Johannesburg - The hilarious neighbours from Chatsworth are back in action and this time they have joined forces with Netflix to bring their comedy to the world.
The popular Kandasamys gang made waves in 2017 with the release of Keeping up with the Kandasamys, an hilarious comedy film directed by Jayan Moodley.
The movie broke records as the first South African Indian film to be screened widely in theatres. Starring Jailoshini Naidoo and Maeshini Naicker as the matriarch rivals who work together to try to break up their children’s relationships, the movie puts the spotlight on family dynamics.
The film grossed over R4 million at the box office in its first week and went on to gross over R16m, becoming the highest-grossing film in South Africa for the year, and the highest-grossing South African film worldwide in 2017.
The sequel to the movie – Kandasamys: The Wedding – was a continuation of the storyline, delving into family issues that many people experience.
Now with the third instalment, Trippin’ with the Kandasamys, the cast and story will reach audiences in 190 countries. “It is the first time as a filmmaker that I’ve felt like I’ve had such a solid partnership,” said Moodley.
“Dealing with Netflix for the last 18 months, from legal to accounts to production and marketing and a host of people, I felt like someone was holding my hand every time. This partnership means the film is going international on a worldwide platform; we couldn’t ask for anything better.
“We want to also offer gratitude to Netflix, for helping us tell our stories to the world and giving us that opportunity to be authentic and true to our communities.”
Trippin’ with the Kandasamys goes deeper into the lives of Jennifer (played by Jailoshini Naidoo) and Shanti (played by Maeshini Naicker) who have gone from rivals to best friends. They plan a romantic getaway with their husbands but things start to get out of hand, Kandasamys-style. The resort on the South Coast below Durban is actually the same resort Moodley went to for her honeymoon 26 years ago.
“The Kandasamy themes are so universal,” said Naidoo. “From the experiences to the characters. Everywhere you go in the world you have mothers who interfere in their children’s lives. Overprotective mothers, mother-in-law problems, insecurities – everyone in the world can identify with a mother-in-law problem and annoying neighbours. Women have love/hate relationships. Those are relatable themes wherever you go. This story is for everyone and about everyone in the world.”
Viewers are all laughs when watching the chemistry between the characters on screen, and the same applies for the actresses behind the scenes.
“These ladies don’t stop bickering,” joked Moodley.
“I’m the nice one and she is the annoying one,” laughed Naicker, pointing at Naidoo. There is an obvious fun spirit between the two who have become family.
“They will come on set – Jennifer comes on first. She announces her arrival and then Shanti comes on and Jennifer announces to the crew that all their troubles will begin now,” laughed Moodley, adding that the chemistry and energy the leading ladies possess translates to magic on screen.
The production team worked for five weeks non-stop and it didn’t feel like work because of the energy and laughs. “We don’t call it work, we are family; after three movies we regard ourselves as the Kandasamy family,” said Naicker. “It’s not easy working such long hours … it’s important to keep that energy going for everyone. We show up for each other at the end of the day.”
Naidoo added: “We are on set every day, Maeshini and I. The only way to keep the spirit up is to have the two of us always at it, it spills over on to everybody.”
Moodley agreed: “The keyword here is that we are a family, that’s what makes this so special, because that love we all feel on set spills into the film.”
Now that the news that Trippin’ with the Kandasamys is out and is to be available on Netflix, fans of the movies are already anticipating another release. “We’re already getting questions from our audience. But they already have an idea of how the story should go. It’s lovely that an audience is so invested. We feel incredibly blessed,” said Naidoo.
In three snippets from the women, Trippin’ with the Kandasamys is fun, crazy and a roller-coaster ride of emotion. The movie releases on June 4 on Netflix.
The Star