Durban actress lives her dreams
DURBAN actress Katishcka Chanderlal will soon be seen on screen in season 2 of the Netflix series, Blood & Water.
Netflix recently announced new characters for season 2 which is currently shooting in Cape Town.
Blood & Water is a South African Netflix original series. The series revolves around Puleng, a high school girl whose sister Phumelele was kidnapped as part of a human trafficking network shortly after birth.
One day, Puleng is invited to the party of a popular athlete, Fikile, studying at Parkhurst College, a prestigious school in Cape Town. After a new acquaintance points out their resemblance, Puleng starts to suspect that Fikile is Phumelele.
Puleng has lived in the shadow of her sister all her life so she decides to get to the bottom of things.
She transfers to the elite school to investigate. While solving the puzzle, Puleng discovers the mystery of her missing sister is not the only secret her friends and family keep.
Ama Qamata plays Puleng Khumalo and Khosi Ngema plays Fikile.
The first season was popular across the world. Just three days after its premiere, the show took the numberone spot in South Africa, France, the Bahamas, Libya, Jamaica, Trinidad, Jamaica and Kenya and became the first South African show to be ranked first in the US.
From fan to cast
In season 2 Chanderlal takes on the role of Pauline.
“I play the character Pauline who forms an unlikely friendship and business partnership with the season 1 character Reece. I can’t say much yet about what adventures they embark on but let’s just say, it gets very interesting,” she said.
She said Blood & Water was the first audition she received after signing with her agent.
“I was in Durban and they informed me I could send in a selftape audition for it. I really wanted to attend the audition in studio in Cape Town so I would get to work with the director and casting directors in person. The in-studio audition was the very next day and against all odds I managed to get a flight.
“It was a very exciting audition process and I am beyond grateful to have landed the job. I loved the show, which is why I am so excited to be a part of it. It was super gripping and entertaining and I enjoyed following Puleng on her journey,” said Chanderlal.
Following the dream
Born and raised in Durban, and currently living in the city, the 22-year-old former Durban Girls’ High School pupil said acting had always been her dream.
“When I thought about the future, I was not able to see any other reality except the one where I would become an actor. However, as I got older I wondered if I could make it work as a full-time career because it definitely wasn’t the conventional path to follow and I think a part of me was still afraid to take that jump and say I want to be an actor.”
After high school, Chanderlal initially studied towards a BSc in biology at Wits University.
“I sidelined my acting dream and instead tried to focus on getting a degree in something that could be my back-up career plan if acting didn’t work out.
“However, I soon realised it’s not easy to run away from your heart. I enjoyed the degree but all I was thinking about during that time was being an actor and actually pursuing my acting dream.
“I had always had the innate feeling that being an actor was part of my purpose in this life and it was time to actually embrace that and jump in … risking it all. My family were all so supportive of my decision to be an actor. I left my biology degree after the first year and studied a bachelor of arts in live performance at AFDA Durban. That’s where my acting journey actually began and started taking shape,” she said.
Right now, Chanderlal said her focus was on pushing her acting career forward, auditioning and learning further by doing ongoing acting training.
“The acting path is always uncertain but it’s really great to use any time possible to hone the craft and stay ready for the next job.”
In June last year, Netflix announced Blood & Water was renewed for a second season.
A release date is yet to be announced.