Arifin Putra

Putra Arifin Scheunemann (born 1 May 1987), known professionally as Arifin Putra, is a German-born Indonesian actor. His international recognition is largely attributed to his role in the Indonesian action film The Raid 2: Berandal, which was released in the United States and other major markets around the world. He also starred in the 2009 Indonesian horror film, Rumah Dara (released internationally as Macabre).

Arifin Putra
Born	Putra Arifin Scheunemann May 1, 1987 Mainz, Germany
Nationality	Indonesian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–present
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Parent(s)	Axel Scheunemann Joyce Sunandar
Relatives	Sari Scheunemann (sister)

Early life

Arifin was born on May 1, 1987, in Mainz, Germany. His father Axel Scheunemann is German, his mother Joyce Sunandar is Indonesian of Chinese descent. He has an older sister, Sari. His father is an exporter of dried flowers and landscaping specialist in Jakarta, Indonesia, while his mother runs her own catering business.[1] The couple divorced when Arifin was 13 years old.

Arifin spent the earliest years of his life in Germany before migrating to his mother's homeland, Indonesia, at the age of three – albeit reluctantly. In the first year of living in Indonesia, for instance, he insisted on speaking in his native German tongue rather than in Bahasa Indonesia. As a teenager, though, he eventually decided to turn in his German citizenship and take on Indonesian citizenship.

Quiet and shy, Arifin often kept to himself, and would sometimes spend hours drawing or playing in his room as a small child.

Arifin completed his primary and secondary education at the German International School in Jakarta, Indonesia. While he consistently achieved good grades, he was never top of the class. He graduated in 2006 with a German Abitur, the German equivalent of a high school diploma.

Complications at birth resulted in Arifin's arm being immobilized with a less than 50% chance of full recovery. Thankfully, his mother's initiative to enroll the infant for three months of rigorous physiotherapy allowed him to regain mobility in his arm. Having overcome this obstacle, Arifin readily embraced the challenge of performing his stunts in Berandal without a double.

Acting career

Although he initially did not intend to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, Arifin showed interest in acting from an early age, often reenacting scenes from films he saw on television at home for his family.[2]

In 2000, Arifin tagged along with his sister to a television commercial shoot and was offered to be an extra, which he accepted on this occasion. At the end of the shoot, Arifin found himself motivated by the fact that he could earn a bit of extra pocket money while having fun. In the same year, he was a finalist in a cover boy competition hosted by a popular Indonesian teen magazine.

Arifin was also in the running for MTV Indonesia’s VJ Hunt in 2003. Despite being unsuccessful in that particular competition, one thing led to another for Arifin, and so began his acting career.

Television (2000 – 2007)

After landing his first major television role as a nerdy high school student on the national TV series "Kisah Kasih di Sekolah" (lit. High School Love Story) in 2004, Arifin was catapulted into fame. Weekends were dedicated to promoting the series in different parts of the country, and he soon became an instantly recognizable face. He has described this initial exposure to fame as “surreal and flattering, but very odd”. Deciding that he could pursue this as a career, Arifin enrolled at notable local acting school Sakti Aktor Studio to receive formal training. He juggled a rigorous schedule of school, shooting and refining his acting skills for one-and-a-half years.

Film (2008 - present)

Arifin's venture onto the silver screen began in 2008 with Lost in Love, the sequel to teen romance flick Eiffel I’m in Love (2003). In Lost in Love, his character was required to speak in French, English and Indonesian interchangeably. This came fairly easy to Arifin, as he actively learned the languages during his school years.

His first antagonist role as Adam, a psychopathic cold-blooded cannibal in Macabre (2009), was a departure from the characters he portrayed in previous works. Arifin's performance in the thriller caught the attention of moviegoers and film critics alike, and earned him a number of nominations and awards including Best Supporting Actor from KUFI Film Awards.

In short, Arifin could be summed up as a highly curious individual. This is apparent in his deliberate choice of film roles. He is particularly drawn to roles that challenge his comfort zone, as first seen in Macabre and subsequently in Berandal.

