Director and 2013 National Artist of the year Chalong Pakdivijit is defending his marriage to a woman 45 years his junior, saying he just wants someone to take care of him.
Chalong Pakdivijit, Pimsupak ‘Lek’ Insri and inset, Gun Pakdivijit.
Chalong, also known as Ah Long, 83, married Pimsupak “Lek” Insri, 38, at a quiet ceremony at her family home in Si Sa Ket last week. Ah Long chose not to invite his three adult children to the ceremony, and few outside his immediate circle knew it was coming.
The pair met in Bangkok in September. Ah Long lost his wife, Sumon “Aew” Pakdivijit, to cancer last April.
His actor son, Gun, promptly criticised the nuptials on social media.
“I don’t know who you are, or what you want. Your decision to thrust yourself into our lives, behaving in a wicked fashion but making out you are doing good ... everyone knows the truth,” he wrote.
Ah Long, who a day after the wedding took his wife on a trip to Nakhon Ratchasima, said his son’s response was at odds with assurances he gave earlier.
“I read in the news that he was happy if I was happy, but then he left that post … I feel miserable and depressed,” he said.
“When I asked him why he left those remarks, as they are inconsistent with what he said previously, my son said nothing, just krap.
“My wife feels uncomfortable. As she has never met my son, she wonders why he had to criticise her like that.”
Ah Long said he knew Lek was the right one for him as soon as they met. “It is like we were husband and wife together in a past life,” he said.
Countering netizens’ claims that Lek, a “poor northeastern girl”, married Ah Long for his money, Lek’s elder sister, Ravisara Insri, 42, took the media on a tour of the family’s palatial home in Si Sa Ket.
Ms Ravisara said her family came from nobility who many years ago ran Si Sa Ket province. As for the current generation, the family had built its riches on the US stock market.
“We built the house four years ago, and spent 70 million baht on it including the cost of the imported furniture,” she said.
Ms Ravisara said she had known Ah Long years before Lek met him at her birthday party last year in Bangkok.
Sought out by reporters, Lek’s grandmother, Udom Panyapian, added spice to the family drama, insisting claims by her niece that the family comes from noble stock were news to her.
“I have been on this earth for 80 years, and it’s the first I’ve heard we come from nobility,” she said.
“Lek’s mother was born here in Nong Koo district and farmed rice until she started her own business as a second-hand car dealer, which did well. Two of her daughters made money in the US stock market.
“I don’t want my niece to dupe society. She should admit the truth,” Mrs Udom said.
By the end of the week, Ah Long and his children had made their peace.
Gun, who published pictures of his mother on her sick bed with the family rallying around, said none of Ah Long’s children were pleased with the marriage, but they could live with it if their father was happy.
“No one is putting up resistance. Everyone’s OK with it, but we don’t want to talk about ‘third parties’.
“I put up that post because I felt sorry for our mum, who died only recently,” he said.
On the internet, reaction is mixed. One netizen said he shared Gun’s doubts about the marriage.
“I am so sick of these ‘beautiful world’ types. What if your dad’s happiness today turned into misery tomorrow because he was tricked into marriage? Would you put up with it?”
Others take a broader view, saying Ah Long still has his senses and must have known what he was doing.
“Both partners in the marriage have their own reasons. Ah Long is happy to have her care for him, but ultimately he must offer some reward to his partner. If he didn’t, it would be no better than tricking her into marrying him just to serve his needs.”
Ah Long, who will take his wife before the media today for their first public comments since their marriage, intends to live with her at their condo in Bangkok.
“Many people are worried about my health. But I would like to tell them I am still strong,” he said.
He plans to introduce her to the industry, where she could work behind the scenes in production.
Tadsika ‘Kratai’ Yutimit.
Sizing up the opposition
Sexy model Tadsika “Kratai” Yutimit has discovered an upside to negative news reports last month about a revealing dress she wore to an industry function which showed off her large breasts.
Kratai was widely criticised after appearing at the Star’s Light Awards 2014 wearing an outfit cut in the shape of a pair of overalls in which her black braces barely covered her nipples.
The model’s daring display of flesh earned her a rebuke from activist academic Seri Wongmontha, who asked if her parents taught her the difference between right and wrong, and preachy actress Pattarida “Tangmo” Patcharaweerapong.
Tangmo said teens look to celebrities such as Kratai to set an example, and she would only harm her chances in the industry if she wore such revealing attire.
Kratai, a former Miss Maxim modelling contest winner, said the Star’s Light Awards are a platform for sexy young women to strut their stuff. “Where else should I wear a sexy outfit if not there?” she asked.
She also offered a cutting riposte to Tangmo, herself no stranger to revealing modelling shoots.
“I see you really must be concerned about teenagers, given all those spreads you do,” she said.
Kratai said last week reaction to the news about her black braces outfit from cosmetic surgery clinics, at least, had been positive.
“Clinics have approached me asking if they could hire me to up my size. I thought about it but decided I am already big, so why bother. However, if anyone else wants to get in touch with a better offer, please step forward,” she said.
Janie Tienphosuwan.
Janie believes in love
Actress Janie Tienphosuwan denies she likes only hi-so types with plenty of money, and insists she still believes in love.
Janie spent a month in the United States in August last year to recover from her divorce to millionaire businessman Chonsawat “Ae” Asavahame.
She said she has met no one new, and still nurses a wounded heart. Days before Janie met Ae at the Samut Prakan local body office to sign their divorce papers, images appeared on social media of a woman resembling Janie with bruises covering her body.
Janie and Ae, chairman of the Samut Prakan Provincial Administrative Organisation and a car racer, married in August 2013 after a furtive five-month romance. Their union was unpopular, with Janie’s critics claiming she wed Ae for the money.
“I am not sure if I would end up thinking too much about love, should I meet someone new, as the last time I tried it, I failed,” Janie said last week, referring to her divorce.
A young American who she met in the US, and who media reports said had stolen her heart, was just a friend, she said.
“I would like to get to know anyone with my true feelings. When I think back on the end of my relationship, it hurts. I still cry, as it’s only been six months. It’s too early to say I am ready for a new start. But if someone wants to have a go, I am ready to consider it,” she said.
She denies only being interested in men with money. “I have been working since a child, and am well off myself. If that was true, I would have left the industry by now,” she said.
