Billed as one of the country's hottest superstars, Sukrit Wisetkaew _ known to his millions of fans as Bie The Star _ humbly denies this accolade. He still has a long way to go, he says, since he has been in showbiz only six years.
Nuengthida Sophon and Sukrit Wisetkaew in Ruk Jub Jai , a musical about a superstar who falls in love with a blind girl.
"You should be competent, with many years of experience before you can reach superstar status," said the pop/dance idol. "At the end of the day, I'm just an employee, a singer/actor, and as such I'm still learning and developing my performance."
In his latest musical, Bie is required to portray a superstar reputed to be a nak rong trimas, the trimester singer, because he has a tendency to date a new girl every three months.
"I'm not at all like this Casanova character. He's much hotter than me as he's a superstar on the Asian tour with fans in Hong Kong, China, Japan and Korea," Bie said of his role in Ruk Jub Jai: The Romantic Musical, which premieres tomorrow at Muang Thai Rachadalai Theatre.
Bie's popularity in Thailand is affirmed by the many awards he has won, including Nine Entertain's Most Popular Star of the Year, in which the public is invited to vote _ and it has voted him to the top spot for four consecutive years.
A native of Chiang Mai with a degree in engineering, the heartthrob has outgrown his Thai roots and established a fan base in mainland China, where his followers watched him in Thai soaps, initially on the internet, then also on Chinese TV. And last year, Bie was a recipient of the Anhui TV Award 2011 for Best Foreign Drama for Dok Ruk Rim Thang, a series in which he starred.
His celebrity status has reached such a point that his Chinese fans even flew to Bangkok to join their Thai counterparts in a show of support during his Ruk Jub Jai press conference in early May.
Unlike producer Scenario's previous shows based mostly on classic novels, Ruk Jub Jai is a pop musical featuring new songs including Bie's latest hits Na Bud Now (Right Now) and Khon Derm Khong Thur (Same Man To You).
As the audience is already familiar with these numbers, they tend to sing along which enhances the experience of watching the musical.
Masterminding the release of the songs, in a mini album prior to the stage production, was television and theatre wizard Takonkiet Viravan, whose scope has expanded into music-making with The Star contestants among his artists. Bie was an entrant for the third edition of The Star when he finished runner-up, and played the male lead in a TV drama before releasing his first single in 2006, I Need Somebody, which was a smash hit. Next came a theatre role as he played Pakorn, the youngest son of Panrung, the protagonist of Banlang Mek: The Musical (2007).
"Everything was new to me, and I was surrounded by these brilliant actors, Pi Nok (Sinjai Plengpanich), Pi Kob (Songsith Rungnoppakunsri) and Jason Young," he said of his first musical. "I tried as much as possible to portray Pakorn right and the dramatic scenes weren't easy because I'm not the dramatic or sensitive type."
His second musical, Khang Lang Phab: The Musical, in 2008 revolved around a relationship between a young man, Nopporn, and an older woman, Khunying Kirati, which had him having to work hard on how to portray his character.
"If you have real life experience, you would be able to better deliver the acting," he said. "But I had never fallen for an older woman nor been in a woeful romance, and I had to study famous cases such as Romeo And Juliet as well as those of ordinary folks in order to understand what people can do and sacrifice for love."
A romantic comedy, Ruk Jub Jai features Bie as a charming superstar who falls in love with a blind girl played by Nuengthida "Noona" Sophon, a popular actress from the Thai film Guan Muen Ho (Hello Stranger). The story builds on what happens to their relationship after she undergoes surgery, after which she can see who he really is.
Bie and Noona are no strangers as the two were cast as a young couple in Banlang Mek: The Musical.
"Although this is my third musical, it hasn't got any easier," he said.
"But I have better understanding of the character, and it's a romantic comedy, which I'm more comfortable with compared to drama, and that facilitates a full-on performance from me."
Scenario's big boss, Takonkiet wanted to tell his audience there are several types of musicals and this one, impressive as it is, is packed with pop songs and lively choreography involving various dance forms including hip-hop and body popping.
Bie is also known to be a fantastic dancer and his hits like Jangwa Huajai, It's Alright and Look Like Love are accompanied by signature dance moves.
The new musical will present scenes of the superstar in concert strutting his electrifying steps.
"At first I wasn't comfortable with dancing. After finishing The Star 3, I began taking dance lessons seriously to discover a whole new world," he said.
"The more I practise dance steps, the more fun it is to incorporate them to emotionally express the song's message and to produce a strong performance."
As a singer, Bie has performed three big concerts at the Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani. His fans love him for his playfulness as he likes to tease them during intervals between songs.
"I want to make my concerts fun both for me and the audience, which I don't really consider an audience but my family and friends, and it's great to be performing for them," he said.
However, no big concert is in the pipeline for 2012. Instead, Bie will be working on a much-awaited project, the TV remake of Khoo Kam. As a matter of fact Ruk Jub Jai: The Romantic Musical has prepared Bie and Noona to play the male and female leads in this evergreen love tragedy, as Takonkiet has envisioned for some time now, with Bie playing the Japanese soldier Kobori and Noona in the role of his love, Angsumalin.
"Instead of a single project, Pi Boy (Takonkiet) likes to think of a set of projects, and so this year the release of my Na Bud Now mini album is followed by Ruk Jub Jai: The Romantic Musical, and later this year Khoo Kam," Bie said. "I can focus on each project, one at a time, and give them my best shot. And after the musical, I look forward to bringing Kobori back to life again on the small screen."
Premiering tomorrow, Ruk Jub Jai: The Romantic Musical will be staged at Muang Thai Rachadalai Theatre, The Esplanade, Ratchadaphisek Road. Tickets, priced at 500-2,800 baht, are available at Thai Ticket Major. Call 02-262-3456 or visit www.thaiticketmajor.com.
