Chokanan Skultham’s Thai thriller drama, Eternal Bond, unfolds during Japan’s invasion of Thailand. At the center of the drama are Jinta and Tharin, two Prachin Buri locals who were oblivious of their connection with the world of naga. At a young age, Jinta was sent to Bangkok for studies by her. In her hometown, she was accused of killing her mother during childbirth. Jinta and her brother, Jira, shared a loving relationship. When she returned home, her maternal grandmother was disappointed to see her, and she made it clear that her inheritance would only be passed on to Jira. Her father didn’t try to defend her, and the only person who seemed to understand Jinta’s pain was her aunt Sonklin.
The family owned a rice mill that was started by Jinta’s grandfather, Lord Pom. After he got bedridden, Pranot, his son-in-law and Jinta’s father, was appointed as the head of the mill. Lord Pom’s wife, Madam Thongkham, adored Jira (her daughter’s firstborn), and just like everyone else, she blamed Jinta for her daughter’s demise. Dealing with the hate was not easy for Jinta, and things got all the more complicated when her family members started to drop dead, one after the other.
Spoiler Alert
Who killed Pom, Thongkam, Pranot, and Jira?
Tharin was an active member of the anti-Japan movement, and as a clerk working at the P. Panich rice mill, he had learned that the Japanese military was planning on storing medical supplies at the rice mill’s warehouse. He and his fellow rebels planned on stealing the supplies, and while the task itself was crucial, his life got all the more challenging when a voice started to guide him. The voice told him to protect Anyarin, and while he didn’t know who that was, he soon figured out that there was a connection between Anyarin and Jinta. He’d only recently met Jinta, and he immediately felt that they had a bigger purpose to serve. The night Jinta’s grandfather, Lord Pom, passed away, Jinta and Tharin were transported to an alternate reality. They were chased by a gigantic naga into the deep sea. But to their surprise, when their eyes opened, they realized they were in their own rooms. Tharin had believed it was nothing more than a vivid dream—until Jinta revealed she not only remembered it but also had a snake scale as proof that it had truly happened. In that moment, Tharin realized there was far more to the world than he ever imagined.
We gradually discover that the person who was responsible for the deaths of Pom, Thongkam, Pranot, and Jira was Auntie Sonklin. Sonklin had deep resentment for the people around her. She was adopted by Pom and Thongkam when she was a little girl, but as soon as they had their own child, they started mistreating her. Pom repeatedly sexually abused Sonklin, and even though Thongkam knew about it, she remained silent. When Sonklin got pregnant (possibly with Pom’s child), her mother forced her to get an abortion and accused her of being a characterless woman. Pranot was the only person Sonklin thought she connected with on a deeper level, but even he betrayed her. Sonklin had assumed that Pranot would marry her, but instead he chose her sister. Even though she’d been hurt over and over again, she continued to silently serve her family. But her life drastically changed after Nilarujee’s soul took over her body. Nilarujee was a vengeful naga who, too, had experienced unrequited love and betrayal. She was rescued by Naga Prince Phetpattara from King Garuda, and from then on she was completely mesmerized by Prince Phetpattara. She had come to the mortal world to seek revenge on the woman who had captured the heart of Prince Phetpattara, the love of her life. She planned on achieving her goal through Sonklin.
The soul and the body didn’t have any conflict; after all, Sonklin had always wanted to watch the people who’d hurt her suffer, and Nilarujee helped her feel confident enough to kill the ones who’d caused her pain. Sonklin killed all her family members because she believed they deserved it. She tried to frame Jinta for the murders, but her plan didn’t work. Tharin remembered the mark on the hand of the person who’d killed the Japanese sergeant and also Jira. When he drew a sketch of the scar on the killer’s hand, Pranot immediately recognized it—he knew that it was Sonklin. She didn’t show any remorse when he confronted her, and she ended up killing him and suspending his body from the roof of the rice mill.
Why did Nilarujee target Jinta?
