(Jailoshini Naidoo & Maeshni Naicker)
The official
trailer for the new South African motion picture, Keeping Up With The Kandasamys can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV6ZWNmRpqI
From the producers
of Hard to Get and Happiness is a Four-Letter Word - one of South
Africa’s most successful films - comes an all new rib-tickling, two-sided
family comedy affair, directed and co-written by Durban filmmaker Jayan
Moodley (White Gold), produced by award-winning duo Helena Spring
(Academy Award Nominee and Mbokodo-winner) and the late Junaid Ahmed and co-writer, Rory Booth.
Set in Chatsworth, Keeping Up With The Kandasamys opens
a window into the lifestyle and subculture of modern-day Indian South Africans;
their aspirations, dreams and challenges. “I loved shooting this film on location in
Chatsworth. It’s an iconic place, like District Six or Soweto. It’s vibrant,
lively and spirited, and I believe we have managed to not only capture its
idiosyncrasies but also its heart and soul that will make global audiences fall
in love with it too, over a barrel full of laughs,” says director Jayan Moodley about her debut
film.
The film stars
Jailoshini Naidoo (Eastern Mosaic, Lotus FM)
and Maeshni Naicker (Broken Promises) as the matriarchal rivals of
neighbouring families, whose young adult children become romantically involved
and, despite their best efforts to keep them apart, they are forced to
acknowledge that in the end love will always prevail.
Shanti Naidoo
(Maeshni Naicker) is a typical Type-A personality. Always on the move, going
out of her way to please people, and overcompensating for her perceived
inadequacies by continually cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Her life would
be just fine, except that her neighbour, Jennifer Kandasamy (Jailoshini
Naidoo), always seems to hold the upper hand.
When Jennifer
realises her beautiful tomboy daughter, Jodi (Mishqah Parthiephal), is in love
with Shanti’s son Prinesh (Madhushan Singh) – a sensitive medical student, she
is determined to break them up. But in order to do that she will have to enlist
her rival’s help. “Together the
two women scheme and plot, recruit prospective partners and generally interfere
with their kids wherever they can,” says producer, Helena Spring.
Lighthearted, and
entertaining, the story is supported by an array of colourful characters that
celebrate the rich and spicy way of life in Durban. Well-known South African
theatre actor/playwright/director, Rajesh Gopie, plays Shanti’s husband,
Preggie, while comedian Koobeshen Naidoo can be seen as Jennifer’s husband,
Elvis. These two characters always remain in the background as they are
constantly overshadowed by their dominating wives. Jodi’s friend Marlin (Neil
Govender), the local wedding planner, is an epitome of fabulous flamboyancy and
Ayah (Mariam Bassa) - Jennifer’s elderly, no-nonsense, ever-critical,
mother-in-law - represents that typical granny in most Indian extended
families, with funny one-liners and deep insights that are bound to strike a
chord with any audience.
“This film has something for everyone. The universal story of neighbourhood
rivalry, our desperate need for acceptance and the climb for perceived societal
success, is something which touches everyone the world over. At the end of the
day we can all recognize our quirks and foibles and the funny side of the
weird, wonderful and strangely competitive world we live in,” adds
Moodley.
Keeping Up With The Kandasamys was produced in
association with M-Net, the DTI and NFVF, with distribution by Ster-Kinekor
Entertainment. It features music by Kyle Deutsch and The Parlotones and will be released
in cinemas nationwide on March 3, 2017.
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