YES!!!!!! IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! *cough* I mean, Thai TV3’s upcoming historical drama “Ka Badin” is finally set to air on the 22nd of May after the release of its’s official teaser. The title loosely translates to being a servant of the nation using the Boran (historical Thai) word for “nation” and by “servant” it means someone who loves the nation with their whole heart and is willing to die for it. The drama stars James Ma and Matt Peeranee as leads, co-stars include Saimai Maneerat, Boy Chokchai as well as veterans such as Ton Jakrit, Mam Jintara, Dilok Tongwattana, Tong Sawitri and Aem Apinun.
The teaser starts off with Haym (James Ma) narrating that “The love and protectiveness towards our country of birth is something within everyone, no matter who you are, you love your country” this is then followed by a series of shots showing him doing just that, protecting the nation of what in that period was called Siam from invaders from nearby Burma. The teaser basically focuses on Haym’s life in the upper class (his father held the second highest honour within the royal counsel), his family’s demotion to looking after elephants, his relationship with Lamduan (Matt Peeranee) where she tells him that no matter what position he is in, he will always be her “P’ Haym”, and ends with his steady rise to reclaim his family’s title.
The parts which I am most looking forward to besides the obvious of Matt and James scenes, is Haym’s sword fighting, his father sent him to a monastery to train to become an expert swordsman and that skill is what will reclaim his family title. As with all historical Thai dramas there is a heavy focus on serving the nation and the honour that one experiences through serving the king, a point which Haym’s father emphasises even as he is dying, “even if you have fallen and can only be a speck of dust, be a speck of dust that is of value to the nation“.
What the final teaser lacks in OTP scenes the official OST makes up for with about 98% of the OST being Haym and Lamduan scenes and yes I did fangirl during that scene where Lamduan is blind folded and ends up colliding with Haym and I also fangirled when Haym used the dual swords (sue me, I’m a James Ma fangirl and it’s attractive). The song is titled “Moht Hua Jai” or “With All My Heart” and sung by Ben Chalatit.
Edit – The drama’s air date has been pushed back to the 30th of May due to a soccer game this week.
Time-Travelling Tofu 