Actress Nomzamo Mbatha as Nandi in ‘Shaka Ilembe’. Image via Instagram @nomzamo_m
Actress Nomzamo Mbatha researched Nandi while filming ‘Isibaya’
‘Shaka Ilembe’ producer and actress Nomzamo Mbatha says she’s always wanted to play Queen Nandi even before ‘Isibaya’.
Actress Nomzamo Mbatha as Nandi in ‘Shaka Ilembe’. Image via Instagram @nomzamo_m
The former Isibaya actress Nomzamo Mbatha, who plays the role of Queen Nandi and produces the drama series Shaka Ilembe believes the story is important to retell.
According to Sowetan, Mbatha addressed the media during the behind-the-scenes tour yesterday (11 August) at the Cradle of Human Kind, north of Johannesburg.
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NOMZAMO MBATHA’S GUSHES OVER PLAYING QUEEN NANDI
The popular actress Nomzamo Mbatha added she had to do a lot of research for the Queen Nandi role in Shaka Ilembe and admits she continues to learn more about the role even while shooting.
The former Isibaya star adds she’s always wanted to play Nandi from the time she started acting
“If you can listen to my interviews I have always said I wanted to play the Queen Nandi role. I am happy that I had to portray it.”
“This is an important story to tell and we are telling it differently. What makes me happy is that it is a South African story told by South Africans.”
The Puma ambassador says she began researching her role six years ago when she was shooting Isibaya.
“The way I wanted to be part of this production I had to turn down some roles to be Nandi.”
Mbatha said the production had employed 8,000 people and had more than 1,000 cast members, including crew and extras.
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INSIDE ‘SHAKA ILEMBE’ PRODUCTION
Co-Producer Bongumusa Zungu reveals that MultiChoice funded the R90m production, which will be aired next year, and that the drama series is being filmed at the Cradle of Human Kind and is one of the biggest TV productions done by South Africans on a South African story and parts of it were shot in KwaZulu-Natal.
Fans of the storyline will be relieved to know that the story is told in a different way as compared to other previous Shaka Zulu productions.
“We are telling the story in three phases. We focus on Shaka moving from Elangeni to Sqwabe clan and Mthethwa clan. We look at Shaka before he was born. We look at the people who made the king and the importance of the women who raised him. We are telling the love story of Nandi and Senzakhona; we are also telling the story of Dingiswayo and Jobe.”
“We tell the story of Zwide, who made sure the king was not starving. We also focused on Nandi and Senzangakhona’s love.”
