When it comes to tickling the funnybone, Masood Boomgaard is in his element.
Synonymous for his rib-tickling skits on social media, most of them being alongside the equally riotous Natashia Portrag (aka Bash with Tash), he has been keeping fans in stitches for a while now.
Now the two, along with several other household names, can be seen on the big screen in “The Golden Cock: Revenge of Manu”, which is Boomgaard’s third feature.
He made his directorial debut with “Attack of The Indian Werewolf” and then wrote and co-directed “Curry and Vice”.
On the inspiration behind his latest offering, he shared: “I was sitting around with my videographer colleagues, Riyaad Nakhooda and Prashant Pillay, and we were reminiscing about classic action and martial arts movies from the 80s and 90s that we had re-watched during the lockdown and then go into a discussion about how cool it would be to do a ‘skop, skiet en donder’ 80s-style flick.
“It started out as a joke at first but then I developed a plotline and one thing led to the next. This film is a love letter to those genres.”
Aside from starring in the movie, Boomgaard wears the hat of a writer, director, producer and co-executive producer.
He admitted: “It’s always challenging wearing many hats but we were forced to shoot with a small crew because of the pandemic and budget constraints.
“I didn't mind the workload though because I had an incredible amount of fun. I made this film because I needed to; the pandemic had kicked the s**t out of me mentally and emotionally and I needed something to be excited again.
“Film has always been my first love so to revisit that again was a tremendous feeling.”
He also praised co-executive producer Portrag, who is one of the leads in the film.
“She is an incredibly enterprising person and a wonderful human being. She helped raise a lot of the money we needed to make the film,” offered Boomgaard.
Revisiting the casting process, he said: “Auditions weren't practical with the pandemic.
“But I also prefer to hand-pick my cast and I ended up working with regular collaborators.
“ My comedian colleagues Bash with Tash, Mangaliso Mhlongo and Felicia Pillay all feature as well as Robbie Muller, Sanjeev Singh and Keshan Chetty, who I've worked with over the years. We all have a good vibe.
“There are some newcomers who did a great job as well. Everyone slotted into their parts with ease.
“I wrote the part of the main characters martial arts teacher with Logie Naidoo in mind. The characters name is even master Logie.
“The role of the swordmaster/ sword amma was also specifically written for Bash with Tash.
“I'm so grateful for the enthusiasm and commitment of all the cast members.”
Boomgaard pointed out that they took the necessary Covid-19 safety measures during the shoot, especially with the fights scenes and praised Salim Badat for being such a great martial arts instructor.
The story centres on a regular guy who seeks revenge against a notorious gangster who relieves him of his prized possession - a classic Ford Cortina left to him by his dad.
Aside from the cultural nuances, there is plenty of local slang and action to keep fans amused and engaged.
“The Golden Cock: Revenge of Manu” is still showing on big screen and it is also available for streaming via Quicket.