Indian surfer girl defies odds

On the horizon is a film set in South Africa which was shown at last year's CaribbeanTales International Film Festival and included in the Durban International Film Festival.

Deep End, the latest film by Eubulus Timothy and produced by Arclight Productions, brings the thrill of surfing to the big screen.

It stars Carishma Basday, best known for her role in Material, and veteran actor Greg Kriek.

Deep End is about a young Indian woman who has to break free from convention to pursue her passion for surfing. It’s more about the conflict that comes from going on a journey of self-discovery and in the film, a daughter defying her father’s wishes.

Set on the intoxicating shorelines of Durban’s Golden Mile, Deep End brings one of the world’s most popular surfing sites to life.

The film’s inspiration comes from Timothy’s observation of surfing and fishing life in Durban. He realised that surfing was never aspirational for the city’s large Indian population. Beach culture being the essence of Durban, Timothy wanted to capture the conflict and longing that comes from people wanting to aspire to different things. He says he wanted to tell a story set in his community with characters that are relatable.

“Deep End is about capturing the essence of culture and the extreme and sometimes dark side of surfing,” says Timothy.

The film captures the magic of the water together with the multitude of experiences that come from one of the most diverse cities in the world. Producer Jacintha de Nobrega is proud that the film is truly local, with 80% of the crew and cast hailing from KwaZulu-Natal. – Citizen reporter