Paul’s knock-out Pacman movie
Direk Paul Soriano on Kid Kulafu: It has changed my life, the most difficult project I’ve ever done, it’s a big battle, almost like a 12-round championship fight
Perfect timing. Did you know that Kid Kulafu, the third directorial job of Paul Soriano (after the 2009 indie A Journey Home with Toni Gonzaga who wasn’t his girlfriend then and Soliman Cruz; and the 2011 drama Thelma loosely-based on track-and-field star Elma Muros which gave Maja Salvador an Urian Best Actress award), failed to make the Magic 8 in last December’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF)?
“It turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” said Paul of the movie that took him three years to wrap (two years research and one year to shoot within 34 calendar days compared to Thelma which he finished in 15 days). “During the making of Kulafu, we encountered typhoons and sicknesses but we struggled on with the help of God. It has changed my life. It’s the most difficult project I’ve ever done; it was a big battle, just like a 12-round championship fight.” Paul believed that there was a divine intervention. “I think God was telling me, ‘No, your movie shouldn’t be part of the MMFF. The biggest fight of the century is happening in May and I want you to be part of the promotion.’ I couldn’t have done the movie without the help of God.”
So be it. Produced by Star Cinema, Kid Kulafu is opening nationwide on Wednesday, April 15, barely 18 days before the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather bout on May 2 (May 3 Manila Time) in Las Vegas, what Paul referred to as “The Fight of the Century.” It stars Buboy Villar (the child actor now 17) as Pacquiao, with Alessandra de Rossi as Pacquiao’s mother, Mommy Dionisia.
More than a month later, Paul and fiancée Toni Gonzaga are getting married (June 12, tentatively?). Paul talked about that big event as enthusiastically as he did about the big fight.
Why is your movie titled Kid Kulafu?
“Kulafu is like a warrior, parang Tarzan ng Pilipinas. The name is derived from a syoktong drink called Vino Kulafu which is very popular in Mindanao, especially in GenSan (Sarangani). When Manny was growing, around 12 to 14 years
old, he would collect empty Vino Kulafu bottles from the streets, put them in a sack and gave them back to the supplier as deposit. For every so many bottles, one made a few pesos. That was how Manny earned money to buy food. When Manny, who was then using his first name Emmanuel, started joining amateur boxing at the plaza, people would ask his Uncle Sardo (played by Cesar Montano), Manny’s first boxing coach, what his nephew’s name was. Sardo would tell them, ‘Si Kid Kulafu ito, si Kid Kulafu.’ He became known as Manny Pacquiao when he turned to professional boxing.”
Your second film, Thelma, was also about an athlete. What do you find fascinating about athletes?
“I’m a big fan of the sports-drama genre. There’s a lot of great stories among athletes. I’m very blessed and thankful that Manny trusted me with his story.”
What do you find most interesting about Pacquiao, aside from his being an eight-division champion? “His rise from nothing to something, from zero to hero. That’s what is so interesting about Manny. His life story is inspiring. And, of course, his belief in God… how his faith in God has taken him from, as I’ve said, from nothing to something. That has been the common denominator in his life, his being God-fearing. It’s admirable. Despite
all the fame, he remains humble.”
What chapters of Pacquiao’s life does your movie cover?
“The movie focuses the first 15 years of Manny’s life, from birth to the time he won the world championship at around 18 or 19. Manny and his mom, Mommy Dionisia, helped in our research. Mother knows best, you know. Actually, the whole Pacquiao family opened their hearts to me.”
How different is Kid Kulafu from the previous Pacquiao movies (one of them by Star Cinema with Jericho Rosales playing Pacquiao)?
“I saw the Jericho movie and it focused on Manny’s life as a champion, more on the next 15 years of Manny’s life when he was winning one championship after another. Yes, we all know that Manny came from nothing and Kid Kulafu will show you exactly what nothing meant.”
Your dad, Jeric Soriano (also a director, son of the late matinee idol Nestor de Villa), is Pacquiao’s spiritual adviser and it’s presumed that he knows Pacquiao very well. How about you, how well do you know Pacquiao?
“Actually, my relationship with Manny goes way, way back. We did TV commercials before (for Pizza Hut, Alaxan, etc.). That’s how we met. And that’s how the idea of Kid Kulafu came about. In one of our TV commercial shoots, I told Manny, ‘Gawa tayo ng pelikula.’ He said, ‘Pelikula na naman? Ang
dami nang lumabas, mayroon pang documentary.’ I told him, ‘Manny, the movie I have in mind is different; ito’y tungkol sa first 15 years
ng buhay mo.’ Wow, parang he was instantly transported to his childhood.
“That same day, he invited me to his house in Laguna. And we talked about his childhood until 5 o’clock the next morning.
