Norman Kamaru
Encyclopedia
Norman Kamaru is an Indonesian police officer turned singer. "Catapulting" to stardom after a video of him singing "Chaiyya Chaiyya
" by Shahrukh Khan
while in uniform went viral in early April 2011, he has recently signed a billion rupiah (USD 113,000) recording contract.
, Gorontalo
on 27 November 1985. He is the youngest of nine children born to Idris Kamaru and Halima Marthius. As a child he enjoyed singing.
He eventually joined the Mobile Brigade, rising to the rank of First Brigadier.
" and imitating Shahrukh Khan
while on duty at a guard post was uploaded to YouTube
on 29 March 2011. Bagus BT Saragih of The Jakarta Post
notes that his hand movements are like those used by Indian actors, while the accuracy of his lip-synching indicates that he had memorized the lyrics.
The video was a hit on YouTube, with viewers considering his actions "perfectly" like Khan's in Dil Se
, and eventually becoming a meme
, "catapulting" Kamaru to fame. He began recording his first single, "Cinta Farhat" ("Farhat's Love"), in April of that year.
As a result of his newfound celebrity, Kamaru became a guest on Opera Van Java
and Bukan Empat Mata, hosted by Tukul Arwana
. He also received a film and commercial offer, which were rejected by the police department; according to a spokesman for the department, Kamaru was not ready and would have to attend film school before acting. He also received a full legal scholarship from Bung Karno University in Jakarta, as well as a new motorcycle and a house.
However, the performing schedule detracted from his duties. As a result, on 7 July 2011 he was taken from the set of Hitam Putih, where he was filming a skit, by twenty people. Although first reported to be a kidnapping, it was later revealed that it had been officers of the Bureau of Professionalism and Security Affairs who had taken him as he had not secured permission to be on the show.
Kamaru has accepted a billion rupiah (USD 113,000) contract offer from the mobile content developer Falcon Interactive. The terms of the contract require him to produce a single album; if he acts in a movie, he will receive another billion. That same month he tendered his resignation from the Indonesian National Police
, citing the difficulty in finding time to perform; according to his mother, he had been arrested several times for performing "on the sidelines of his duty". After the Gorontalo police refused to accept his resignation, he went to the national police headquarters in Jakarta, where he was told that he could only resign if he repaid the cost of his training, as he had signed on for a ten-year contract; a spokesman for the police stated that the police force was "not like a [bus] shelter where people can just come and go whenever they want". The police later withdrew the demand.
In response to the threatened police sanctions, Kamaru received popular support. Noted singer and songwriter Glenn Fredly
tweeted that the police should instead punish those who "call themselves singers but are unable to lip-sync as cool as Norman", while legislator Eva Kusuma Sundari noted that actions like Kamaru's were good public relations for the police. However, Alexia Cahyaningtyas of The Jakarta Globe, called it "embarrassing" that "a lip-syncing policeman [was] considered first-class entertainment".
Salingsilang.com, which records trends on Twitter
, reported that Kamaru was the biggest trending topic
on Twitter
in Indonesia during the first half of 2011, beating Justin Bieber
and the death of Osama bin Laden
. The original upload was viewed 200,000 times in its first week and by 5 April it had been "liked" 160,000 times; it was only "disliked" 32 times in the same period. He was chosen as the most entertaining newsmaker of the year in the Seputar Indonesia Awards in May of that year.
Chaiyya Chaiyya
"Chaiyya Chaiyya" is a Hindi song from the 1998 Hindi film Dil Se directed by Mani Ratnam.The song was composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Gulzar, and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. It quickly became popular upon release and its music video gained the same status, partly because it...
" by Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
while in uniform went viral in early April 2011, he has recently signed a billion rupiah (USD 113,000) recording contract.
Biography
Kamaru was born in GorontaloGorontalo (city)
Gorontalo is a city and the capital of the Gorontalo province, Indonesia. It has an area of 79.59 km² and population of about 153,036.- Geography :...
, Gorontalo
Gorontalo (province)
Gorontalo is a province of Indonesia on the northern part of Sulawesi. The province was established in December 2000 after being split from North Sulawesi province...
on 27 November 1985. He is the youngest of nine children born to Idris Kamaru and Halima Marthius. As a child he enjoyed singing.
He eventually joined the Mobile Brigade, rising to the rank of First Brigadier.
Celebrity
Kamaru became famous after a video of him in uniform lip-synching "Chaiyya ChaiyyaChaiyya Chaiyya
"Chaiyya Chaiyya" is a Hindi song from the 1998 Hindi film Dil Se directed by Mani Ratnam.The song was composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Gulzar, and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. It quickly became popular upon release and its music video gained the same status, partly because it...
