The melodrama Ca-Ban-Kanm is a best seller going into second print. But it's not the saga of Tinung, the young Javanese woman at the center of the story that captivated director Nia DiNata. It was the filmic possibilities of portraying life among the Chinese community in 1930s to 1950s. Nia considered three literary works, all with historical themes, for production. Her shortlist included Umar Khayam's Para Priyai and a trilogy by Pramudya Ananta