Ang dami niyang kuwento; he was crying, he was emotional because he recalled those tough times. I told him, ‘Manny, it is cinematic. Dapat isa-pelikula’. My writer, Froilan (Medina, who also wrote Thelma), was with me all the time; we have a good relationship. Froilan was with me in all our research. We went to Saranggani once a month; Saranggani became like our second home. It’s a beautiful province. It’s amazing what Manny and his wife Jinkee (the province’s vice governor) have done to the province.”
Did you have a hand in the choice of actors?
“Buboy auditioned for the role, one of the more than 100 who did. When we auditioned for the role of Manny, we didn’t say for what role was it. I didn’t want them to have that ‘stereotype’ mindset — you know, uy, I have to act like Manny Pacquiao. We did three different acting workshops and Buboy stood out. He got three callbacks. Finally, when he got the role, I told him, ‘Ikaw si Pacquiao.’ He was surprised, ‘Uy, Pacquiao pala ‘to!’ Buboy is fantastic; he literally transformed into the young Manny Pacquiao.”
Did Buboy meet Pacquiao?
“They did. When we were shooting in GenSan, Manny invited us to his house for
dinner. Hayun, nag-usap silang dalawa. Later, when I showed Manny some of the scenes,
tuwang-tuwa siya kay Buboy. Saktong-sakto daw sa role. Buboy also came from nothing so
magka-pareho sila ni Manny.”
Pacquiao’s love life is just as colorful as his career. Any mention about it?
“We didn’t touch on his love life because the film focuses on his journey of getting out of poverty. Kid Kulafu is the story of a young boy who had nothing; all he had was a dream. Emmanuel fought every day to make sure that that dream would come true. The name is very meaningful, God is with us.”
By the way, do you think Pacquiao will win against Mayweather?
“Yes, Manny will win. I feel it in my heart. We continue to pray for him every day.”
One month and one week after the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, a big event in your life is going to happen. Have you and Toni really set June 12 as your wedding day?
“There’s been a lot of speculation about the date. Honestly, Toni and I haven’t really decided yet. So far, we have probably done only 10 percent of the planning. She just finished doing a film (Star Cinema’s You’re The
Boss with Coco Martin, now showing nationwide) and she went to Australia for a concert. I was shooting Kid Kulafu in Los Angeles last week. We are both very busy. I guess that sometime next month, we will sit down and discuss the wedding plans.”
What kind of wedding will it be?
“Well, we are both Christian so it’s going to be a Christian wedding. We both have a strong faith in God.”
Toni is said to be among the “vanishing breed” of actresses, if you know what it means, along with the likes of Karylle (married to Yael Yuzon last year), Nikki Gil (getting married to BJ Albert this year) and Sarah Geronimo (going steady with Matteo Guidicelli).
“Or so I heard, hahahaha!”
When co-host Kris Aquino asked Toni on the just-defunct The Buzz if it’s true that Toni’s gift to you is her “purity” (then Kris changed the word to “virginity”), Toni said, “Myself!” thrice without batting an eyelash.
“I heard about that, too, hahahaha! It has got to do with our faith in God. Everything that’s happening to us is a blessing. My Lolo was also very spiritual. My only regret is that Toni never got to meet my Lolo. We got together in 2007; my Lolo passed away in 2004. But I could feel that my Lolo has given me his approval not just in my career but in my personal life.”
People are all praises for you and Toni for, you know, “preserving” yourselves during your eight years of going steady. You know, you were not tempted to, well, you know what.
“The reason why Toni and I lasted this long is because of our faith in God. If we didn’t have a relationship with God, it would have been hard for us to stay together. It’s never easy when you are both in this kind of profession; you know that showbiz is full of temptations. Faith in God keeps us grounded; He is always
there to remind us. Toni’s parents have really raised her very well. That’s why I love the whole family very much… their faith in God.”
How do you cope with the “temptation” between the two of you?
“Uhm, you just have to keep yourself busy, focused on work. You avoid putting yourselves in situations that allow that to happen. We try to stay grounded. It’s not easy, it’s difficult. You know, I’m far from perfect; I have my mistakes, my shortcomings, but to know that the grace of God is with us always, it’s reassuring that we will be well.”
Toni said that her best gift to you is herself. What about you, what’s your best gift to Toni?
“Also myself, hahahaha! I’ll be stuck with
her for the rest of her life whether she likes it or not. I’m really looking forward to having children.”
How many do you want?
“As many as the Lord wants us to have. It would be nice to have a boy and a girl.”
And how soon do you plan to start having one?
“Hmmmmm, we haven’t really planned it; it’s the one thing that we haven’t done as a couple. We plan to enjoy our life together first; we plan to travel…”