SANS Moonsamy and Keru Kisten’s comedy film, Who’s My Daddy? is ready for the big screen.
The husband and wife team – who are both actors/writers/producers – have put together a star cast production that is laced with elements of their own joint journey in film.
Directed by David Kau and Moonsamy, the film also stars Moonsamy in the lead role of Prikesh Nair. The character is inspired by one of his stage characters.
Prikesh hits a low in his comedy career, which prompts him to search for his father. His agent (played by Alfred Ntombela) and a journalist (played by Nadia Jaftha) help him.
Moonsamy said the original idea came about around 2015/16. By 2019, they went into pre-production and shooting. The hope was to launch the film in 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic derailed the plans.
Moonsamy said they did a mini re-shoot last year and included more actors.
“We looked at certain characters and at people that we’ve worked with over the duration of our careers. We contacted and said ‘we are shooting a movie, would you be keen to audition?’ They said ‘just say when and where’. Many of them are household names, the likes of David Kau, Dr Victor, Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, Prev Reddy, Jason Goliath, Bash with Tash, Henry Ramkissoon, Sagie Murugan, Matthew Govender, Keru Kisten, Kerusha Kylie Govender, Vivian Moodley and many more.
“It was a great journey for Keru and I. There are a lot of the characters in the film, which was initially inspired by many of my and Keru’s stage plays. We drew from our own history but the script itself is different from that.”
He said because he played the lead character, he realised he could not completely direct it on his own.
“I needed to have someone to work on my performance and assess what I’m doing. David and I have a long history together. We worked on the movie Blitz Patrollie and a few other productions. So we’ve always been involved in each other’s work on different platforms – live shows and films. We had a lot of fun directing together from a comedic perspective.”
An added highlight for Moonsamy and Kisten was the film debut of their 6-year-old son Aryan.
“My son plays little Prikesh. This is his debut film but he has done TV commercials and other campaigns. I usually don't like to involve my children in this way but obviously we needed a child who looked like me and there was no better fit. Aryan usually spends so much time with us when we are on set and he’s comfortable in that space.”
The film will open at cinemas on September 2.
“There are a lot of factors that go into choosing when a film will open but in this case, we are at the point where everything is opened up in the country since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. September is also Heritage Month and the film for me is a purely South African spectacle that will appeal to everybody.”
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