Boxing BEAUTIFUL

     FANS OF Buakaw Banchamek are about to see the celebrity boxer in a very different role, swapping boxing ring for big screen in “Legend of the Broken Sword Hero”, which opens on Thursday.
    It’s the fighter’s acting debut and he’s taken on the leading role, portraying national hero Phraya Pichai in this historical action film.
     The 34-year-old welterweight muay thai fighter from Surin become a national star after collecting many prestigious belts, becoming in close succession, the two-time Omnoi Stadium champion, the Lumpini Stadium Toyota Marathon champion, the Thailand Featherweight champion and two-time K-1 World MAX champion in 2004 and 2006. Buakaw, a Surin lad born Sombat Banchamek, went on to make a name for himself in several international matches, making him one of the most famous and highest-grossing professional boxers in Thailand.
     After a cameo appearance in 2010’s “Samurai Ayothaya”, Buakaw is going for gold in “Legend of the Broken Sword Hero”, portraying Thongdee Fan Kaw or “white teeth Thongdee”, a national hero from the Ayutthaya era who became King Taksin the Great’s right-hand soldier and the first ruler of Pichai, now Uttaradit province.
     Legend has it that Thongdee, after taking the title Phraya Pichai, fought courageously to victory alongside King Taksin the Great in the second war against Burma until one of his double swords broke in two. “Legend of the Broken Sword Hero”, directed by actor-turned-director, Bin Banloerit, follows Thongdee’s life as he evolves from humble village boy to national hero.
     We had a chat with Buakaw about his battle outside the ring.

WHAT’S YOUR CHARACTER LIKE?
Joy or Thongdee doesn’t talk much. His punch is strong, and his humour is deep. He is passionate about boxing and martial arts, but he is a peace-loving soul who never starts a fight. He is courageous and curious, and his perseverance to become a great boxer later earns him an honourable title from King Taksin the Great. This is the very inspiring life story of Thailand’s historic figure before he became a national hero.
The film is about Thongdee’s journey, his personal quest to find himself and his calling. He is very individual and loves his freedom. His unique characteristic is his sparkling white teeth. People back then, both men and women, chewed addictive betel palm leaves that turned their teeth black. It was fashionable to have black teeth. Thongdee doesn’t chew those leaves, so his teeth remain white and it’s very noticeable especially in the Ayutthaya Era.

DID IT SURPRISE YOU TO LEARN THAT THONGDEE’S LIFE WAS VERY SIMILAR TO YOURS?
Yes. I didn’t know much about his personal life, just what I learned at school about whom he was and what he did to help King Taksin the Great save the country. I, too, started off learning about boxing by myself. When I was seven or eight, I went to see this boxing match and I was immediately hooked. It was beautiful and strong at the same time. I went from one boxing school to another, learning as much as I could from many teachers, just like Thongdee did. I’d like to think that my hard work paid off and got me where I am today, the same way Thongdee’s journey led him to the pinnacle of this life.

Thongdee Fan Kaw, played by Buakaw, picks up various fighting styles from different trachers.

FIGHT SCENES SHOULDN’T BE A PROBLEM FOR YOU. WHAT ABOUT ACTING IN GENERAL?
That was the hardest part for me. Luckily my role is all about kicking and punching, which is really up my alley. I had to learn how to express emotions through my face and my eyes, how to speak clearly. I slur, and my enunciation is not good – probably I have a big tongue [laughs]. The dialogue is also in ancient Thai, so I had to prepare my lines carefully. An acting coach came to train me at my boxing camp for a while before the shooting started and that helped a lot.
WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF FILMING?
The heat! We filmed mostly in Kanchanaburi and there are a lot of day scenes so we had to work in the sun most of the time. And none of us had shoes on. You can imagine how burnt and painful our feet were! Another challenge, besides acting, was riding a horse. I had never ridden before and I had to learn on set. It was actually quite fun.
I worried a lot about my performance and I was so afraid to be the one who delayed the production, because obviously I’m an amateur actor. Sometimes I panicked in front of a camera and it took a while to get used to working with the film crew. Everyone was professional and had done this work many times, so it put quite a lot of stress on me. But Bin, the crew and my fellow actors were understanding and patient and we had a lot of fun making this film together.

One of the biggest challenges faced by Buakaw during filiming was riding a horse.

WAS IT HARD FOR A REAL BOXER TO DO STUNTS FOR A FILM?
In a way, yes. I use to kick and punch for real, to keep the opponent down, but in a film it was all pretend. I don’t know anything about stunt work but I do know that the fight has to look real in a film. We ended up fighting for real to get the effect [laughs]. I’m not afraid to get hurt and most stunt actors aren’t either, so I asked them to really come at me. If you restrain your force, it shows and it doesn’t look real. Everyone liked the results, except for the medics who had to tend our cuts and bruises a few times every day!

If the fighting scenes look real, it's beacuse they are.

WHY WERE YOU HESITANT TO TAKE THE ROLE WHEN THE DIRECTOR APPROACHED YOU?
First, I’m not an actor and second I barely have time for my own work and boxing camp. I still box and I now have my own camp, which needs a lot of attention. I’ve actually turned down a lot of acting offers, not just this one, because I wouldn’t have the time. If I agree to do something, I want it to be my best. But Bin was very persistent, and very persuasive. He sent me the script, came to talk to me a few times about the role and how he would only do this film if I took the role. As mentioned, Thongdee’s life is very similar to mine, and I became interested and took the job.

YOU MET WITH JACKIE CHAN WHEN HE WAS IN TOWN LAST MONTH. WILL WE GET TO SEE YOU IN A HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION SOON?
I can’t reveal the details but there is something we’re working on. It’s still too early to tell if it will become anything. I see myself as a sportsperson and sport is always my priority. But if something interesting comes along, I will definitely consider it.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM “LEGEND OF THE BROKEN SWORD HERO”?
A good mix of everything. It’s a film for everyone. There’s humour, romance, a bit of drama and of course lots of exciting fight scenes!

“Legend of the Broken Sword Hero” opens in cinemas on Thursday.