In Berandal, Arifin portrays the son of Jakarta's most notorious mob boss who is engulfed in his ambitions. He was first offered the part in 2009, but production of the film was delayed until 2012 due to financial issues. He endured three months of intense training in preparation for the physically demanding role and combed through various mafia movies to gain a deep understanding of his character in the film.

Picking up from the success of Berandal, Arifin is concentrating on film from here on out. His next big project, Supernova: Ksatria, Putri dan Bintang Jatuh premiered in December 2014. The film adaptation of Dewi ‘Dee’ Lestari’s bestselling novel of the same title is based on the first installation of the Supernova series.

Personal life

An avid reader, Arifin consumes two business magazines each month, on top of four newspapers a day. The self-professed nerd takes a keen interest in the field of finance and infrastructure.

Arifin also enjoys various water sports, swimming, go-karting, cycling, writing scripts and sampling new cuisine. He counts Indonesian dishes like Soto Betawi and Sate Ayam among his favorite foods.

Outside of acting, Arifin is concerned about nature conservation. He hopes one day to be able to help raise awareness about renewable energy, for Indonesia’s potential in this area is huge but remains mostly untapped.

From a career standpoint one of Arifin’s dearest ambitions is to put the Indonesian movie industry on par with other global players.[2]

Filmography

Films[3]

Year	Title	Role	Note
2008	Lost in Love	Alex	Film debut
2009	Macabre	Adam	Directed by Mo Brothers
2009	Aku Perempuan	Marwan	Short film
2011	Batas	Arief	Directed by Rudi Soedjarwo
2011	Foxtrot 6	Nidas	Short film
2011	Hati Merdeka	Captain Sofwan	Final chapter to the Merdeka trilogy
2011	Badai di Ujung Negeri	Badai
2013	Blue Blood	Asep	Short film
2014	Yasmine: The Final Fist	Halim	Cameo
2014	The Raid 2	Uco	Directed by Gareth Evans
2014	Supernova: Ksatria, Putri, dan Bintang Jatuh	Reuben	Directed by Rizal Mantovani
2016	The Professionals	Reza	Directed by Affandy Abdul Rahman

Television[3]

Year	Title	Role	Broadcaster	Production Company
2003	Senandung Masa Puber	Rangga	Trans TV	Multivision Plus
2004	Kisah Kasih di Sekolah	Daniel	RCTI	SinemArt Pictures
2005	Manusia Bodoh	Reyhan	RCTI	SinemArt Pictures
2005	Khaylaan Tingkat Tinggi	Nuno	SCTV	SinemArt Pictures
2006	Kau Masih Kekasihku	Kevin	SCTV	SinemArt Pictures
2007	Mawar	Doni	RCTI	SinemArt Pictures
2009	Setinggi Bintang	Andhika	Astro	Multivision Plus
2012	Dewa	Yudha	RCTI	SinemArt Pictures
2012	Mimo Ketemu Poscha	Damar	RCTI	SinemArt Pictures
2012	Asmara	Don	RCTI	SinemArt Pictures
2013	Aprilio & Julie	Jodi	RCTI	SinemArt Pictures

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Production Company
2005	Mass Appeal	Mark Dolson	Sakti Aktor Studio
2005	Lone Star	Ray	Sakti Aktor Studio

Music Videos

Year	Song	Artist
2004	Kisah Kasih di Sekolah	Chrisye
2011	Bersabarlah Cinta	Letto

TV Commercials

Year	Product
2001	Biore
2003	Rexona
2005	Espresso
2005	Pond's
2005	Close-Up
2008	Indosat

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominated Work	Result
2000	Aneka Yes! Talent Search	Cover Boy	Himself	Finalist
2003	BC Bar Youth TV Icon	TV Icon	Himself	Won
2005	Gadis Magazine Award	Most Wanted	Himself	Won
2009	B'Girl Award	Dream Boy	Himself	Won
2010	CLEO's Most Eligible Bachelor Award	Most Eligible Bachelor	Himself	Top 5 Finalists
2011	KUFI Film Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Macabre	Won
2014	Maya Awards	Best Supporting Actor	The Raid 2	Won

References

1. http://www.arifinputra.com
2. http://www.arifinputra.com/
3. "Arifin Putra". Arifin Putra. Retrieved 21 December 2014.