Poj's monk abuse lament, for better or worse, Janie makes up

Puen's 'angry young man' pulled

Poj

Puen

Director Poj Anon has pulled a controversial scene from an upcoming movie in which a convicted teen abuses a monk, after the public rounded on the young man and the director for setting a bad example.

Poj casted teenager Payu “Puen” Sae Ngaw and his mother Sarawan, convicted in September of abusing a city policeman, to enact a similar scene in his upcoming comedy, Luang Pee Jazz 5G. 

Their scene is tacked on to the end of the movie’s MV, issued last week to drum up pre-release buzz for the movie, which is still in production.

In it, Puen’s character again plays an angry young man, with his mother as his sidekick, though he is abusing the movie’s star, Phra Jazz, rather than a policeman.

After a public outcry, Poj said yesterday he has now cut the pair’s scene from the MV and the movie.  It is replaced with a long monologue in which Phra Jazz extols the importance of keeping one’s cool.

The director, known for dramatising real-life events to get a laugh with audiences, said he apologised to Puen and his mother for subjecting them to society’s wrath.

“I am sorry Nong Puen’s mother will have to go back to selling omelette on rice to office workers to make a living. Why do people scratching to make ends meet have to put up with this kind of thing? I hope one day the skies will see that mother and son did no wrong,” Poj wrote on Facebook.

Nong Puen and his mother were widely criticised last September when a clip of their stand-off with a traffic policeman went public.

Young Puen abuses and spits at a Thung Maha Mek policeman after he locked the youth’s motorcycle on Rama IV Road. He also challenges him to take off his uniform so they can fight. He and his mother were later fined and sentenced to suspended jail terms.

In the MV, young Puen appears as Phra Jazz doing an alms round. Puen’s character says it is good Phra Jazz has shaved his head because if he was still wearing a part in his hair he would have slashed him with a knife.

“I abuse policemen, why can’t I abuse you?” he asks defiantly.

He asks his mother for a razor so he could shave his own head and fight the monk.

After preaching the need for self-control, Phra Jazz asks the youth if he has any questions. Unimpressed with the sermon, the lad asks in rough language: “Are you going to take off your robes and fight me or not?”

Angry netizens said Poj was holding up the abuse saga as an example to youth, and forcing Puen to revisit his past. Others complained that abusing a monk was a sin.

One critic took a more light-hearted view, saying the scene in the film wasn’t nearly as fiery as Puen’s real-life clash with the policeman. “Puen’s a fake!” he joked.

Thai Film Director Association president Bundit Thongdee joined critics in asking Poj to cut the scene. By weeks’ end, Poj had relented, saying he hoped to find a way to repay mother and son.

“If I have upset people, I am sorry about that, but I believe in giving the young man and his mother a break. He is not a bad lad; he lost his temper because a policeman provoked him. All those internet critics: have they never said a bad thing about a cop?” Poj asked.

In the movie, Phra Jazz teaches people he meets about five Buddhist precepts. The five scenes are drawn from real-life events such as Puen’s.

“If I had hired accused axe murderer Nong Praew, it would be different. But Nong Puen isn’t wicked by nature, just a hot-headed kid who lost his temper,” Poj said.

Contacted by reporters, Puen said he took the role after Poj’s crew visited him at home and asked him if he wanted a small scene playing himself.

“At first they asked me to play a scene arguing with a temple boy. But when I got there the script had changed, and they wanted me to argue with a monk,” he said.

“That’s not something you do every day, but I had told them I would do it, and to back out would have looked bad.”

Asked about his life these days, Puen said it was school holidays so he was helping his mother.

“I don’t have a beef with the critics, it’s up to them what they think,” he said, referring to the MV.

Puen’s mother, Sarawan, said she saw the acting job as an opportunity for her son. “ My son did wrong, but would you have him not act in a movie or do anything again?

Talking about the aftermath of the abuse saga, she said: “At first Puen kept to himself, as he was too embarrassed to leave home. But when he saw his dad and I undergoing hardship, he decided to help,” she said.

A cool change for the better

Pok, Margie

Celebrity couples are taking advantage of the cooler weather to tie the knot, some in a simpler fashion than others.

A sentimental exchange between Patsarakorn “Pok” Chirathivat, and Rasri “Margie” Balenciaga, married on Christmas Eve in Bangkok, caught public attention.

“I want to say thanks for choosing me to be your mate for the rest of our lives,” Pok told his new wife.

“Thanks also for letting me have the opportunity in future to be the father of your child,” he added, as Margie welled up in tears.

Margie said she was thankful for the lakorns she had acted in, as they had taught her how to wear a dress. She had three outfits made, one of which, with a long train, weighed 37kg, only slightly less than her own body weight of 45kg.

“Thanks to those soap operas, I know what dresses I can get away with wearing. I had one outfit made to meet the press, another for taking pictures in front of the function, and another for cutting the cake.”

While declining to disclose the marriage dowry, Pok said he asked for Margie’s hand on a recent trip to Disneyland, when he gave her a 1.4-carat diamond ring. For the marriage, he reversed the digits, giving her a 4.1-carat ring.

The two, who plan a honeymoon overseas, are building a bridal home on the family compound outside Bangkok. They have no firm plans to start a family, though Margie said Pok would have to quit smoking first.

Meanwhile, actress Kawinta “Kaem” Pojjak has promised her new husband, ex-footballer Rachata “Noom” Thanapornmongkol that she won’t change her demanding ways as they enter married life.

Noom, Kaem

The couple, who have known each other 16 years, were engaged in a traditional Thai/Isan ceremony on Nov 2, which was also Noom’s birthday, and married on Christmas Eve, which was also Kaem’s birthday.

“We wanted a natural, simple wedding, but don’t ask if he wanted it ... he was compelled,” Kaem joked.

“We haven’t made any promises to each other. But I will be like this every day ... flying off the handle, being too demanding. I am not going to change,” she vowed.

While she would carry on acting in Bangkok, where the couple have a condo, Noom, also known as Rachata Chaijan, would return to Nong Kai to open a restaurant. “Don’t ask about the football, or he’ll cry,” she said.

Praising his wife’s natural manner, Noom denied he was upset when she asked him to give up football. The couple will spend their honeymoon touring Thailand on a motorcycle.

Reunited, at last

Actress Janie Tienphosuwan has reunited with long-term friend, actress Wirithipa “Woonsen” Pakdeeprasong after the two fell out over Janie’s former boyfriend.

Woonsen, Janie

Janie was pictured hugging Woonsen in tears as she caught up with the actress at the star-studded wedding of their friends Pok and Margie (see above).

The dispute started in August when Janie called off her relationship with hi-so businessman Chalermchai “Kueng” Mahagitsiri, and stopped talking to some of her closest friends, including Woonsen, amid claims they knew Kueng was two-timing but did nothing.

Speaking at the wedding before Janie’s arrival, Woonsen told reporters she had not changed and was still willing to be friends.

Soon after Janie joined the guests, friends of the pair started publishing images on social media of the two embracing, the first time they had met since the stand-off began.