‘Kalushi’ a huge hit on Sunday night TV

SUNDAY night TV is often dominated by drama series like iNumber Number and Tjovitjo, or reality shows like Our Perfect Wedding or Idols SA. However this past weekend the airing of Kalushi dominated among viewers.

The film‚ based on the life of liberation struggle martyr Solomon Mahlangu‚ stars Thabo Rametsi and Pearl Thusi.

It screened on SABC1 on Sunday night and soon trended on social media as fans reacted to the emotion on screen.

The movie was a hit with fans who flooded social media with comments and tweets praising the film and its power to tell the African story in an African way.

Rametsi said that he was humbled by the response the film received from fans.

“The movie finally had the chance to be shown on a free-to-air channel.

“It gave a lot more people a chance to see the film and I think that it is testament to the power of the film that it made such an impact.

“The cast and crew are very happy that people stayed up on a Sunday night to watch the film and we will be going to schools and other places to share it with as many South Africans as we can‚” Rametsi said.

He bemoaned the lack of support for the film by South African cinemas but said that it was about as much as a local film could hope to do in the current climate.

“It was shown on very few screens [at very few cinemas] and credit to all those who came out to support it nonetheless.”

Despite the limited big screen support locally‚ the film was a hit internationally and recently won the award for best film at the Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt.