Durban: Durban comedian Prev Reddy, popularly known for his alter ego Aunty Shamilla, has entered the film industry with his debut movie wrapping up its Durban shoot recently.
The movie, The Honeymoon, is written and directed by Bianca Isaacs and the team that brought the local hit film Three Days to Go to the screen.
Reddy said The Honeymoon was about three friends in a dilemma.
“When one of them is dumped the night before her wedding, the three best friends turn a would-be honeymoon into a wild time in paradise, but will their friendship last? It is very much a chick flick comedy. It stars Kajal Bagwandeen, Minnie Dlamini and Tumi Morake.”
Reddy will play a character called Frankie.
“For now, we can't reveal too much about him.”
He said acting in a film had been a long-time dream. When he was first asked to audition for the film, he did not think twice.
“When they told me about the film, I knew nothing about it. I didn’t even ask. They just said movie, and I was like, ’yep, count me in’.
“Kajal called me in for a meeting about two-and-a-half years ago. She told me they were busy working on a new film, and there was a role that they wanted me to audition for, if I was keen. We did the auditions around 2019 and everything went well and then the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
“So there was a long silence and a long break for the project. They were actually supposed to shoot the movie last year. Towards the end of last year, Bianca and the team called me to say they would start shooting this year. So it’s been a two-year casting process because I had to go back this year and re-audition and redo callbacks because I think a lot changed from then until now.”
He said since day one, being an actor had been a goal.
“Acting is what I’ve done my whole life. I don’t know anything else apart from the performing arts. When I was 15-years-old, I did my first young performers project with directors Themi Venturas and Daisy Spencer, so I’ve been in the acting space since then.
“By the time I got to college, my parents had always known that this was what I wanted to do. But they still didn’t want me to get a degree in performance because of the challenges of the industry.
“Luckily, at the time, AFDA, The School for the Creative Economy, had just opened in Durban. I told my parents I would get a degree in writing and producing, which was basically like a business degree because one of the semesters in producing involved understanding business and advertising.While I was at the AFDA, I was learning a different side of the industry. I was also doing performances on the side and stand-up comedy.”
Reddy said getting the qualification was the best move.
“Especially in South Africa, you can’t just learn one side of the industry. You have to learn every aspect, including the business side of it because everything is seasonal. Looking back on it now, everything that I learned has helped: from doing the performances in high school to learning to write at college. Because with what I do now on social media, I have to script my own shows and videos, I have to handle my own business, manage my brand, and all marketing.”
He said his long-term goal had always been to be in a movie.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actor, not a comedian. Comedy came later in my life.”
The Honeymoon was shot in Durban over recent weeks. Reddy said the film was also being filmed in Zanzibar. It will be released in cinemas next year.
Aside from the film, Reddy is working on an overseas tour.
“I will be going to the UK in December. The second-largest audience I have outside of South Africa is London, so now that we are off the red list for travel, we are trying to plan a show in the UK.
“There’s also a secret project that we have been working on for almost a year and a half now to bring Aunty Shamilla to TV, but that’s as much as I can say about it at this stage. We are currently in discussions with various networks, so hopefully, by next year, we can talk more about it,” said Reddy.
The Post