BUAKAW’S CHALLENGE
Thai fighter makes film debut
While most athletes are content with their achievements in their given field, some have tried to bask in the bright lights of showbiz — and Buakaw Banchamek is the latest to be added to the list.
In his fighting career, spanning over a decade, he has collected several championship belts. Now the acclaimed welterweight muay Thai fighter is seeking to make his mark on the big screen.
Set to be released in theatres on Thursday, Thongdee
Fun Khaw is an action-historical drama depicting the life of a local street fighter called Thongdee. He later becomes a respected warrior who fights alongside Taksin the Great (the King of Thonburi) until one of his swords is broken. He is thus given the noble title of Phraya Pichai Dab Hak (Phraya Pichai of the broken sword). The film will star Buakaw, one of the most internationally celebrated muay Thai fighters, in the leading role.
As thrilling as this “job offer” may sound to many, Buakaw said that he initially turned it down due to logistical complications. He thought it would be difficult for a professional boxer to juggle between training and shooting a film. The commute between the film sets and boxing camp would have been too much, he said.
Buakaw explained that it wasn’t simple for him to agree to a long-term film project while his career requires hundreds of hours sparring in the gym.
“I tried to avoid these kind of activities as much as possible as training has always been my priority,” Buakaw said.
“I didn’t feel like working on anything else besides boxing because, to be honest, the training regime was tiring enough.
“To go into fights requires a huge amount of physical and disciplinary demand, so my first thought about it [the film] was like, man, I just wanted to train and work out.”
However, the biopic would likely not have happened had the director, Bin Banluerit, not insisted, on more than four occasions, that Buakaw assume this role.
“I wondered, ‘There are so many more actors out there — why me?’ So I asked him [Bin] and he simply said it’s got to be me.”
Given the script and stories behind both the real-life and on-screen Thongdees, it is quite obvious that the role was more or less tailor-made for Buakaw.
Buakaw reflected on his portrayal of the character. “One thing for sure was I didn’t have problems with the fight scenes,” he said jokingly.
“On a serious note, though, the role of Thongdee does share parallels with my life in terms of his spirit to overcome obstacles to achieve goals and fight for independence.”
Despite his previous cameos on the silver screen, including in Yamada: the Samurai of Ayothaya and Khun Nai Ho, Buakaw said none quite compared to the role of Thongdee.
“The fact that this is a historical drama is intriguing. I’ve never done anything like this before. Not to mention that
this is the first time for me to play a lead character, and that it is someone who was a real prominent figure in our history and who I absolutely respect. I feel honoured to be able to portray the role of Thongdee, and don’t regret the decision to take on this role at all.
“Still, I had my reasons for being hesitant. I didn’t want to jump into any project without considering it thoroughly. I also believe that what is meant to be mine will not escape me anyway.”
When asked if he believes in destiny, Buakaw said: “Yes, I believe in destiny, but more so in creating one for myself.”
Spending most of his time with punching bags and boxing partners, Buakaw revealed that he was fascinated with the scale of the movie production and how everyone on the film set was so dedicated to their work.
And that’s what made Buakaw want to push himself further — to exceed his limits and improve his acting. Known as a fighter rather than a performer, the muay Thai star admitted that, for him, throwing a punch is probably easier than delivering a line.
“I had to focus on practising my pronunciation, facial expressions and camera angles. The staff were very helpful, but I tried my best not to be a burden to anyone.”
Buakaw doesn’t hide the fact that he was l ooking forward to acting in some romantic scenes with his co-star Sornsin “Manao” Maneewan.
When asked if he felt awkward while performing in such scenes, Buakaw brushed it off cheekily, replying, “Not at all. In fact, I was quite angry when the director declared he would cut off the cheek-kissing scene. Man, I was looking forward to it. That was frustrating!”
Buakaw finds acting similar to boxing in a way. “Whether I’m competing or acting in front of the camera, there is a sense of alacrity that I get from these activities — something that assures me that I can do it.”
To our surprise, Buakaw confidently gives himself a score of 11 out of 10 for his first on-screen acting attempt.
“Because I was confident in myself and really saw my potential in acting,” he explains. “It’s not bragging if you can back it up. The results turned out well — even beyond my expectations actually. I’ve come out of my comfort zone and reached another milestone by doing something I’ve never done before.”
As much as Buakaw displayed a playful spirit on set and even during our interview, his training regime is something that involves zero joking around.