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| Petchara |
Former leading lady and mainstay of the silver screen Petchara Chaowarat has re-emerged from retirement to front a star-studded, multi-million baht campaign for a cosmetics company, with a share of the proceeds going to charity.
Thais are delighted to have her back, as many thought this luminary of the silver screen – a veteran of more than 300 films over a 20-year career, and a past recipient of a best actress award – had vanished from their lives forever.
However, some fans are bridling at comparisons between this almond-eyed luminary and today’s bright young things, who take a supporting role in Petchara’s campaign.
Petchara, 66, retired 30 years ago and has been seen in public seldom since. Cosmetics company Mistine has persuaded her to return as the lead presenter of a 70 million baht campaign for a lipstick.
Mistine says it mounted the campaign in the name of corporate social responsibility, and to ''strengthen'' its brand by association.
The highlight is a 45-second advertisement, which started airing this week. The media trumpeted the occasion as the first time publicity-shy Petchara, former leading lady of classic actor Mitr Chaibancha in the so-called ''golden'' era of Thai cinema, has appeared on screen in years.
Petchara is shown touching images of herself as a young beauty, which are projected on a screen. ''The 30 years which have passed by, and my return, have made me realise this world has many beautiful things, which can be seen...and not seen,'' she says, closing her eyes.
Petchara is blind. In her last years as an actress her eyesight started to fade, the result of long-term exposure to bright lights on the film set. Too many crying scenes also strained her eye muscles.
Eventually she lost her eyesight altogether. The production team which filmed the commercial broke into applause when Petchara appeared before them for the first time.
Thais who saw the ad - particularly the scene where she touches the screen images of herself which she can no longer see – say they welled up in tears.
Mistine is donating 10 baht from every lipstick sold to the blind. It has already doubled the production run to one million units of lipstick, to meet public demand.
Petchara, the media says, commanded a multi-million baht fee for the campaign, which is buttressed by a television interview, and spreads in newspapers and a fashion magazine.
In television spots, she has insisted that her face is not shown. It must appear only in still pictures and in the advertisement itself.
Some reports said her fee was as high as that typically demanded by actress/model Patcharapa ''Aum'' Chaichuea, one of the highest paid of today’s stars who can demand millions of baht for one job. Not bad for an oldie, they imply.
Thais, however, say a classic performer like Petchara is too big and grand a star to be likened to Aum, who takes a supporting role in the campaign, along with other industry figures.
''She is worth more than anything that money can buy. Do not compare her to any present Thai actress. No one can be compared to her, Khun Petchara!'' wrote one animated fan at the Manager online newspaper’s website.
''You can compare their fees with the likes of today’s stars such as Aum, but Petchara is a lady like no other,'' said another fan.
Petchara, who is married and lives as a virtual recluse, said she cannot accept her blindness. ''I close up my home and don’t go anywhere. I don’t want people to see me. I can’t accept myself.''
She pondered for months before agreeing to the campaign. ''When I was young, and I could see, I was full of confidence. Now that I can’t see myself, I worry about how I look.
''If you ask, Am I ready? The answer is I am never ready.''
Petchara agreed to join the campaign, as she wanted to give something back. ''I know what it’s like to live in darkness,'' she said. -
2.
The legal row between country music singer Sorapob ''Petch''
Leelamekin and his father has upped up a notch, with Petch taking
action to inspect the estate left by his late mother, former queen of
country music Poompuang Duangjan.
Petch, whose mother died when he was a child, says he has never received his share from the estate. He declares he is not interested in the money, but merely wants to know what happened to it.
His father, former actor Kraisorn Leelamekin, insists the money has been well spent, and that he did not ransack the estate as many Thais appear to believe.
Kraisorn and Poompaung’s family bickered after her death, but have recently reconciled. Petch, 22, is the only child by Kraisorn’s marriage to Poompuang.
Their row reignited in a televised argument at a Suphan Buri temple in late June, after Petch, who had entered the monkhood, called for public donations to build a wax statue in memory of his mother.
''You killed my mother – all of you!'' Petch charged, as his uncle and aunt demanded he apologise for criticising his father, and explain how the temple donations would be spent.
Petch’s girlfriend Thidarat ''Oiy'' Attarat and his step-mother (Kraisorn’s second wife, Sirikorn ''Ord'' Inprom) are now suing each other for remarks stemming from the temple clash. Mrs Sirikorn is also suing Petch.
Petch and Oiy went before the media this week to give an update on the family row. Denying his father’s claims that he might be mentally ill, Petch says psychiatrists at Sririraj Hospital have checked him over, and declare he is in the clear.
He says public donations for the statue appeal have reached 117,083 baht. About 300,000 baht would be needed. Every time the family row appears in the media, the total goes up, he says.
The pair have hired high-profile lawyer Sakorn Sirichai, best known for defending ex-deputy People Power Party leader Yongyuth Tiyapairat of vote-buying charges in the December 2007 election.
