Cavity Inducing: Fah Jarod Sai - Where the sky meets the sands

I usually watch lakorn for one thing, and one thing only, the cultural similarity with my very missed Bali Island, and also to oggle and drool at any scene with green papaya salad or green mango salad, or any Thai cuisine for that matter (make it 2 things). Well, I'm not going to dwell on that topic though.

Another habit of mine, is to stay clear about any Middle Eastern topics, be it politics, socioeconomic, and above all fiction. Let's say that Harlequin has left me traumatized with titles like "The Sheik's bla bla bla...." or "Bla bla bla with the Sheik" or the likes. But again, I am not going to dwell on that topic.

Fah Jarod Sai is a lakorn adapted from a novel by Sopak Suwan (โสภาค สุวรรณ), who by the way at the time when she wrote the book had never been to the middle east, but based the cultural or religious contents from letters that she received from her mother. So please, we will not dwell on this topic.

Through all the Production imperfections, casting cringes, make up bloopers, and the story line inconsistency obviously because of editing and censorship , Fah Jarod Sai is a very, very very sweet love story.

Lets get to know our OTP. The heroine is Michelle a French-Asian mix, although it was never specified what Country in Asia, but according to the author, there needs to be a Thai touch so that the Thai readers do not feel alienated. And our hero Colonel Sharif  M.D.  (Medical Doctor), cousin to the king, also his Royal Guard, military strategist, and physician. So Sharif is dashing handsome and gallant, and Michelle is noble, sincere, and beautiful. Sharif is a tough dessert man and Michelle is noble, sincere, and beautiful. Sharif can fight of insurgents, battle with a sword, and practice medicine, and Michelle is noble, sincere, and beautiful.

So the lakorn goes that Michell De La Roni (Heaven knows if that's a French surname at all) being an orphan living in a convent in France, had a friend who is the daughter of a Middle Eastern billionaire, Kashfiya. Now I can understand the girl, after living all her life in a very closed and protected environment, she was sent to study in France where it's not so closed and protected, naturally she slipped. She started dating a Parisian call Robert and was madly in love with him, until her brother caught them together, so he decided to send her back to their country. With a promise of opening a school, she took Michelle with her. Well Michelle had nothing to lose, as her family straight up told her that they do not want anything to do with her because she is not a "Pure Breed". Now Michelle had dreams of a mysterious dessert man every night, when she told her bestie about it, Kashfiya started to get jealous thinking that Michelle had a crush on Robert.

So once they arrived at the fictive Kingdom Of Hinfara things didn't turn out as expected for Michelle, the culture shock of gender separation, a best friend gone loca, and her best friend's boy friend trying to hit on her. So Kashfiya out of spite an jealousy arranged for Michelle to go in her stead when she heard that she was to enter the King's harem. There Michelle met Sharif. On the night that Michelle was supposed to officially enter the harem, Prince Omar, the King's brother raised a coup d 'etat killing the King and his men. Sharif and Michelle escaped to the vast dessert where their adventure took place, where Michelle was disguised as Tafa the servant boy for Doctor Sharif, and where Sharif was constantly trying to score it with her and Michelle constantly pushing him away mainly because of her own prejudice and insecurities (A near death experience gave him the actual chance, BTW). But the drama depicts how love grows in unexpected situations.

The story is very light and shallow, contains no moral lessons what so ever, pure entertainment wrapped in an outstanding desert scenery.

Any who, not wanting to spoil the story for you. This is a very good drama, great costume,  Tui Teerapat Satjakul was sizzling hot, Kwan Usamanee Vaithayanon beautiful, also a long list of gorgeous supporting actresses exceptionally great sound track, not your cliche lakorn, no rape, no cat fight, just beautiful. If your not the type to feel sensitive about the religious issues surrounding the production, this is for you.

If you are in need of fluff and sweetness like I was these pass weeks, I highly recommend it.

On a side note, I did get my hands on what I think is the novel version, obviously I'm translating it for the fun of it to have in my archives, I don't know if I will be uploading it to the blog, although if I get many hits on this post I probably will share it either through email or posting. For my Thai friends out there I am welcoming any volunteers for Content Consistency Control.

Here is the link to the translation, please only proceed if you are comfortable with the theme

http://afaasun.blogspot.com/p/where-s.html

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