Eternal Bond’s ending revealed that there was a spiritual connection between Jinta and Anyarin. Jinta was possibly the mortal reincarnation of Princess Anyarin, and that was why Nilarujee tracked her down. She knew that the naga prince would only show himself if she subjected Anyarin (in this case Jinta) to torture. In the naga world, when Prince Phetpattara left for war, Nilarujee targeted Anyarin.
Anyarin was pregnant at the time, but Nilarujee didn’t care. She was fuming with rage, and she was determined to end the life of the princess. When the prince returned and confronted Nilarujee, she begged to know why he chose Anyarin even though she’d cherished him all her life and had been loyal to him. Before Prince Phetpattara stabbed Nilarujee, she promised to wreak vengeance on Anyarin and the prince for all eternity. Nilarujee (in Sonklin’s body) repeatedly stabbed and tortured Anyarin (Jinta) because she wanted the prince to feel the pain and finally reveal himself. And she promised that Anyarin would suffer a fate far worse than hers. Sonklin, too, was convinced that Jinta deserved to die because her mother (Sonklin’s sister) had betrayed her trust and married the man she loved. Suddenly, a massive naga charged at Sonklin (Nilarujee), and she too transformed into her vicious self.
What was Tharin’s connection with Princess Anyarin and Prince Phetpattara?
Just when the rebels were cornered by the Japanese military, Tharin felt a strong urge to run from their secret location and rescue Jinta. The voice in his head grew stronger, and it was impossible to contain him. Tharin sensed that Jinta (Anyarin) was in trouble, and his sixth sense told him where she was. While at first it seemed that Tharin was the reincarnation (or at least he had a spiritual connection) of the Naga Prince, at the end of Eternal Bond, we learn that Tharin was the unborn child of Princess Anyarin and Prince Phetpattara. This explained his connection with Jinta and why he felt the desperate need to always protect her. They never got the opportunity to know each other in the Naga world, but he was determined to save her in the mortal world. While Prince Phetpattara and Princess Nilarujee (in their naga forms) engaged in combat, Tharin tried to nurse Jinta’s wounds. Nilarujee slithered and wrapped her body (in naga form) around Anyarin. She tightened her hold, and Anyarin (Jinta) screamed in agony. Tharin repeatedly shot at Nilarujee, but the bullets were ineffective on her.
What happened to Anyarin?
Blood started to ooze out of Anyarin (Jinta)’s body as the sharp ridges on Nilarujee’s body pierced her skin. Prince Phetpattara came to her rescue, and he finally overpowered Nilarujee. Nilarujee was fatally wounded, but before she succumbed to her wounds, she reminded the prince that Anyarin (Jinta) had no recollection of him in the mortal world, which suggests that her memories were erased and hate had triumphed over love. But she remembered, and she was still hoping that one day the prince would love her as well. Tharin was finally reunited with his father, overwhelmed with emotion as tears filled his eyes—knowing deep down that his mother, Anyarin (Jinta), would not survive. The prince was devastated; he wondered why it was always Anyarin who was always punished. He wished he would have been targeted instead of her. The naga prince was sentimental when Anyarin recognized him and begged him to free himself from the fate that he could not change. She was repeatedly reminded that they were not meant to be together through eternity, and it broke her heart knowing that their son had to suffer because of the karmic bonds she had tied. After Jinta passed away, Tharin scattered her ashes in a lake. The Japanese military had finally left Prachin Buri and had relocated their stations. And though the battle for liberation was far from over, the locals finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Eternal Bond’s ending suggests that Tharin had chosen a life of devotion instead of material pleasure. During his ordination, when he was asked to confirm if he was a human being, it took a while for Tharin to respond. With a mild smirk on his face, he assured the monks that he was a human being. In the post-credit scene, Prince Phetpattara announced that he would devote himself to humanity and end the eternal bond between him and Nilarujee to protect Anyarin. He hoped that his good deeds would reach Anyarin and she would find peace wherever her soul was. He wished that his son would find the strength to break free of the chains that once held him. The fact that Tharin chose to become a monk suggests that he will break fate’s cycle. At the very end of the film, we are told that the eternal love between Prince Phetpattara and Princess Anyarin continues to be of great significance in the world of naga.
