Keeping Up with the Kandasamys

Last updated

Keeping Up with the Kandasamys
Keeping Up with the Kandasamys (poster).jpg
Directed byJayan Moodley
Screenplay by
  • Rory Booth
  • Jayan Moodley
Produced by
  • Helena Spring
  • Junaid Ahmed
Starring
CinematographyJustus de Jager
Music by Chris Letcher
Production
company
African Lotus Productions
Release date
  • 3 March 2017 (2017-03-03)
Running time
90 minutes
CountrySouth Africa
LanguageEnglish
Box officeR16 million [1]

Keeping Up with the Kandasamys (or simply Kandasamys) is a 2017 South African Indian comedy film directed by Jayan Moodley, and was the first South African Indian film to be screened widely in theaters. It stars Jailoshini Naidoo, Maeshni Naicker, Madhushan Singh, and Mishqah Parthiephal. The film grossed over R4 million at the box office in its first week and went on to gross over R16 million (US$1 million), becoming the highest-grossing film in South Africa for the year, and the highest grossing South African film worldwide in 2017. [1] It also featured in film festivals in North America. [2] The film's name is a reference to the American reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians .

Contents

Plot

Shanti Naidoo is the typical Indo-South African mother. Overbearing and overprotective, she dotes on her family, and is well known in the community for her generosity and great cooking. Her life would be just fine, except that her neighbour, Jennifer Kandasamy, always seems to hold the upper hand. Intelligent, elegant, and classy, the career driven Jennifer always manages to out-do whatever Shanti does, and life for the two women appears to be a constant battle of trying to keep up with each other. When Jennifer realizes that her daughter Jodi is in love with Shanti's son Prishen, she is determined to break them up. But, in order to do that, she will have to enlist her rival's help.

Cast

birthday party 

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from film critics, who applauded the film for its showcasing of the South African Indian community, as well as its unexpected impact on the local film industry. [3] Jared Beukes of Huffpost gave it a positive review, praising Moodley's "heartfelt intent" for the film and Jailoshini Naidoo's performance. [4] Gabi Zietsman of Channel 24 gave the film a 3/5 rating, acclaiming the film for its portrayal of a "Rainbow Nation" that is not often represented in South African media. Zietsman went on to praise Moodley and writer Rory Booth's screenplay, stating that the duo "work great as a team and produced an entertaining comedy that will make you scream with laughter." He also singled out Naidoo's performance for praise stating that "can't help but wonder why we haven’t seen them in more movies." [5] Writing for the Independent Online, Paul Eksteen gave the film a warm review, stating that "Despite the universal, and very rom-com aesthetic of this film, it is likely to find its greatest appeal within the community it celebrates. There, the little quirks that drew so many laughs at the screening I attended will draw the most appreciation. It helps if you’re in on the joke." [6] Haji Mohamed Dawjee of Eyewitness News stated that "[the] terrible writing and misfired humor made it an exhausting viewing experience, and more than that, the movie missed out on a massive chance to educate communities in South Africa residing outside of Chatsworth." [7]

Awards

Award TitleActor/Actress NameAward CeremonyResult
Best Actress FilmMaeshni NaickerSimon Sabela 2018Won
Jailoshini NaidooNominated [8]
Best Supporting Actor FilmMadhushan SinghWon
Rajesh GopieNominated
Best Supporting Actress FilmMishqah ParthiphalNominated
Best FilmJayan MoodleyNominated
Best Director FilmNominated
Best use of KZN as a Filming locationNominated

Sequels

Following the success of the film, in July 2018, Jayan Moodley, the director of Keeping Up with the Kandasamys, announced a sequel called Kandasamys: The Wedding . [9] A trailer was released in December 2018. [10]

A third movie Trippin' with the Kandasamys released exclusively on Netflix on 4 June 2021.[ citation needed ] A fourth movie Kandasamys: The Baby released exclusively on Netflix on 20 October 2023.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Om Shanti Om</i> 2007 film directed by Farah Khan

Om Shanti Om is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language masala film written and directed by Farah Khan, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh, and produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Shreyas Talpade, Kirron Kher, and Arjun Rampal. Exploring two parallel timelines, it follows Om Prakash Makhija (Khan), an obscure 1970s actor, who dies in a suspicious on-set fire involving his crush, well-known yesteryears superstar Shanti Priya (Padukone), and is reincarnated in the present day as superstar Om Kapoor, where he seeks to exact revenge on the perpretrator, Shanti's fiance and powerful producer Mukesh Mehra (Rampal).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian South Africans</span> South Africans descended from British Indian indentured labourers, read as slaves, and migrants

Indian South Africans are South Africans who descend from indentured labourers and free migrants who arrived from British India during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The majority live in and around the city of Durban, making it one of the largest ethnically Indian-populated cities outside of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Lawrence</span> American actress (born 1990)

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence is an American actress. She is known for starring in both action film franchises and independent dramas, and her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, she appeared in Time's 100 most influential people in the world list in 2013 and the Forbes Celebrity 100 list from 2013 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Garner</span> American actress (born 1972)

Jennifer Anne Garner is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City. She made her screen debut in the television film adaptation of Danielle Steel's romance novel Zoya in 1995. She had a starring role on the Fox teen drama series Time of Your Life (1999–2000), and supporting roles in the war drama film Pearl Harbor (2001) and the comedy-drama film Catch Me If You Can (2002).

