Ananda and Ploy in the chains of eternal love

Around here, most mentions of Ananda Everingham in recent months have had to do with his starring role in Wisit Sasanatieng's reboot of the Red Eagle action franchise.

But Ananda is involved in another high-profile project that is also the talk of the Thai film industry.

It's Chuafah Din Salai (ชั่วฟ้าดินสลาย), which is adapted from a classic 1943 novel by Malai Choopini.

The book has been adapted several times before, most famously in 1955 by "Khru Marut" Tawee na Bangchang, which had cinematography by Ratana Pestonji.

The period romantic drama is best remembered for the iconic image of the adulterous lovers chained together.

The earlier film is generally referred to as Forever Yours, but this new one has the international English title of Eternity.

Ananda stars as the young nephew of a Burmese timber baron. He comes to the logging camp and falls in love with his uncle's attractive young wife, played by "Ploy" Cherman Boonyasak, the actress best known for her leading role in Yuthlert Sippapak's Buppah Rahtree horror franchise. The uncle in this new remake is played by Teerapong Liewrakwong.

The director is ML Bhandevanob Devakul, an industry veteran who's affectionately called "Mom Noi". He's known for his lavish, literary-based romantic dramas, mostly in the 1980s and '90s. His movies launched the careers of such prominent stars as Sinjai Plengpanich and Mae Charoenpura, and even Ananda, who made his breakthough in Mom Noi's 1997 drama Anda Kab Fahsai. Eternity is Mom Noi's first film in 13 years.

Much of the talk about Eternity has to do with scenes of Ananda and Ploy cavorting naked, like a Northern Thailand jungle version of Adam and Eve.

Ploy put an end to speculation over whether she had a stand-in for her nude scenes, which is common for Thai actresses. A recent example was "Tak" Bongkote Kongmalai, who swears she was never nude in Superstar.

But Ploy is denying she used a body double in Eternity. That's all her we'll be seeing. Dirtii Laundry has more details about that.

You can catch a glimpse of her and Ananda in the English-subtitled trailer (embedded below) from Sahamongkol Media.

As for Ananda, his career is making a full resurgence following his severe motorcycle wreck in late 2008. Before the accident, he had appeared in more than a half dozen movies over the course of a year, and now he's slated to appear in three before the end of this year – Eternity opening September 16, Red Eagle due on October 7 and Aditya Assarat's indie drama Hi-So, which is tipped to premiere at the Pusan film fest. And that doesn't count his appearances as a pitchman for Wrigley's Spearmint gum. Lyn's Lakorn Blog had a look at his campaign for CPS jeans, which is plastered everywhere around Bangkok.

You can read more about Ananda, who recently was granted Thai citizenship, in a lengthy Bangkok Post Sunday Brunch profile (cache) from a few weeks ago. Kong Rithdee has more about Eternity and Mom Noi in today's Bangkok Post (cache).

Eternity is being released by Sahamongkol Film International, and, by they way, it shouldn't be confused with another Eternity, a drama also known as Tee-Rak from indie director Sivaroj Kongsakul and produced by Aditya's Pop Pictures. This indie Eternity is also tipped for the Pusan fest along with High Society.



(Posters via NangDee.com)