Durban’s favourite aunt says goodbye
THE aunty that was loved by thousands around the world, Aunty Shamilla, will be taking a break from the public limelight.
Known for her sharp wit and hilarious parodies, Aunty Shamilla will be retiring after going on a countrywide farewell tour show, called Mommy’s Boy.
The man behind Aunty Shamilla, actor, stand-up comic and content creator Prev Reddy has decided to focus on Prev instead of his alter ego Aunty Shamilla.
Reddy made a name for himself through comedy on the world’s fastest-growing short-form video app, Tiktok. He started doing Aunty Shamilla at the end of 2018 and she gained popularity by mid-2019.
Three years ago Reddy was Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner in the African Social Star category.
Over the years Prev through Aunty Shamilla have shared ground-breaking experiences together and achieved global accolades for their clever banter and humour surrounding the stereotypical Indian, mother-son dynamic they famously share.
“She has taken me to Dubai, New York and London. A lot of my 20s was spent working on how to grow my brand and how to take Aunty Shamilla to comedy and acting on stage and film as that has been my first passion. In that time I was living with my parents in Durban and the content was easy to create because it was experiences I was going through in real time.
“I have since moved to Johannesburg and a lot has changed for me as a performer. When I started writing new content for Aunty Shamilla I realised I could not do it anymore, words weren’t flowing. I would not force content for the sake of putting something out there,” he said.
He said he realised he had to put the character to rest, adding that shedding the Aunty Shamilla character was bittersweet but believes the world was ready to be introduced to the real Prev Reddy.
“I have a lot to say through me rather than through Aunty Shamilla. They are two different personas with different opinions. When I did my solo show last year as Prev and it sold out it validated for me that I could still do comedy and perform as me. It was a difficult decision but it felt like the right one. Maybe in five or 10 years I could do a comeback with Aunty Shamilla,” said Reddy.
This year Reddy will be involved in new projects and will be seen in his first movie, The Honeymoon.