Nani Widjaja

Nani Widjaja was an Indonesian actress and model who won two Citra Awards for Best Supporting Actress. She was best known for her role in television Bajaj Bajuri. She was the part of Classical Indonesian Cinema. She made her film debut in a bit part in Lilik Sudjio's Darah Tinggi in 1960. During the 1960s she appeared mostly in supporting roles, though she did have some leading roles, such as in Rd Ariffien's Di Balik Dinding Sekolah (1961) and Misbach Yusa Biran's Menjusuri Djedjak Berdarah (1967). During the 1970s and 1980s she was highly active, often taking multiple roles in a single year. All of her Citra Award-nominated work was completed during this time. She won the awards for her roles in Yang Muda, Yang Bercinta (1977) and R.A. Kartini (1982). After the Indonesian film industry collapsed in 1993, Widjaja migrated to television. She acted in such soap operas as Gara-Gara (1993), Bung Besar (1993), Aku Mau Hidup (1994), Mat Beken (1995), Cinta Buat Monita (1995), Masih Ada Kapal ke Padang (1995), Penantian (1997), Gara-gara Plus (1997). Widjaja returned to feature films in 2007 with Rudi Soedjarwo's Cintapuccino. She was married and divorced twelve times, and had six children. Two of her children also entered the film industry. She died of shortness of breath in 2023, at the age of 78. She was buried at Babakan Madang Cemetery in Bogor, West Java. She is remembered as one of the pioneers of Indonesian cinema and a symbol of female empowerment.