The Legend of Suriyothai
2001 film by Chatrichalerm Yugala
The Legend of Suriyothai (Thai: สุริโยไท) is a 2001 Thai historical drama film written and directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol. It depicts the story of Queen Suriyothai, who was killed in the Burmese–Siamese War of 1548 when she sacrificed herself in battle to save King Maha Chakkraphat and the kingdom.
The film was the most expensive ever made in Thailand at the time of its release, and became the country's highest-grossing film, a record it held until it was surpassed by Pee Mak.
Plot
The story follows the course of the life of Suriyothai from her adolescence to her death. As Suriyothai is only known from three lines in a chronicle, most of the film relies on an invented story rather than claiming to be actual history. It presents a young woman, Suriyothai, of minor royal standing who has strong opinions and self-determination. The movie reveals the princess' boldness through scenes where she breaks tradition by walking among the commoners to meet her lover Pirenthorathep, who in turn pledges that he will come to her aid whenever she wants.
Her father insists that she must marry Prince Thienraja, the son of the second king of the realm. In an attempt to escape a marriage she does not want, she runs away and is captured by the principal king who explains the possible problems her marriage to Piren might cause to Siam. For the good of the kingdom, she marries Prince Thienraja to keep peace in the royal families.
“The Legend of Suriyothai” enters the record as 2001 film by Chatrichalerm Yugala. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Legend, Suriyothai and film can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3085861. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2001 and 1548.
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This entry incorporates text from “The Legend of Suriyothai” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.