Best friends and often co-stars, Sdumo Mtshali and Pallance Dladla, return to the small screen with the hit show, Tempy Pushas.
The pair star as orphaned brothers who are trying to navigate their way through the fashion industry and often find themselves mixed up in the township culture.
After a successful first season, Tempy Pushas is back with an even more star-studded cast than before.
“My character is taking over the family business and Lerato (Paballo Moganedi) is coming to interrupt my plans with my brothers,” said Mtshali.
He and Dladla are products of the now defunct talent search TV show, Class Act, which aired on SABC1. Apart from Tempy Pushas, they have also starred in other productions together including Isibaya.
“Pallance is my friend on the show, off the show and a business partner as well. Our relationship never stops. Sometimes when I am telling him sh*t as a character, I am actually telling him sh*t in real life. It is easier that way. I use the scene as an excuse and he does the same. When it gets that real, the trust between us improves, said Mtshali.
“What I like about Jabu (Dladla in Isibaya) is that he speaks to that generation where there is a son with an absent father so he grows at his own devices. My character on Isibaya, S’bu, is more of a prince where he comes from. He has accepted that he doesn’t need flashy things to boost himself. I know guys like that and the older viewers love S’bu because he takes them back to the days when we upheld our cultural values,” he explained.
There is a mutual understanding between the two that the show comes first and they use their friendship to come up with some incredible ways to execute their roles.
“It is always good to work with someone who thinks about their character first before yours. So Pallance and I often ask each other if we gave each other enough material for our characters to work off. You can’t act friendship. It’s either there or not and the fans at home can pick that up,” explained Mtshali.
The friendship even extends to other cast members on Tempy Pushas and, in turn, it improves their performances.
“I get to understand Tumi (who plays Princess) and her character because we are friends, too. Through our friendship I get to know what’s going on in her life and how she channels that to her character. We always say that when she plays her part she needs to know that my young niece at home is watching and needs to remember how best to portray that character in an inspirational way,” he said.
While Tempy Pushas could be like The Bold and the Beautiful of South Africa, only because it is based on the fashion industry, Mtshali felt there is more to it than entertainment.
“I pose questions to young black men through my character. You wonder if we fit in the societies we find ourselves in. We are asking about the whereabouts of our black fathers. We have a responsibilities as young black artists to question our place in South Africa. South African hip hop is already doing it and the TV and cinema industries have to follow through,” he said.
Dladla was in full agreement and said that the planning process of a production is as vital as the acting.
“I’m sure people are looking forward to the challenges the characters have to go through now. We are trying to build the story and that depends on how it is written. You don’t want to immediately depress people, that’s not a good way to tell a story. You want to ease into the process till you reach the climax,” he said.
Although he enjoyed working on Tempy Pushas, Dladla realised he had to move on once they had wrapped up shooting.
“Once you have done the work, you have to let it go. You can’t get attached to it because it belongs to the people. Your job is to figure out how well you can articulate it and have the viewer understand you. After that, you have to let go and how people react is up to them. Hopefully, our message went through.”
• Look out for other phenomenal performances from Akhumzi Jezile, Mara Louw, Lillian Dube and Tumi Ngumla on Tempy Pushas which airs every Friday at 8.30pm on SABC1.