New drama series premieres on ZTV

Takudzwa Chihambakwe Leisure Correspondent —
FROM the producers of the rib-cracking comedy-drama series “Muchaneta” comes another intriguing production, “Muzita ra Baba (In the Name of the Father)”, which is set for its ZBC-TV premiere tomorrow. This new drama series will see musicians Ammara Brown, Mudiwahood and Jah Prayzah showcasing their acting abilities alongside veterans such as Jesesi Mungoshi among many others.

“The drama ‘Muzita ra Baba’ is a series that reflects on the lives of clergymen,” said writer and co-director, Nick Zemura, adding, Many times we find these men give us guidelines on how we should live our lives but the question is; are they walking the talk?”

Zemura says the drama really digs deep to show that after all is said and done — families, no matter which religion or church they belong to — they face similar problems that are faced by everyone else who has friends, spouses, children etcetera.

“These are some of the issues being discussed in the series. We also see conflicts among the pastor’s children proving that at the end of the day no matter what office one holds, we are all human beings and we go through similar challenges.”

The series will be unveiled in style, as the first episode will be premiered by ZTV in front of a live audience at one of the local cinemas while those at home also get to watch the show.

“Preparations for the premiere are in full swing and soon we will be releasing the details. So on Monday October 24 ZTV viewers will get to watch the behind the scenes footage of the series as more of an appetiser ahead of the first episode to be screened on October 31.”

Zemura also explained why his production house, Mirazvo Productions, uses celebrities in most of their shows.

“People might think we go after celebrities but that is not it, we cast people who fit the role, some may call it typecasting but it has worked for us. When I saw Ammara Brown and Jah Prayzah together in the video for the track ‘Kure Kure’, I did not see musicians only I saw actors too.

“The same goes for Kessia Magosha, when I saw her energetic dances and singing, I saw beyond the musician too. As a director I find myself analysing people’s day-to-day lives and at times I can even walk up to a stranger in town and ask them to be part of my cast because I would have seen that they have the characteristics of what I am looking for in a particular role.

“But for the record you will realise that 60 percent of our cast are new faces, mostly those who haven’t even acted in their lives nor are known by anyone in relation to things to do with the arts,” said Zemura. Ammara Brown, who plays Hannah in the drama, is thrilled to see her acting and musical skills growing simultaneously. “Everyone in the cast and crew has a great working attitude so it makes the job something to look forward to every time,” said Ammara.

“The greatest challenge for me as I play Hannah in the series is probably switching into character where I’m supposed to be incensed by Esau (Hannah’s husband, played by Nick Zemura). In real life we are quite happy as co-workers.”

Award-winning rapper Mudiwahood said the role he plays in the series has some similarities to his day-to-day life.

“I play the role of Jacob, a favoured son, who stays in South Africa. Jacob is a model, actor and musician too, who is all about glitz and glamour. When the directors approached me and explained the role, we both knew this was meant for me,” said Mudiwahood. “My role has some similarities with my daily life. Like I said Jacob is a flamboyant guy who is son of a pastor meaning he is within the church circles too, am sure that’s the Mudiwa people know.”

Speaking on the success of their flagship project “Muchaneta”, which entered its second season last week, Zemura said: “Muchaneta was a great success, we managed to get a number of people to start watching ZTV again.

“The show entertained people and we see it because some have started pirating our shows, though we do not condone such behaviour this shows that people have an interest in your product.

“The second season comes back with a bang as it is more hilarious as the actors have settled into their characters. One character to look out for is Elijah Madzikatire, who comes with a bag full of tricks and not forgetting humour.”