‘Villain’ PM says he’s no TV heartthrob
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha distanced himself yesterday from the lead character played by a Thai heartthrob in a new soap about life in the barracks that is said to portray the ruling junta favourably, saying he is often cast in the real-life role of villain these days.
He was asked whether he identified with Captain Purich in a military-themed romantic soap opera called Love Missions that is taking Thai TV screens by storm. It follows the lives of four Thai hunks representing the armed forces.
In the first episode entitled Pull the Trigger on my Heart, the fictional character, Purich, serves in the 21st Infantry Queen’s Guard regiment, in which Gen Prayut once served.
During the course of the show the stars will battle foreign terrorists and drug traffickers, among other plot lines. When questioned by the Bangkok Post, Gen Prayut shrugged off the comparison saying: “No, if he were me, no one would watch it. Today, I am the villain.”
Channel 7, a frequency owned by the Royal Thai Army, began broadcasting the show on Saturday. The name of the opening episode immediately became a trending hashtag on Twitter.
Although some critics have written it off as army propaganda, the public has lapped up its melodramatic plot lines and warmed to its A-list stars who battle bad guys and flirt with their leading ladies.
Gen Prayut denied ordering the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to finance the soap, saying he has never watched it. “I’ve just been made aware of it now,” he said.
Yet viewers have been quick to point out points of intersection between Gen Prayut and Purich, an army officer who is sent to fight foreign drug gangs on Thailand’s borders and soon falls in love with a beautiful female doctor.
Purich is played by actor and model Sukollawat Kanarot.
NCPO spokesman Col Winthai Suvaree, who was once an actor, said Love Missions was financed by a private producer without any monetary input from the NCPO.
“We just helped out with the props and locations, much as we have supported other productions about the army,” he said.
“We are letting them use our soldiers, military vehicles and helicopters.”