First, we had to find a setting that could represent the world of Pertaruhan. So, we had to shoot in three cities: Jogja, Semarang and Kendal. It required a lot of energy to find locations, and move from place to place during filming. Next, introducing new characters was extremely challenging. Even determining how important they were for the story’s development – were they merely tools in the story? Or could they drive the narrative? Actually, we never really worried about whether this sequel would be better or worse. Wow…that sentence sounds so light today, doesn’t it? Haha. But that’s how it was. At that time, we believed that we were all servants of the story. So, we served the story.”

Social media was ablaze when the show aired. What was your reaction? “Believe me, we were all surprised by this. Some even held watch parties or created cosplay content on their social media accounts. The cast? They were even shocked when praise or criticism landed in their private messages from fans who were so passionate about the characters they portrayed.”

What kind of impact has the series had on local culture? “Hopefully we’ve given viewers a renewed sense of confidence in local, homegrown TV content.” 

How did you decide on the look and feel of the show, and what role did it play in telling the story? “Pertaruhan has three main elements: action, drama and comedy. These aspects decided how the visuals would work. We often chose to use fast-panning camera movements during fight or comedy scenes to create a surprising effect. Or slow track-in shots when we needed an emotional atmosphere and wanted the actor to appear distressed.”

What are the main lessons that you’ve learned from this project? “We learned that working with a crew and cast who share the same understanding creates a pleasant working atmosphere, which directly impacts the results. It all starts with fostering a collaborative environment. Recently, we worked on a thriller series and, yes, that method proved to be highly effective.”

▶ Published in ContentAsia December 2024 Magazine