" and imitating Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
while on duty at a guard post was uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on 29 March 2011. Bagus BT Saragih of The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post is a daily English language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Bina Media Tenggara, and the head office is in the nation's capital, Jakarta....
notes that his hand movements are like those used by Indian actors, while the accuracy of his lip-synching indicates that he had memorized the lyrics.
The video was a hit on YouTube, with viewers considering his actions "perfectly" like Khan's in Dil Se
Dil Se
Dil Se is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta. Mani Ratnam also co-wrote the screenplay for the film...
, and eventually becoming a meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
, "catapulting" Kamaru to fame. He began recording his first single, "Cinta Farhat" ("Farhat's Love"), in April of that year.
As a result of his newfound celebrity, Kamaru became a guest on Opera Van Java
Opera Van Java
Opera Van Java is an Improvisation comedy show in Indonesian tv station, Trans 7. The idea of the show is wayang orang performances in a modern version.- Wayang :* Sule* Andre Taulany* Azis Gagap* Nunung Srimulat* Olga Syahputra...
and Bukan Empat Mata, hosted by Tukul Arwana
Tukul Arwana
Tukul Riyanto is an Indonesian comedian who presents the Bukan Empat Mata chatshow on Trans 7.-Early life:Tukul was born in Semarang, Central Java. When he was young, he often appeared on stage during celebrations of Indonesia's Independence Day. He also worked as driver...
. He also received a film and commercial offer, which were rejected by the police department; according to a spokesman for the department, Kamaru was not ready and would have to attend film school before acting. He also received a full legal scholarship from Bung Karno University in Jakarta, as well as a new motorcycle and a house.
However, the performing schedule detracted from his duties. As a result, on 7 July 2011 he was taken from the set of Hitam Putih, where he was filming a skit, by twenty people. Although first reported to be a kidnapping, it was later revealed that it had been officers of the Bureau of Professionalism and Security Affairs who had taken him as he had not secured permission to be on the show.
Kamaru has accepted a billion rupiah (USD 113,000) contract offer from the mobile content developer Falcon Interactive. The terms of the contract require him to produce a single album; if he acts in a movie, he will receive another billion. That same month he tendered his resignation from the Indonesian National Police
Indonesian National Police
The Indonesian National Police is the official police force for Indonesia. It had formerly been a part of the Tentara Nasional Indonesia. The police were formally separated from the military in April 1999, a process which was formally completed in July 2000. With 150,000 personnel, the police form...
, citing the difficulty in finding time to perform; according to his mother, he had been arrested several times for performing "on the sidelines of his duty". After the Gorontalo police refused to accept his resignation, he went to the national police headquarters in Jakarta, where he was told that he could only resign if he repaid the cost of his training, as he had signed on for a ten-year contract; a spokesman for the police stated that the police force was "not like a [bus] shelter where people can just come and go whenever they want". The police later withdrew the demand.
Reception
Initially the police department intended to punish Kamaru for his dancing, calling his behaviour "undisciplined and childish" as well as "unethical", noting that police officers should be ever vigilant when on duty. After performing for his superiors and mounting public support, the police relented, deciding instead to "channel his talents".In response to the threatened police sanctions, Kamaru received popular support. Noted singer and songwriter Glenn Fredly
Glenn Fredly
Glenn Fredly Deviano Latuihamallo is an Indonesian R&B singer and songwriter. Entering the music industry after winning a singing contest in 1995, as of 2009 he has released 10 albums.-Biography:...
tweeted that the police should instead punish those who "call themselves singers but are unable to lip-sync as cool as Norman", while legislator Eva Kusuma Sundari noted that actions like Kamaru's were good public relations for the police. However, Alexia Cahyaningtyas of The Jakarta Globe, called it "embarrassing" that "a lip-syncing policeman [was] considered first-class entertainment".
Salingsilang.com, which records trends on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, reported that Kamaru was the biggest trending topic
Trending topic
A trending topic is a word, phrase or topic that is posted multiple times on the social networking and microblogging service Twitter. Trending topics become popular either through a concerted effort by users or because of an event that prompts people to talk about one specific topic...
on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
in Indonesia during the first half of 2011, beating Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
and the death of Osama bin Laden
Death of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
. The original upload was viewed 200,000 times in its first week and by 5 April it had been "liked" 160,000 times; it was only "disliked" 32 times in the same period. He was chosen as the most entertaining newsmaker of the year in the Seputar Indonesia Awards in May of that year.