Petch says he is not suing his father, merely filing for the right to inspect the estate.
''I take exception to my father’s claims that when he took me overseas to be educated, he spent 50 million baht,'' he said.
Mr Sakorn is preparing to meet prosecutors in Chiang Mai on Nov 11 about the cases against Petch and Oiy. -
Petch, whose mother died when he was a child, says he has never received his share from the estate. He declares he is not interested in the money, but merely wants to know what happened to it.
His father, former actor Kraisorn Leelamekin, insists the money has been well spent, and that he did not ransack the estate as many Thais appear to believe.
Kraisorn and Poompaung’s family bickered after her death, but have recently reconciled. Petch, 22, is the only child by Kraisorn’s marriage to Poompuang.
Their row reignited in a televised argument at a Suphan Buri temple in late June, after Petch, who had entered the monkhood, called for public donations to build a wax statue in memory of his mother.
''You killed my mother – all of you!'' Petch charged, as his uncle and aunt demanded he apologise for criticising his father, and explain how the temple donations would be spent.
Petch’s girlfriend Thidarat ''Oiy'' Attarat and his step-mother (Kraisorn’s second wife, Sirikorn ''Ord'' Inprom) are now suing each other for remarks stemming from the temple clash. Mrs Sirikorn is also suing Petch.
Petch and Oiy went before the media this week to give an update on the family row. Denying his father’s claims that he might be mentally ill, Petch says psychiatrists at Sririraj Hospital have checked him over, and declare he is in the clear.
He says public donations for the statue appeal have reached 117,083 baht. About 300,000 baht would be needed. Every time the family row appears in the media, the total goes up, he says.
The pair have hired high-profile lawyer Sakorn Sirichai, best known for defending ex-deputy People Power Party leader Yongyuth Tiyapairat of vote-buying charges in the December 2007 election.
Petch says he is not suing his father, merely filing for the right to inspect the estate.
''I take exception to my father’s claims that when he took me overseas to be educated, he spent 50 million baht,'' he said.
Mr Sakorn is preparing to meet prosecutors in Chiang Mai on Nov 11 about the cases against Petch and Oiy. -
3.
Presenter Sirium ''Ann'' Pakdeedumrongrit is smarting under claims
that she pulled star privileges to get close-up time at the public’s
expense with Chiang Mai's star attraction, baby Chinese giant panda
Lhinping.
Media reports claimed Ann jumped the queue at Chiang Mai zoo to see Lhinping when she turned up one day with her daughter. Visitors booed Ann when she re-emerged, and demanded a refund of their tickets, the reports claimed.
Denying the claims, a tearful Ann says she can’t understand how the media could get it so wrong. ''I don’t trample on people’s rights, and I don’t expect them to trample on mine either.
''My daughter and I were shown in to see the panda for five minutes. I don’t know that much about pandas and nor am I vet, which might justify spending the 30 minutes alleged,'' she said.
One newspaper ran a picture of a long line of visitors waiting in the rain, with a cutaway shot of Ann and her daughter Nonni patting the bear in its cage.
After a TV host read out the newspaper report on air, the zoo was besieged with hostile fax messages and emails.
Ann retorted that she had no need to jump the queue, as the zoo’s manager, a personal friend, escorted through the VIP door instead. Far from being hostile, visitors who recognised her asked to have their picture taken.
Sophon Dummui, director-general of Thai Zoo Organisation of Thailand which oversees the Chiang Mai zoo, admits he gave Ann VIP access to Lhinping, but says the presenter helps promote the zoo and he believed a private visit was justified.
Visitors were kept waiting not because Ann was busy with the animal, but because it refused to be parted from its mother.
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| Ann and her daughter |
Media reports claimed Ann jumped the queue at Chiang Mai zoo to see Lhinping when she turned up one day with her daughter. Visitors booed Ann when she re-emerged, and demanded a refund of their tickets, the reports claimed.
Denying the claims, a tearful Ann says she can’t understand how the media could get it so wrong. ''I don’t trample on people’s rights, and I don’t expect them to trample on mine either.
''My daughter and I were shown in to see the panda for five minutes. I don’t know that much about pandas and nor am I vet, which might justify spending the 30 minutes alleged,'' she said.
One newspaper ran a picture of a long line of visitors waiting in the rain, with a cutaway shot of Ann and her daughter Nonni patting the bear in its cage.
After a TV host read out the newspaper report on air, the zoo was besieged with hostile fax messages and emails.
Ann retorted that she had no need to jump the queue, as the zoo’s manager, a personal friend, escorted through the VIP door instead. Far from being hostile, visitors who recognised her asked to have their picture taken.
Sophon Dummui, director-general of Thai Zoo Organisation of Thailand which oversees the Chiang Mai zoo, admits he gave Ann VIP access to Lhinping, but says the presenter helps promote the zoo and he believed a private visit was justified.
Visitors were kept waiting not because Ann was busy with the animal, but because it refused to be parted from its mother.
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