GROWING UP. To celebrate our 10th anniversary, DA MAN revisits 10 exceptional gentlemen from past issues. Unsurprisingly, they have each moved forward in leaps and bounds

Growing Up

On Arifin Putra & Nino Fernandez, outfit by Burberry; on Dion Wiyoko, outfit by Givenchy; on Reza Rahadian & Rio Dewanto, outfit by Dunhill London; on Christian Sugiono, outfit by Ermenegildo Zegna; on Daniel Mananta, Chico Jericho & Afgan, outfit by Emporio Armani; on Marcell Siahaan outfit by PS by Paul Smith

Photography Robby Agus
Styling Sidky Muhamadsyah
Fashion Assistant Koko Namara
Grooming Daniel Mananta, Rio Dewanto, Marcell Siahaan, Chico Jericho by Kenshie Lie; Arifin Putra, Nino Fernandez, Dion Wiyoko, Christian Sugiono by Zearistan
Videographer Dimas Anggakara

Click next for an up-close and personal interview with each personality.

THE PATH OF ENLIGHTENMENT. Internationally, Arifin Putra is known as one of the main antagonists of “The Raid 2: Berandal.” And, boy, did he play that role well. In real life, however, the actor is the epitome of niceness

ARIFIN PUTRA

Outfit by Hugo Boss

His real life adventures are also much more profound. Case in point: his 2016 trek to Nepal. “It became a very spiritual journey, actually,” he professes. “You learn a lot about yourself, about what matters in this world.” At one point, the actor recalls, his group stopped on a hill overlooking a peaceful-looking valley. A local woman who joined them, however, turned sad and began to pray. The valley, it turned out, was once the place of over 200 homes. Then the earthquake of the 2015 turned everything into rubble. “Life is unpredictable,” Putra muses. “Everything can disappear in the blink of an eye.”

On the acting side, we can perhaps expect a new and improved Arifin Putra in his upcoming movies. “In early 2015, I had the opportunity to attend Berlinale Talents,” he recalls. This, by the way, is no mean feat, as the filmmaking seminar and workshop only admits 300 people. “And for actors, only 16 are chosen from the thousands who apply,” Putra pointed out. If that’s not a sign of a good actor, we don’t know what is.

SIDE TO SIDE. “After nine years in music,” Afgansyah Reza begins, “I did a three-country tour in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore”

AFGANSYAH REZA

Outfit by Paul Smith

That was last year, after the singer—popularly known as Afgan—released his fourth album, titled “Sides.” “This year, I’ll start touring again in April,” he continues. “First in Malaysia again, then Singapore again, then maybe after the Lebaran holidays I’ll set up a tour across Java and Bali.”

So, why was it that prompted a successful—and obviously busy—singer like Afgan to hit the road? Apparently it all boils down to the current state of music, where albums no longer sell. At least not as well as it used to be. “So, in a way, it’s like I’m busking from town to town to introduce my new album,” he explains. “So, I look at this tour as one of the support factors to make people aware that I do have a new album.” Still, he’s not against progress. “I’m really thankful for streaming apps like Yonder, Spotify and so on,” he admits cheerfully.

Perhaps that attitude fits really well with the theme of “Sides,” which speaks a lot about Afgan’s personality. “I’m a Gemini,” the singer shares with a smile, “so I have two sides, and in this album, that’s exactly what I’m showing. Half of the album is idealistic, the other half are the ballads that people expect from me.” If anything, that certainly shows a new level of confidence from the soft-spoken artist.

THE RESTAURATEUR. Model-turned-actor Dion Wiyoko is still in the acting and presenting business. But now, like many of his peers, he has added “entrepreneur” to his CV

DION WIYOKO

Outfit by Hugo Boss

“I’ve wanted to open my own business for a long time, but I was still alone and I couldn’t really focus on planning” he begins. “Finally, two years ago a friend of mine who already has a restaurant abroad asked me to join him. We’ve been running our venture for a year now, and so far, so good.” While Wiyoko handled the marketing side of the restaurant, his friend took over management and operations. “If I hadn’t found a partner that is this compatible with me,” he professed, “I probably wouldn’t have been this successful.”

