Sornram in quadruplicate

FOR THE first time in Thai television history, five different local channels are currently airing dramas – three of them repeats and one new – starring the same actor: 43-year-old Sornram Theappitak.
The duplication is, of course, nothing more than a happy coincidence. With the 30-day ban on entertainment to allow Thais to mourn the death of their monarch lifted on November 14, some channels opted to rebroadcast old dramas with storylines better suited to this time of grief than more modern series.
Channel 3, for example, has gone with “Si Phaendin” (“Four Reigns”), based on MR Kukrit Pramoj’s novel, shows how individuals in Thai society adjusted to change in the face of historic events. Sornram isn’t in the cast but he can be found on Channel 7, which is rescreening “Sai Lohit”, a period drama set during the Ayutthaya period, in which Sornram played a soldier.
PPTV Channel is rerunning “Prisana” starring Sornram as another character Than Chai Poj Preecha, while Channel 3 Family is showing “Buddhanuphab”, which saw Sornram playing a monk 13 years ago. Last but not least, his current drama “Slakjit”, which was put on hold following the late monarch’s death on October 13, is now showing on One Channel.
Of all four, “Sai Lohit” has brought back Sornram back to TV life with a bang.
It's been 21 years since the drama, a winner in the ratings war, was first aired on Channel 7. Sornram, who plays Khun Krai, a soldier loyal to the Ayutthaya kingdom, shot to stardom in the role while his co-star Suwanan Khongying was the most popular actress of Channel 7 at that time.
 Based on a novel of the same name by Sophak Suwan, “Sai Lohit” is currently being remade by Channel 7 but for drama fans, nothing can beat the original. Even fans who were children when it was first aired and now are placing their kids in front of the set, are still swooning over Sornram’s charms, joined this time round by their daughters. According to social network gossip, Sornram has “brought the K-pop fan club back from the Chosun Kingdom to Ayutthaya Kingdom”. Many are also surprised that he seems little changed despite two decades having passed.

Sornram says he’s totally bewildered by the comments on the social networks. “I’m thrilled and surprised, but I understand why the channel has chosen to show it at this time,” says the actor, adding that it is not having any effect on his life.
“I’m still as busy as usual and I am certainly not being swamped with new offers,” he laughs.
While he is not on the screen as often as he was during the peak of his career in the 1990s and early 2000s, Sornram is kept busy hosting shows, producing TV programmes and music videos and taking his concerts on tour abroad every year. For several years, he has also produced a series of documentaries honouring the late King Bhumipol Adulyadej. The documentaries, he says, are his proudest achievement though he has preferred to keep his role low key.
The actor is now shooting two dramas, one of them a remake of the classic story “Nam Soh Sai” in which he again plays opposite Suwanan, now back working after a six-year break.
He prefers to keep a low profile, rarely showing up for public events even though this would help promote him and his projects, with the result that only his fan club is up to date on what he’s doing.
Sornram entered the entertainment world via a TV commercial as a teenager but had no intention of becoming more involved.
 “I hated the entertainment business when I was young. I blamed it for taking my father away so often,” says Sornram, who is the son of veteran actor Chumporn Theappitak, a movie star who was very much in demand in the 1970s and 80s and usually cast in the bad guy role.
Ironically, it was the state of his family’s finances that led to Sornram’s change of heart. His mother had been diagnosed with heart disease and his father was no longer finding roles as easily as he had. Sornram himself had just finished secondary school and was going on to study at ABAC University.
“I wanted to work to earn the tuition fee and ease the strain on my family,” he says.
But his TV appearance had not gone unnoticed. Within weeks respected Channel 7 producer Surang Prempree had contacted Chumporn asking to meet the youngster. Veteran actress Thatsawan Seneewong Na Ayutthya also approached him through his dad asking him to come to work with Channel 3.
“Dad said yes before I could say anything,” he says.
And so Sornram made his TV debut on Channel 3 in “See Yaek Nee Ayu Noi” and on Channel 7 in “Arunsawad”. “Arunsawad” made his name, and soon he was appearing in “Phayong” as Hern Fah opposite Suwanan, who was making her debut in primetime drama.

Sornram and Suwanan quickly became a superstar couple, playing in a series of hit dramas in the following years including “Dao Phrasuk” and “Sai Lohit”. Today, only Nadech Kugimiya and Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund come close in the star couple rankings.

Then came a singing contract with RS Promotions and a series of film roles including “Taek 4 Rak/Lobe/Kroth/Lew” (1999) for which he won Best Actor from the Bangkok Critics Assembly.
He credits his father for his success. Chumporn, who was a close friend of late superstar actor Mitr Chaibancha, taught his son to behave like Mitr – punctual, down to earth and modest. Sornram learned the lessons well and is very popular with his TV and film crews thanks to his easygoing and open personality. He is much the same in his personal life, waking early in the morning and buying sandwiches for the garbage cleaners on the streets. His Instagram account has now than 200,000 followers and he reads all their comments and communicates with them.
Fans will next see him in “Ruan Mayura”, a romantic drama set in both past and present and directed by ML Bandevanop Devakul. Sornram plays a soldier who later becomes King Taksin. His co-stars include Davika Hoorne and Ananda Everingham.
Looking back at his 27 years in entertainment business, Sornram says he is more than satisfied.
“I’ve done everything I wanted to do, played the roles I love and been recognised through numerous awards,” he says.
Asked how he’d like to be regarded, he says probably with the same kind of affection that movie fans have for actor Keanu Reeves – “a normal person who can be found eating noodles at a street stall and travelling on the BTS”.