Kandasamys hit the red carpet
THE FILM Keeping Up With The Kandasamys has been on the “watch list” for movie releases for a while now with high expectations for its final outcome for a number of reasons.
First, the film is produced by the award-winning duo, Helena Spring and the late Junaid Ahmed, who brought highly acclaimed films Hard To Get and Happiness
is a Four Letter Word to the big screen.
Second – and especially significant for Durban – the film is co-written by actor/singer Rory Booth. It is directed by our very own Jayan Moodley and it stars a host of some of the finest talent to come out of the city: Jailoshini Naidoo ( Eastern
Mosaic, Lotus FM), Maeshni Naicker ( Broken Promises), Rajesh Gopie (theatre actor/playwright/ director), Koobeshen Naidoo ( The
Dingalings) and more. Third – and equally significant – I think it’s safe to say the film “stars” the suburb of Chatsworth, south of Durban, with the plot line centred around this community.
So all eyes were on Keeping
Up With The Kandasamys as the film took centre stage at its media premiere on Thursday night.
Anyone who expects this to be a niche market “township” film will be utterly disappointed. What has emerged is a universal story of love, family, community.
A bonus for us South Africans is that it’s set on our doorstep with the story portrayed in such a fashion that it doesn’t matter which side of the cultural spectrum you fall on, you will be able to relate. Keeping Up With The
Kandasamys is our story. Set in Chatsworth, the film zooms in on two families – neighbours – who find themselves with rivals at the head of their households, and we’re talking about the ones who really run the house, the wives (played with aplomb by Jailoshini Naidoo and Maeshni Naicker).
What the rivals don’t foresee is that their beloved children, portrayed by Mishqah Parthiephal and Madhushan Sing, would fall in love. This sets off a whole lot of plotting and scheming (on the part of the “concerned” mothers) which results in skeletons being dug out of the closet; love triangles uncovered; emotions running high and low; love and loyalty being tested to the hilt and, of course, a mother-in-law (Mariam Bassa) is added for good measure (and a whole lot of laughs, too).
So can the star-struck lovers change the course of what seems to be the path to a doomed love?
On the writing front, kudos to Moodley, Booth and Ahmed who penned quite a complex script. They’ve managed to pay homage to a community and a people in South Africa (the community of Chatsworth), a community designed as part of a segregation plan during the apartheid era in the 1960s. With this, it’s a film that truly gives “Chazzies” something to be proud of. The film has made Chatsworth one of its characters, not just a location.
The director and cinematographer (Justus de Jager) has done an excellent job of capturing the character of this community in their choice of locations and filming, and in the way they capture the area.
That said, they’ve been careful enough not to isolate this film by making it a niche film for a particular market. Instead, through its story line, you’ll find universal themes of love, family, community and loyalty.
The cast have all done a great job of giving life to their characters. You sit in the cinema, not feeling like you’re watching a movie, but rather like you’re watching it all go down at the neighbour’s house (peeping over the wall, or through the holes in the fence, of course).
Special mention must be made of Jailoshini Naidoo, a comedic genius in her own right. In this film we get to experience her dramatic talents on a host of other levels, including some that may leave you teary-eyed.
Maeshni Naicker is always a scream to watch and she keeps the laughs rolling naturally too.
Special mention must also be made of two actors who portray what I like to think of as more “background/silent” characters in this story. But because of the way these characters are portrayed, let’s just say if you are not rolling on the floor laughing, check your pulse! Mariam Bassa, who plays Aya (the mother-in-law/ grandmother character), and Rushil Juglall (who plays Arsevan) will have you in stitches.
This film is definitely one you don’t want to miss.
See what the audience had to say about Keeping Up With The
Kandasamys on The Independent on Saturday’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IOSnewsSA
Exclusive screenings of Keeping Up with the
Kandasamys will be held at selected Ster-Kinekor cinemas countrywide on February 26, with bookings opening on February 22. The film will be released on March 3.