The self-professed photography and travel enthusiast has also been quite busy on social media, especially Instagram. “Since I’ve been controlling what appears on my social media feeds since the beginning, they’ve become a great tool for positioning,” Wiyoko elaborates. “When clients ask me to be their buzzer, it all goes back to my well-maintained feeds.”

He does have big plans beyond restaurants and Instagram, however. “This year, I’m getting married,” he exclaims with a smile.

MILLENIAL WRANGLER. It’s been quite a while since Christian Sugiono graced the pages of DA MAN, and it’s also been quite a while (albeit not as long) since he was seen on the big screen or TV

CHRISTIAN SUGIONO

Outfit by Ermenegildo Zegna

And there’s a good reason for this. “For the last three to four years, I’ve been focusing on my digital media business,” he begins. “It’s an online media startup, there’s a digital agency and a production house too.”

The venture started back in 2011, when digital platforms like YouTube were also just starting to ramp up their reach. “The millennial audience is our primary concern in terms of reach,” Sugiono continues, pointing out that this is basically the first generation to become native citizens of a truly digital world.

Will acting still play a role in his future, though? “I don’t have any sinetrons planned, but I might shoot some later on,” the artist confesses. “No films as well, but I do quite a few commercials.” Then he adds: “And I also have to be more focused, as I just had a child.” His smile when he said that last bit about becoming a father was subtle, but it certainly stood out.

DAMN! I’M HANDSOME. Daniel Mananta clearly remember his first photo shoot with DA MAN. “To be honest,” the ex-MTV VJ began, “that was my most uncomfortable shoot”

DANIEL MANANTA

Outfit by Canali

He recalled how impressed he was with the reputation of the photographer at the time, he also remarked how it was hot and that his wardrobe consisted of pieces he’s never worn before. And he couldn’t smile.

“My image has always been that of a cheerful and energetic person,” Mananta continues. “At that time, you’d never see me with a serious face. But every time I smiled, the photographer would say, ‘Stop it!’”

He first saw the final photo on a billboard, “and I have to be honest,” he went on, “that was the best picture I’ve ever been featured in. That serious look? I still use it today. If ‘Zoolander’ has the Magnum Look, I call this the DA MAN look.”

As for the future? Well, Mananta is currently preparing to produce his second movie. Alas, for now we have to contend with the line “it’s still confidential, so just look forward to it.”

SPRINGING INTO ACTION. Last time we met Chicco Jerikho, it was 2015, in his unfinished coffee shop during the height of the monsoon. This time the venue was much drier, and the actor much happier

CHICCO JERICHO

Outfit by Canali

“The year 2017 is very special for me,” he says, “because this will mark a new chapter.”

For one, he has just finished promoting “Bukaan 8,” a film that he starred in and produced, and he’s now preparing to campaign for the upcoming “Filosofi Kopi 2,” the sequel to 2015’s uber-popular movie about, well, coffee and coffee shops. For this new movie, Jerikho et al. will explore Indonesia’s coffee culture down to the actual farmers. And they’re also preparing a unique multi-platform approach which includes a prequel series. “The prequels will air on YouTube, and then tie in to the first ‘Filosofi Kopi,’” the actor-slash-producer-slash-entrepreneur explains. “We’ll also create a radio play, and after that a comic series.”

All that being said, Jerikho appeared to really light up while talking about the one upcoming film project that he can’t discuss in detail yet. “I got a role in an action movie,” he said with a grin, “I’ll be shooting at the end of the year, and I’m now already preparing myself.” Now that would definitely be a movie worth waiting for.

THE WORLD’S A STAGE. The past couple of years have been good to Reza Rahadian

REZA RAHADIAN

Outfit by Ermenegildo Zegna

Besides major roles in several high-profile movies, the actor also won his fourth Piala Citra award, and was entrusted to handle the creative side of 2016’s Indonesian Film Festival. On the flip side, he has given back a lot through his involvement with the UNDP’s Bring Water for Life! initiative and the YAPPIKA-Action Aid collaboration for education.

2017, however, looks to be totally different. “I’m entering a new world,” Rahadian offers. “Well, not exactly ‘new,’ though, as this is a world I’ve been in before, which is the stage.” In other words, he’s moving back to theater. “I’m taking a break from the movie industry for a while,” he declares. Then, with a huge grin on his face, he adds: “This is not to the avoid the opinion that Indonesian films are full of Reza Rahadian—cause that’s not my problem at all.”

“It’s a year of contemplating,” Rahadian turns serious again. “So, this year, from January to July, I’m relearning the art of acting and refilling my soul, mind and heart. Then I’ll be willing to do films again.” For sure, a new and improved Reza Rahadian would definitely add a new dimension to Indonesian filmmaking.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE BREW. To be fair, it’s only natural that “Filosofi Kopi” star Rio Dewanto is into coffee. But the depth of this passion can be quite surprising

RIO DEWANTO

Outfit by Lanvin

“I’ve even produced a program for a local TV station featuring interviews with coffee growers, sellers and just about anyone involved in the coffee industry,” the actor enthused. “I’ve also established an online platform called kopikini.com.”

Of course, this is a passion shared by many fans of the film, so we asked him why that might be so. “When we first worked on ‘Filosofi Kopi,’ there was a new marketing plan that allowed people to engage with the brand through online platforms,” Dewanto explains. “People could click on ideas for the movie, they could select the look of the movie … so, there was engagement with the audience.” And, of course, the actual Filosofi Kopi coffee shop also materialized and drew in even more fans.

“Looking forward, the business model we’re looking into is franchising for the coffee shop,” Dewanto went on. “And then the sequel will come out in July.” The conversation then continued to supplying coffee beans for hotels, merchandising and establishing a “Filosofi Kopi” fashion line. It would seem that the coffee business bug has bitten someone a bit extra hard.

OLD PASSIONS. Among the many public figures currently staking their claims in the business world, quite a few are venturing into the world of coffee

NINO FERNANDEZ

Outfit by Hugo Boss

One of them is Nino Fernandez. “Today, with the popularity of coffee, movies about coffee being produced left and right and a lot of people opening coffee shops, I thought that this would be a good time to go ahead,” the actor began. In this case, he was talking about his longtime passion for the brew which has just come to a boil again.

Still, he isn’t in it for the money. “I believe that whatever we do for money is wrong,” he exclaims. “If I work with coffee for money, that’s a basically a sin.” In fact, his aim is to give back to society by providing an affordable option for coffee aficionados in the capital.

All that being said, acting remains a significant aspect for Fernandez. He even has a YouTube channel up and running for his vlog. As for the big screen, he also has something up his sleeves. “I’m currently in negotiations with a Jakarta-based production house,” he says. “It’s quite a big production house, and it’s for a Lebaran (Eid-al-Fitr) movie.” That’s yet another venture with a huge chance of succeeding on the market while also making a lot of people happy.

ALL THAT JAZZ. “I’m currently preparing a new album,” says pop and R&B singer Marcell Siahaan. “A jazz standard album. This is something quite new to me”

MARCELL SIAHAAN

Outfit by Dunhill London

But perhaps something new is quite appropriate to mark his 15th year in the business of making music. He also explains that he’s collaborating with a number of underrated, but phenomenal, jazz musicians to bring back his favorite kinds of music from the 1990s.

His main emphasis, it would seem, is the courage to “reboot” oneself. “This is so that we can add new elements which are more creative and just plain better, so that we can make ourselves better,” Siahaan says, before pointing out that for him, success is just a bonus.

He’s also quite aware of where the wind will blow in the days ahead. “Right now, the music industry is growing really fast,” he elaborates, “and we’re also transitioning into the digital age.” The singer-slash-drummer who will turn 40 later this year also acknowledges how fast growth also translates into shorter attention spans. “So, whether we like it or not, our challenge is to create as much content as possible,” he concludes.

Revisit 10 Great Men For 10th Anniversary

afgansyah reza,

arifin putra,

Burberry,

CANALI,

Chicco Jericho,

christian sugiono,

daniel mananta,

Dimas Anggakara,

Dion Wiyoko,

Dunhill London,

Emporio Armani,

Ermenegildo Zegna,

Givenchy,

hugo boss,

kenshie lie,

koko namara,

Lanvin,

Marcell Siahaan,

Nino Fernandez,

Paul Smith,

PS,

reza rahadian,

Rio Dewanto,

Robby Agus,

Sidky Muhamadsyah,

Zearistan