The Sunday News
Lance Chigodo
LOCAL comedian, actor and singer Freddy Manjalima well-known by his stage name Kapfupi has featured in a film called Mahlalela which also features South African musician Freddy Gwala.
The film was produced and directed by local Bulawayo film actor and producer Mthulisi Moyo.
The production is scheduled to be launched between late April and early May and is the first of its kind which is aimed at setting the stage for more collaboration in film productions between the two sister countries.
Artistic collaborations between the two countries have been more with musicians with nothing substantial in the film industry.
In an interview with Sunday Leisure, Moyo said he started working on Mahlalela in 2013 and took his time to search for the perfect actors to take part as characters in the film.
Besides ending xenophobia, when Moyo produced this film he meant to influence Zimbabwean and South African artistes to work together and share ideas in arts. To set geographical differences aside Kapfupi speaks in Zulu in some instances yet Freddy Gwala also speaks in Ndebele in some cases.
“It was very easy to get them to switch languages because Kapfupi already knows a bit of Ndebele which is almost similar to Zulu yet Gwala was eager to learn Shona. Both guys are quite easy to work with and that worked to my advantage,” he said.
Moyo views Gwala as a humble person after he accepted to work with him in the film even though he has never tried acting before.
“I asked Gwala to play a role in my film, he said he has never done it before then I offered to teach him how to act and he took the offer without setting any conditions or showing pride like most superstars would,” Moyo said.
Kapfupi, who has been in the Zimbabwean film industry for some time now, having started in street theatre told Sunday Leisure that he was also glad to be working with Gwala and other South African artistes in the production.
“Am very happy to be working with big South African artistes. It is nice and different. I am also glad to get exposed to the South African film industry through this production,” he said.
The film was shot in Harare and Soweto and the main character — Mahlalela is played by Moyo, Gwala plays the role of a pastor and Kapfupi is Gwala’s church congregant and friend. In the film Kapfupi and Gwala help Mahlalela by offering him accommodation after he had a dispute with his brother and his wife.
