WHEN it comes to being paparazzi fodder, Nia Ramadhani is Indonesia's teen queen.

The 18-year-old actress is a constant feature in the gossip magazines and cyberspace.

Just last month, photographs of her prancing about in a pool in a swimsuit with a group of guys ended up getting circulated on the Internet.

JUST FRIENDS

When The New Paper met the young star here last Sunday and asked her about it, she was annoyed that the pictures had been leaked.

She said irritatedly: 'Those were personal pictures and there was nothing wrong with them... The guys are my friends.

'I don't know they got on to the Internet.'

Nia was in town over the weekend with fellow actor and soap star Iqbal Pakula as the guest celebrities at the annual Berita Harian Mother's Day Hi-Tea event on Saturday.

The pair also made an appearance at a roadshow for StarHub's Malay-language cable channel, Sensasi, on Sunday.

One of the more visible young faces on Indonesian television soap operas which are called sinetrons, Nia has been in the business since she was 13.

She practically grew up on screen with her first role as a scheming teen in Bawang Putih Bawang Merah (Garlic And Shallot), which started in 2004.

The show will be aired over Sensasi (StarHub Ch 40), starting 26 May, at 9pm.

The serial became such a hit in Indonesia that Nia quickly became a producer's favourite, reaping in roles in several teen dramas like Alisha, Benci Jadi Cinta (Hate Turns To Love), Hey Cantik (Hey Beautiful), Candy and Diva over the last four years.

FAVOURABLE RESPONSE

'Usually in Indonesia when you play a bad role, you are hated. But the people responded so well to me as Bawang Merah.

'After that, all I kept getting were good-girl roles,' she said.

Like Iqbal Pakula (see other report), she was surprised that she had so many Singaporean fans. 'I was shopping in Orchard Road and I kept getting stopped for autographs.

'I think it's great that I am also recognised in Singapore,' she said.

Outside the small screen, Nia also has three horror films under her belt - one of which created ripples because she wore a bikini in the movie.

'My mother is my manager and if she was not comfortable with it, I would not have done it,' she said.

The tall, slim beauty, who is of Scottish, Dutch and Indonesian parentage, has been linked romantically with the sons of several high-profile politicians in Indonesia.

One of them is Edhie Baskoro, the youngest son of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Last year, Nia was spotted going out with him for meals and drinks in Jakarta.

But when asked about their romance, she insisted they were only friends and denied that they had a relationship.

She said: 'I think it is very traumatising to have the paparazzi chasing you or waiting for you outside your home.

'I can't even go out and have a drink with my friends at a coffee shop or have a private life.'

Nia previously dated Bams Samson, the vocalist of the popular Indonesian band Samsons, but the romance ended last year.

She has also been linked with Indonesian male model Mike Lewis.

Nia said: 'It seems a lot of people are keen to matchmake me with anybody I am seen with.

'I don't have the time to date now and I have not met anyone I can click with yet.'

The only thing that is certain, she said, is her plan to start university this year for a degree in psychology because she is 'curious' about the subject.

But her real love is fashion and the budding designer envisions her own clothing line when the acting roles eventually dry up.

At the moment, she is preparing to star in a new sinetron, where she plays a good girl again.

'I am getting bored playing good girls all the time. I hope somebody gives me a bad-girl role soon.

'Bad girls are much more interesting to play,' she said.

Just not for the paparazzi, it seems.

I don't want to be a bad guy

IF you do an Internet search on Iqbal Pakula's name, there are two things you will find out about him.

One is his abandoned Friendster site.

He had to give up the account on the social networking site because there were too many people wanting to be his friend.

The other?

In hundreds of fan blogs, 'hot' is the most frequently used word to describe the soap star.

In an interview with The New Paper last Sunday, Iqbal, 31, said he was surprised by the reception he had received during the trip here.

'I didn't known that the sinetrons were so popular here. I have never had such a reception like this outside my country,' he said.

The first season of Iqbal's current soap drama, Cinta Fitri (Fitri's Love), is airing over Sensasi (StarHub Ch 40) from Mondays to Sundays at 8pm.

As far as soap stars go, Iqbal is a relative newcomer to the business, having taken on his first role, a bit part, in a sinetron only five years ago.

He became popular after his 2006 Indonesian soap, Mimpi Manis (Sweet Dreams), became one of the Top 10 sinetrons in Indonesia.

He played a music producer in love with a village girl who dreams to be a dangdut singer.

His co-star was sexy dangdut singer Dewi Persik, who recently hit headlines for her raunchy stage acts.

In Mimpi Manis, Iqbal shares a passionate screen kiss with Dewi, which resulted in Dewi's husband Saiful Jamil accusing them of having an affair.

Soon after, Saiful and Dewi divorced. Said Iqbal: 'What I was upset about was that he didn't speak to me about it. Instead, he just spoke to the media about it. I was afraid people thought I had seduced his wife.'

Iqbal said he is now extra careful about his public image, especially since he has started dating fellow actress Lala Priscilla, who played his sister in Mimpi Manis.

'I'd rather be more prolific with the sinetrons than with the paparazzi,' he said, dryly.

He is currently working on Season Two of Cinta Fitri where his character Bram, whom he describes as a 'lazy guy', turns into a baddie.

He said, with a laugh: 'When I read the script, I protested to the producers - I don't want to be a bad guy. I am quite happy playing good guy roles.'

Yet, there is a devilish side of him that nonchalantly takes a dig at his own profession. He quipped: 'As long as you're good-looking, you can be a sinetron star.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on May 13, 2008.