Prepare to binge-watch new SA series
FRESH off the success of her most recent film, actress Zakeeya Patel is heating things up on Showmax, with their newest addition to the binge scene, The Girl From St Agnes.
Showmax’s first original drama, this series is set at St Agnes, a prestigious all-girls boarding school in the KZN Midlands.
A popular student is found dead at the base of the old mill, setting off an investigation which reveals an array of secrets about the girl and the school.
Patel, who featured in the movie
3 Days To Go and who won Strictly Come Dancing, plays Sharon, the school matron.
“When I got the brief, I desperately wanted to be a part of the show. I loved the fact that it was a female-driven story, one of the very few I’ve come across. All the women are three-dimensional characters. Whether they are antagonists or protagonists, they are light and dark, they have shades, they are nuanced and that, for me, is revolutionary.
“Very often in South Africa, if you are cast as an ‘Indian’ in the industry, you come in as a one-dimensional character – a doctor, a lawyer, in an arranged marriage, or now we’ve got a new role, a Gupta, a corrupt businessman or woman. I wanted to be a part of this drama series because it was an opportunity to be seen in a different role and as a character with layers and a dynamic story arc.
“Sharon is warm and motherly. She loves what she does and she loves the girls at the school. She is the pillar of innocence at St Agnes. While so many dark things are happening all around her, she remains quite pure. What I love most about her is that she is so layered.
“She’s not just a virtuous matron. She’s Kate’s best friend and they’re naughty together in the candid way women are. She’s a woman in deep wanting. She’s a lover, a faithful Christian, jealous, insecure, lusty and, at times, even fierce. It was so beautiful to play with so much light and shade. This particular show has such beautiful arcs for women… It was a huge and thrilling challenge bringing her to life…”
Asked why she thought the mystery was a hooking, bingeworthy series from a viewer perspective, she said: “The first thing people have said to me, after
they’ve seen the trailer, teasers and the overall production quality, was ‘I never thought it was South African’. It seems to be a bit of a back-handed compliment as our home-grown talent is definitely on a par with the international productions.
“But that talent has never been given a platform whereby all the elements were brought together like in this show. For example, you could see brilliant acting and cinematography but the sound or lighting woud let the whole production down, whereas in The Girl from St Agnes viewers are absolutely spoilt in every way.
“It is a dark drama told on our own soil. The characters and storylines
are all so dynamic that you will definitely lose sleep watching the show. It is dark in a way that really makes you squirm at times and that is exactly what storytelling is about, taking audiences on a sensational journey.”
The Girl from St Agnes features, among others, newcomer Jane de Wet, Nina Milner (Troy: Fall Of A City), Celeste Khumalo (The Queen), Robert Hobbs (Serenity, District 9), Tyrone Keogh (24 Hours To Live), Tessa Jubber (Wallander) and Karl Thaning (Dredd). The series is also being distributed internationally by Red Arrow Studios International.
You can binge-watch the series at showmax.com