On the couch with Durban’s Mayuri
Billy Suter talks to Durban-born MAYURI NAIDU, who plays Dhanny Rangila in SABC3’s High Rollers, about her television likes and dislikes
WHAT TV shows do you make a point of trying to not miss?
Game of Thrones, repeats of Charmed, Castle, The Mindy Project, Fargo, The Affair, The Fixer and, of course, High Rollers.
Television shows you find the most over-rated – and why?
I admit I watch them, but there are a lot of reality shows, from finding talent to finding everlasting love. I just don’t get why we have them. We all know they are scripted, yet we continue to buy into the drama.
Television shows you have loved over the years?
I used to watch tons of MacGyver, M*A*S*H, Mind Your Language and Suburban
Bliss with my dad, and went through a whole phase of loving Loving, The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of our Lives. Of course, during my angst-filled teenage years, I was into Dawson's Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I also love the CSI shows.
Television shows you have not enjoyed over the years?
I don’t like zombie-type shows because they give me horrible nightmares.
Your favourite TV character of all time?
Duncan MacLeod from the 1980s series Highlander.I really believed he existed for a long time and that I would meet him and we would be together forever. Yes, I have a very vivid imagination.
Your favourite television presenter?
I love Bonang Matheba. Her style seems effortless and she has a very husky voice … I think it sounds like gravel and satin sheets.
Favourite and least favourite TV celebrity chefs?
Those on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and also Barefoot Contessa, as well as Nigella Lawson. When they cook and eat you can see they really love food. I both love and dislike Gordon Ramsay because he is funny, but also mean.
Favourite television theme tunes over the years?
The Game of Thrones theme tune is epic, with the violin, cello and bass. It lets you know something amazing is going to happen, for sure. I also love the song at the beginning of The Affair. Also, the High Rollers theme song is memorable, speaking of sophistication, drama and intrigue.
The most irritating person on television?
The new presenters of Top Gear. I like them individually, a lot, but the show had a formula that worked well can’t be copied.
A television show you would love to see remade?
Murder She Wrote or The Golden Girls. Both bring back such wonderful memories of childhood.
The funniest thing you ever saw on television?
Ellen and The Graham Norton Show make me laugh every time.
DStv channels you most enjoy?
M-Net HD, M-Net Edge, M-Net Movies Premiere, Movies Romance, E!, Fox, CI, History, Discovery, TLC, Lifetime, TCM, Food Network and the SABC channels.
If a mini-series were made about your life, who would you like to play you?
It makes no sense, as we look nothing alike, but Mozhan Marno. I saw her in a film called The Stoning of Soraya M, and her performance took my breath away.
Some of your favourite TV ads?
Cremora (“It’s not inside … it’s on top!”), Lunch Bar (“Much more munch”), the Allan Gray ad referencing James Dean and the J’adore ad with Charlize Theron.
The television celebrity you most like?
Mindy Kaling. She is funny, and doing her own thing by being herself, unapologetically, and making a success of it.
The TV celebrity you most dislike?
The Kardashian clan.
What should there be more of on television?
More comedy that is uniquely ours. Also, hardhitting dramas about things that matter – such as poverty, rape and abuse.