Dricky Beukes was a South African writer of Afrikaans novels, short stories and radio dramas. Beukes wrote more than a hundred Afrikaans novels, a large number of short stories and numerous Afrikaans radio dramas, including some extensive pieces for the commercial station Springbok Radio. She died in 1999 in Bellville after a battle with blood cancer. There is a Dricky Beukes Street named after her in Kokrus, Vereeniging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumi Naidoo</span> South African human rights and climate justice activist (1965-

Kumi Naidoo is a human rights and climate justice activist. He was International Executive Director of Greenpeace International and Secretary General of Amnesty International. Naidoo served as the Secretary-General of CIVICUS, the international alliance for citizen participation, from 1998 to 2008. As a fifteen-year old, he organised students in school boycotts against the apartheid regime and its educational system in South Africa. Naidoo’s activism went from neighbourhood organising and community youth work to civil disobedience with mass mobilisations against the white controlled apartheid government. Naidoo is a co-founder of the Helping Hands Youth Organisation. He has written about his activism in this period in his memoirs titled, Letters to My Mother: The Making of a Troublemaker. In the book Naidoo recounts the day of his mother’s suicide when he was just 15 and how it became a catalyst for his journey into radical action against the Nationalist Party’s apartheid regime.

Sathiseelan Gurilingam "Ronnie" Govender was a South African playwright, theatre director and activist known for his community theatre efforts. He was known as a pioneer of Indian South African theatre in the country. Some of his notable works included Black Chin White Chin, Song of the Atman, and At the Edge and Other Cato Manor Stories. At the Edge won the 1997 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for best first book, Africa.

Preshanthan Moodley is a South African film and television director, producer and writer.

Shahrina Ramphaul is a part-time actress, philanthropist, advocator for women's rights, trichologist and entrepreneur.

<i>Amma Kanakku</i> 2016 Indian film

Amma Kanakku is a 2016 Indian Tamil language comedy drama film written and directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and produced by both Anand L. Rai and Dhanush. A remake of the director's own Hindi film Nil Battey Sannata (2016), the film stars Amala Paul, Yuva Lakshmi, Revathi and Samuthirakani in the lead roles. Principal photography of the film commenced on 7 January 2016 in Chennai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kesaveloo Goonam</span>

Kesaveloo Goonam, also known as Kesaveloo Goonaruthnum Naidoo (1906–1998) was a South African doctor and anti-apartheid activist. She was also called "Coolie Doctor", which became the title of her 1991 autobiography.

Dr. Zainab Asvat was a South African anti-apartheid activist. Asvat was trained as a medical doctor, but was politically active most of her life.

Jaishini Naidoo is a South African television presenter, actress and stand-up comedian. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Kandasamy in the Kandasamys film series.

<i>Kandasamys: The Wedding</i> 2019 South African Indian romantic comedy film

Kandasamys: The Wedding is a 2019 South African Indian romantic comedy drama film written by Rory Booth and Jayan Moodley and directed by Jayan Moodley. The film is a sequel to the 2017 blockbuster box office hit film Keeping Up with the Kandasamys and stars Jailoshini Naidoo, Maeshni Naicker, Madhushan Singh and Mishqah Parthiephal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mishqah Parthiephal</span> South African actress of Indian descent

Mishqah Parthiephal is a South African actress, model and filmmaker. After her first film role in White Gold (2010), she primarily worked in television and advertising until 2015. She starred in the CTV and Netflix series The Indian Detective (2017) as well as the Kandasamys film series (2017–2023).

Rajesh Gopie, is a South African actor of Indian descent. He is best known for the roles in the television serials Stellenbosch, Professionals and The World Unseen.

<i>Trippin with the Kandasamys</i> 2021 film

Trippin' with the Kandasamys is a 2021 South African film directed by Jayan Moodley, written by Rory Booth and Jayan Moodley and starring Jailoshini Naidoo, Maeshni Naicker and Mariam Bassa. It's the third installment in the series, following Keeping Up with the Kandasamys and Kandasamys: The Wedding.

<i>Kandasamys: The Baby</i> 2021 film

Kandasamys: The Baby is a 2023 South African family drama film directed by Jayan Moodley, written by Jayan Moodley, Jailoshini Naidoo and Yugan Naidoo and starring Jailoshini Naidoo, Maeshni Naicker and Mariam Bassa. It is the fourth installment in the series, following Keeping Up with the Kandasamys (2017), Kandasamys: The Wedding (2019) and Trippin' with the Kandasamys (2021).

References

  1. 1 2 Canham, Tamlyn (26 May 2017). "Keeping Up With the Kandasanys' makes R16-million at the box office". East Coast Radio . Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  2. "#MISAFF17: International premiere of Keeping Up With The Kandasamys at Cineplex Mississauga". Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  3. Gedye, Lloyd (11 March 2017). "The economic power of local films". Fin24. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  4. Beukes, Jared (15 March 2017). "Keeping Up With The Kandasamys And It's Love For Chatsworth". Huffpost. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  5. Zietsman, Gabi (24 February 2017). "Keeping Up with the Kandasamys". Channel24. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  6. Eksteen, Paul (3 March 2017). "MOVIE REVIEW: Keeping Up With the Kandasamys". IOL. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  7. Dawjee, Haji Mohamed. "[OPINION] 3 SA FILMS THAT SHOULD'VE BANNED INSTEAD OF 'INXEBA'". Eyewitness News. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  8. "Simon Sabela Film and Television Awards 2018 nominees announced".
  9. "The Kandasamys are having a wedding and you're invited". eNews Channel Africa. 24 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  10. Rall, Se-Anne (7 December 2018). "WATCH: Kandasamys: The Wedding trailer released". IOL. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.