MBC will air a two-part Family Month special documentary, 'Paha, This Is Choi Bul-am.'
The first episode, airing at 9 p.m. on the 5th, is a radio-style documentary that looks back on actor Choi Bul-am’s life and acting career through music. Actor Park Sang-won, who played Choi’s eldest son in the MBC drama 'You and I,' serves as presenter.
Part 1 traces the time of Choi as a person, beyond the label of “national actor.” It introduces moments in which he dreamed, loved and wrestled with concerns, before and beyond his many father roles on screen.
One starting point is Myeongdong in the 1950s. As a middle school student, Choi developed artistic sensibilities under the influence of leading figures of the era, including poet Park In-hwan and painter Lee Jung-seob. Their words and lives later became an important foundation for him as an actor.
The documentary also highlights Choi’s early drive to act. In one anecdote from his 20s as a stage actor, he asked a colleague with a long monologue to “share a few lines.” When the request was refused, he made his presence felt in an unexpected way during the performance, reflecting a young actor determined to prove himself even with a single line.
It also examines his long-running challenge of playing characters far older than his real age. Choi took on the role of the late Shin Sung-il’s uncle even though Shin was three years older than him, and he also played the father of the late Lee Soon-jae, who was five years older. How to bridge the gap between his age and his roles remained a persistent concern, the documentary says.
That 고민 continued in 'Chief Inspector.' Choi weighed how to portray a detective and, moving away from a rigid, authoritarian image, created a new kind of police character through Capt. Park — a figure with a warmer gaze.
The documentary also revisits his middle-aged romance in 'You and I,' where he showed an emotional range different from his familiar father image. At the time, a middle-aged love triangle in the drama drew enough attention to prompt a public survey, the program says. Overall, it looks back at the many faces Choi showed beyond the nickname “the nation’s father.”
MBC said the special was planned as an autobiographical documentary with Choi actively involved from the early stages. Since July last year, he held several long conversations with the production team to shape the stories to be included and the message to deliver to viewers. He emphasized that it should go beyond his personal life to capture the atmosphere of the times he lived through and changes in South Korean society.
Producers said they coordinated filming schedules with Choi until recently, but he did not appear on camera after his family asked that he focus on rehabilitation treatment. They said the documentary still reflects the message he wanted to convey, and added that once he completes his rehabilitation process, he plans to greet viewers through MBC.
Part 1 of 'Paha, This Is Choi Bul-am' airs at 9 p.m. today (the 5th).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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