There’s a new hunk in the Generations: The Legacy family and Nkululeko ‘Nkuli’ Tshirumbula proves to be the perfect bad boy, writes Debashine Thangevelo
AS you read this story, Nkululeko “Nkuli” Tshirumbula is soaking up the atmosphere on the set of SABC1’s Generations: The Legacy. Today is his first day shooting for his character, Vuyo Radebe. But, there’s no anxiety in evidence. He is confident and excited – unlike how he felt when he went for the audition.
And I am sure by the end of the day, he will feel very much a part of Mfundi Vundla’s family fold.
He laughs, “You are given a script and a character biography. There are certain requirements you must meet. I’m not going to lie, I was very nervous going to the audition. It has been a while since I have done so.”
Viewers will remember him from SABC2’s Muvhango and, more recently, his stint on SABC3’s Strictly Come Dancing, where he managed to crack the Top 3.
Tshirumbula reveals, “ Strictly… was a great and wonderful opportunity for me. It was certainly an achievement. It was also a steep learning curve. I had no background in dancing – I had to learn from scratch. With dancing, technique is very important; you had to know how to point your toes, have the right posture. Those were the kind of the things that the judges were looking for.”
And, of course, it is common knowledge that Tebogo Kgobokoe is most unforgiving in that regard.
He agrees, “I think each of the judges were quite difficult. But Tebogo was the most difficult. She was the Latin diva and has high expectations of the professionals and their partners. She looked at it from a much more technical point. She was tough.”
The 25-year-old says his most difficult dance was the jive because “there was a lot of kicking and flicking”.
Post the reality dance series, his agent got a call for him to attend an audition. He clearly nailed the character. Then again, Vuyo’s creativity and rebellious streak – although, it is more about him fighting to retain his individuality – isn’t too removed from Tshirumbula. The actor, who is also a musician, loves working out and reading, too.
Expanding on the character, he reveals, “He is an Arts on Main-type of guy. He is straightforward and clear-cut about what he wants. He had a tiff with his father Zola, who sent him to business school to study.”
But as much as Vuyo wants to prove that he’s an adult, he sabotages himself when he unwittingly allows himself to be manipulated by a con artist, believing her to be his muse.
Tshirumbula shares, “This muse promises to get him into an art exhibition. Of course, he just has to pay R50 000 up front.”
His naïveté and infatuation not only blinds him to the truth, it gets him into more trouble when he falls in love with the woman.
Although he hasn’t worked with Kabelo Moalusi (who plays Siya, his older brother) and Mutodi Neshehe (his dad, Zola) – he is looking forward to it.
While very much a newbie in the acting world, he is making strides in the right direction since bagging his debut role as Gundo Mukwevho. And to think it all started with his sister urging him to audition. That definitely paid off!
l Generations: The Legacy, airs on SABC1 weekdays at 8pm. Tshirumbula makes his on screen debut in November.