Petchara Chaowarat, once the leading lady of Thai cinema, attended her 72nd birthday party yesterday.
Known as “honey drop” for her round beautiful eyes, Petchara’s legend is known to all Thais, especially for disappearing from the spotlight three decades ago after she suffered blindness blamed on all the camera flashes and lights, which marked the end of her career.
“At first, I could not accept my status when I turned blind,” she said. “How could I live after that? But now I know it’s nothing too serious or worrying.”
An opportunity to see a recent photograph of Petchara doesn’t come easily, and she granted her fans a few pictures from her party birthday.
Photo: @a_supachai1
After starring in over 300 films during two decades, Patchara ended her career in 1979 after her vision began to suffer. Three years later, she turned completely blind and the cinema sweetheart cut herself off from the public.
“I thought I was gonna die. I had to take medicine. My hair fell out and my body was swollen,” Petchara said of her condition in an interview with Thairath. “It took me 16 or 17 years to recover. Now I’m doing well, except my eyes, which will not work again.”
Patchara made her public appearance for the first time in 30 years in 2009 when cosmetics brand Miss Teen asked her to star in a charity campaign. She only accepted after the company approached her nine times.
At the time, Petchara announced Miss Teen would donate THB10 of every lipstick sold to the Foundation for the Blind.
Although we may not get to see Petchara as much as we’d like to, she’ll always be remembered and cherished for her rare beauty, which is now monthly posted to her Instagram account.
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