‘Bekikang’: A new Wenn Deramas star is born

MANILA, Philippines –  For a filmmaker who enjoys the reputation of “box-office director,” Wenn Deramas is very much a risk taker, plucking highly talented actors from the periphery of showbiz and catapulting them to stardom through his light, engrossing comedies.

He did that for the erstwhile bit player Vice Ganda and recently for Zanjoe Marudo, and now, the 45-year-old director has found another potential Vice Ganda in Joey Paras, who will be launched to solo stardom via Viva Films’ upcoming “Bekikang.”

For Direk Wenn, setting his actors on the trail to stardom is a creative process. He has the instincts for this endeavor and confidence in his actors.

“Malakas ang hatak ni Joey sa masa [Joey has this instant rapport with the moviegoing public],” Direk Wenn said of the 30-year-old actor who started out in theater and won an acting trophy at the 2013 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, for his supporting role as a cyber-scammer in Jason Paul Laxamana’s “Babagwa” (Spider’s Web).

Comedy and drama

An alumnus of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company, Joey has proved himself to be adept in comedy and drama. Apart from theater and independent cinema (check out Rappler’s profile on the actor), he has also become prolific in the teleseryes – such as “Ikaw Sana,” “The Last Prince,” “Kapag Puso’y Nasugatan,” “Petrang Paminta,” and “Galema, Anak ni Zuma.”

He has further shown his diversity in mainstream fare like “Sisterakas” and “Bromance: My Brother’s Romance,” both by Direk Wenn – who saw right away Joey’s “hatak sa masa” in these and other performances.

Now, Joey has his own launching mainstream picture. “Bekikang,” as the actor explained in a previous interview with Rappler, pays a nod to Lino Brocka’s 1978 classic “Ang Tatay Kong Nanay” (check out Rappler contributor Francis Joseph Cruz’ review in his blog).

Joey plays a gay man who suddenly finds himself becoming a guardian to a child belonging to a man (Tom Rodriguez of “My Husband’s Lover” fame) he has fallen in love with. 

In the course of this plot point, Bekikang (Joey’s character) also deals with the prejudices in his community, embodied at that by his stepmother (Malou de Guzman). Bekikang has his own take on homsexuality right at the film’s beginning, as he cites such assorted references as the Book of Genesis and Darwin’s evolution theory. This is Joey’s moment to bring the on-the-spot acting style of theater to mainstream-cinema comedy. – Rappler.com

Here’s a trailer of ‘Bekikang’ from the YouTube of Viva Ent:

‘Bekikang’ will be shown in Philippine theaters October 23.