 From 1933 until 1938 he was a member of a native political council, vocally opposing the Dutch colonial presence in the Indies.Rustam began his involvement with the local film industry during the 1940s, writing novelisations of films by Tan Tjoei Hock and Soeska.After the Empire of Japan occupied the Indies beginning in 1942, he collaborated with the Japanese forces in making the short propaganda films "Di Desa" and "Di Menara" for the studio Nippon Eigasha.