Chitra Dewi

Chitra Dewi
Chitra Dewi, c. 1955
Born	26 January 1934 Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia
Died	28 October 2008(2008-10-28) (aged 74)
Nationality	Indonesian
Occupation	Actress, director

Rara Patma Dewi Tjitrohadiseikusumo (26 January 1934 – 28 October 2008), best known under her stage name Chitra Dewi, was an Indonesian film actress and director. She was noted for her roles in Usmar Ismail's films of the 1950s, appearing in films such as Tamu Agung (Exalted Guest, 1955), Tiga Dara (Three Maidens, 1956), and Pedjuang (Warriors for Freedom, 1960), although she remained active in cinema until 1993 and won a Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 1979 Indonesian Film Festival for Gara-gara Isteri Muda (Because of a Young Wife, 1977). Dewi also had a brief stint film directing in 1971, making her one of only four Indonesian women to direct a film before 1998.

Chitra Dewi was born Rara Patma Dewi Tjitrohadikusumo in Cirebon, West Java, on 26 January 1934. She completed a senior high school education.

Dewi made her feature film debut in 1955 with Tamu Agung (Exalted Guest), a satirical political comedy directed by Usmar Ismail for Perfini. However, she only gained recognition the following year, when she starred in the company's musical Tiga Dara (Three Maidens) alongside Mieke Wijaya and Indriati Iskak. This film, which became Perfini's greatest commercial success and spawned a series of look-alike competitions in which women would attempt to act as the film's titular three women, followed the love lives of three sisters who lived with their grandmother. According to the film historian Misbach Yusa Biran, Dewi was considered to represent the ideal Indonesian woman: softspoken and constrained.

Dewi remained with Perfini into the 1960s, appearing in such films as Djendral Kantjil (General Deermouse, 1958) and Pedjuang (Warriors for Freedom, 1960); the latter film was screened in competition at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival in 1961. She also appeared on stage in productions by the National Theater Academy in Jakarta. In the meantime, she began to appear in a number of films by other companies, including Persari (Holiday in Bali, 1962), Panah Mas Film (Bing Slamet Merantau [Bing Slamet Wanders], 1962), and Agora Film (beginning with Lembah Hidjau [Green Valley, 1963] and continuing until Darah Nelajan [Fisherman's Blood, 1965]).