She is King, a stellar musical, launched to a huge reception and attendance last Thursday at Joburg Theatre. A host of local stars came out in support of the movie, and formost attendees the flowing refreshments were just a perfect kick-start to the black-tie event.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of past successful South African musicals telling raw African stories, She is King tells a story of a young aspiring singer, dancer and actress from rural KwaZulu-Natal who goes to Joburg to audition for a musical based on Zulu queen Mkabayi. A newbie to the big screen, Gugu Zulu of Uzalo fame stars as Khanyisile, the lead. The film also stars Aubrey Poo, Khanyi Mbau, Mandisa Nduna and Khabonina Qubeka, whose character develops a love-hate relationship with Zulus.
As much as there are positive aspects about the movie, there are almost equally negative ones. One remarkable aspect easily noticeable is the great acting. The calibre of actors, the picture and the storyline are the main leading wins. On the contrary, it’s the unrealistic idea of a rural KZN family speaking English, the lack of English subtitles, random scenes that don’t contribute to the storyline and the lack of closure on some characters’ storylines that peaked as some of the low points.
Speaking to Gugu after the movie, she gushed about how exciting shooting the flick was. Also how special it felt that the premiere has attracted so many people. Asked about the film, Gugu said the film is a proudly South African story with amazing actors and speaks to women who feel like they have to give up when it suddenly feels like it’s getting hard. “It speaks to people who come from disadvantaged homes and says you can actually achieve your dreams. It empowers them to follow their dreams no matter their backgrounds,” Gugu said.
By Nare Kekana
