''Keeping Up with the Kandasamys'' (or simply Kandasamys) is a 2017

South African Indian 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 l ...

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 Mishqah Parthiephal (born 21 September 1989) is a South African actress, model and filmmaker. After her first film role in 2010, she primarily worked in television and advertising until 2015. Outside South Africa, she is best known for her role a ...

. 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. It also featured in film festivals in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

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

Awards

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. Jared Beukes of ''Huffpost'' gave it a positive review, praising Moodley's "heartfelt intent" for the film and Jailoshini Naidoo's performance. 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." 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." Haji Mohamed Dawjee of ''Eyewitness News'' stated that " heterrible 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."

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''. A trailer was released in December 2018. A third movie ''

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

'' released exclusively on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

on 4 June 2021.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 6042062, Keeping Up with the Kandasamys 2017 comedy films South African comedy films South African Indian films English-language South African films 2010s English-language films