2 wishes fulfilled in 3 years: Richard Low hires 52 dancers for $4,000 to express gratitude at Bangkok's Erawan Shrine

Richard Low has much to be grateful for.

So much so that the 71-year-old veteran actor spared no expense in expressing it — to the tune of 104,000 baht (S$3,900), to be exact.

The money was spent on a ceremony at Bangkok's popular Erawan Shrine on Tuesday (Oct 24). It was held to express his gratitude for the fulfilment of two wishes that he'd made three years ago, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Richard invited 52 Thai dancers to perform at the ceremony, with the cost of hiring each dancer amounting to 2,000 baht. He added that it was his first time holding a ceremony on such a grand scale.

Explaining how he decided on the number of dancers, he shared that it was because of his lucky number, 26.

"When my first wish came true, I thought of getting 26 dancers for the ceremony, but then another wish was fulfilled and I decided to have another 26 more," said Richard with a laugh. The number '52' also happens to be his birth year.

When asked by Shin Min what he had prayed for, Richard reportedly hesitated for a moment before revealing that he did not know how to live within his means in the past. He often found himself surviving paycheck to paycheck.

Due to his age, Richard shared that he wished for a breakthrough in his financial situation.

Whether it was due to the wishes he made, things did turn around.

Richard shared that his career path became smoother and his financial situation improved drastically. He felt immense gratitude for the change.

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"I'm already over 70, to have stability in my twilight years is every senior's dream," Richard told Shin Min.

"Of course, the most important thing is health. You can only work if you're healthy."

However, his desire to give thanks for the wishes granted had to be put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But on Monday (Oct 23), the actor, along with his wife and his younger brother, flew to Bangkok to hold the ceremony, held the next morning at 7am.

With photos showing the family dressed in white, Richard told Shin Min that he knelt throughout the 45-minute ceremony.

At least 10 advertising deals

According to the Chinese daily, Richard has had a particularly fruitful year.

He is believed to have accepted around 10 social media advertising deals — most of them for household appliances — and was also booked for several commercial appearances.

Richard, who is currently filming the Mediacorp drama Moments, returned to Singapore yesterday (Oct 25) to continue with the shoot, Shin Min reported.

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candicecai@asiaone.com