Love Destiny (TV series)

Love Destiny
Genre	Romance Comedy Drama Historical Time Travel
Written by	Salaya Sukanivatt
Directed by	Pawat Panangkasri
Starring	Ranee Campen Thanavat Vatthanaputi Louis Scott Susira Nanna Parama Imanothai
Country of origin	Thailand
Original language(s)	Thai, French
No. of episodes	15 Episodes + 3 Specials
Production
Producer(s)	Arunocha Bhanubandhu
Running time	Wednesday-Thursday
Production company(s)	Broadcast Thai
Release
Original network	Channel 3
Original release	February 21 – April 11, 2018

Love Destiny (Thai: บุพเพสันนิวาส; RTGS: Bupphesanniwat; IPA: [bùp.pʰeː.sǎn.ní.wâ:t]) is a 2018 Thailand romance, comedy, historical, drama, and time travel drama, starring Ranee Campen and Thanavat Vatthanaputi.^[1][2][3]

Background

Love Destiny is a novel by Romphaeng, the penname of Chanyawi Somprida.^[4] The novel got the Seven book award in 2010 and was adapted into a television drama for the first time in 2018 by Channel 3. The television adaptation was done by Broadcast Thai Television, script-written by Sanlaya and directed by Pawat Panangsiri.^[5].

Synopsis

Karaket (การะเกด), a daughter of the ruler of the northern city of Phitsanulok, lives in Ayutthaya, the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, during the reign of King Narai (1656–1688). She lives in the residence of King Narai's chief astrologer, who holds the noble title of Chaophraya Horathibodi (เจ้าพระยาโหราธิบดี) and is the father of her fiancé, Det (เดช), a foreign ministry official holding the noble title of Muen Sunthon Thewa (หมื่นสุนทรเทวา).

One day, Karaket orders her attendants, Phin (ผิน) and Yaem (แย้ม), to capsize the boat of her love rival, Lady Chanwat (จันทร์วาด), a daughter of Lek (เหล็ก), the foreign minister holding the noble title of Chaophraya Kosathibodi (เจ้าพระยาโกษาธิบดี). Chanwat survives, but a maidservant of her dies in the incident. As everyone suspects Karaket, Chaophraya Horathibodi recites the Kritsana-Kali mantra (มนตร์กฤษณกาลี) to find out if she really is the culprit. The mantra kills Karaket, and her soul travels forwards to the present time to meet Ketsurang (เกศสุรางค์), a 25-year-old woman who appears to be her twin sister and has just died in a car accident. Karaket asks Ketsurang to assume her body and do good deeds to turn over a new leaf.

As Ketsurang wakes up in Karaket's body, she finds that all the people around her hate her because of Ketsurang's evil acts in the past. In Ayutthaya, she befriends many historical figures, including Pan (ปาน), Lek's younger brother who holds the noble title of Phra Wisut Sunthon (พระวิสุทธสุนทร), and Maria Guyomar de Pinha, a Japanese–Portuguese woman whom Constantine Phaulkon, a Greek adventurer and King Narai's minister, falls in love with. She also finds that Rueang (เรือง), Det's comrade who holds the noble title of Muen Rueang Ratchaphakdi (หมื่นเรืองราชภักดี), looks so much like Rueangrit (เรืองฤทธิ์), her boyfriend in the present day, thus feeling closely acquainted with him.

The eccentric and goofy behaviour of a modern day woman like Ketsurang shocks everyone, but her kindness makes them change their attitude towards her, wining their hearts and minds eventually. As for Det, despite suspecting her strangely changed behaviour and believing that a ghost is possessing her, he finds himself deep in love with her, whilst Ketsurang herself also finds that she has developed romantic feelings for him, much to the dismay of Karaket's ghost. To appease Karaket, Ketsurang refuses to marry Det. But Karaket later changes her mind and blesses their marriage as the good deeds Ketsurang has performed allows Karaket to leave the afterlife for a rebirth.

Meanwhile, Rueang is promoted to the title of Khun Rueang Aphai Phakdi (ขุนเรืองอภัยภักดี) and tries to win the heart of Lady Chanwat, whose father, Lek, has been charged with corruption and punished to death according to complaints from Phaulkon. Rueang manages to gain favour from Chanwat's mother, Lady Nim (นิ่ม), who disdains his low race, and later gets promoted to Phra Ram Narong (พระรามณรงค์).

Det also gets promoted to a higher rank, obtaining the title of Khun Si Wisan Wacha (ขุนศรีวิศาลวาจา), and is appointed to an Ayutthayan embassy accredited to the court of King Louis XIV of France, with Pan as ambassador. After returning to Ayutthaya from France, he gets promoted to Phra Si Wisan Sunthon (พระวิศาลสุนทร). Det, Rueang, and Pan later join the successful enterprise of Phra Phet Racha, King Narai's xenophobic regent, to seize power and get rid of the Christians in the kingdom. The coup is supported by the Buddhist clergy and Narai's own daughter, Princess Sudawadi, and leads to the execution of Phaulkon.

Ketsurang later discovers a folding book containing the Kritsana-Kali mantra. As she touches it, her soul flies out of Karaket's body and returns to the present, where she finds that her boyfriend, Rueangrit, has blamed himself for her death during the car accident and has decided to enter the monkhood for life in dedication to her. Ketsurang then sees the shadow of Det in the body of Rueangrit and learns that Rueangrit is actually a rebirth of Det who has been reborn to marry her for many lives, thus realising that they are destined to be together. Suddenly, she hears the Kritsana-Kali mantra, which everyone at the residence of Chaophraya Horathibodi has been chanting for days in order to help her return to the body. As she wakes up again, Det hugs her tight, telling her that he loves her no matter who she is or where she was from.

Cast

Soundtrack

• "Bupphesanniwat" (บุพเพสันนิวาส), opening theme by Saranyu Winaipanit
• "Phiang Sop Ta" (เพียงสบตา; Just Eye Contact), ending theme by Sarunrat Dean
• "Ochao Oei" (ออเจ้าเอย; "Thou Oh Thou") by Pete Pol
  • Special version by Thanavat Vatthanaputi
• "Thoe No Thoe" (เธอหนอเธอ; "You Oh You") by Wathiya Ruangnirat
  • Special version by Ranee Campen

References