The late legendary actress Connie Chiume’s final performance has touched many hearts, especially her family. Her son, Nongelo Chiume, shared that watching his mother on screen in Meet The Khumalos was a deeply emotional experience.
According to Sowetan Live, speaking at the movie’s premiere in Ballito, north of Durban, Nongelo said seeing Connie in the new Netflix family comedy felt almost surreal.
“We felt her,” Nongelo said. “I don’t know how to describe it, but it was a somewhat different feeling. It was as if she were someone I was hoping to meet. Watching her in this movie was like watching her in a different world. It was an emotional moment, especially noting that this was our mother’s last production she worked on with Netflix.”
He added: “Netflix has been her home in the last moments of her career. I hope we can somehow continue her legacy and aspirations for the industry – hopefully, through the Connie Chiume Foundation, we can realise it.”
Connie’s family, including Tumi and Sphelele Chiume, as well as Nothando and Thabisile Mabuza, attended the premiere event as special guests.
Meet The Khumalos will officially premiere on Netflix on Friday, April 11. Directed by Jayan Moodley, known for the hit Kandasamys movies, the film promises lots of laughter and drama.
The story follows two women, Grace (played by Khanyi Mbau) and Bongi (played by Ayanda Borotho), who used to be close friends but are now enemies. Their rivalry gets even worse when they discover that their children, played by Khosi Ngema and Jesse Suntele, have fallen in love.
Khanyi Mbau shared that working on the movie felt like a holiday.
“Shooting the movie felt like I was on holiday. I’ve actually just realised that when I work, it’s a holiday. I think I’ve retired from the hard life! But truly speaking, I had so much fun with the cast on set,” she said.
Ayanda Borotho said playing Bongi allowed her to grow as an actress.
“We had so much fun on set. It was beautiful, lighthearted and fun. My role helped me expand and push myself as a performer, and in the same breath, it challenged me – which I thoroughly enjoyed,” she said.
Khosi Ngema, best known for her role in Blood & Water, said playing a character who believes in love was inspiring.
“Playing Sphe made me believe in love. Falling in love with someone you can’t be with can seem like the pits, but just like we’ve seen, it’s important to fight for love,” she said.
Jesse Suntele, who plays her love interest, said he loved how real his character felt despite his wealthy background.
“Despite my character’s upbringing, he’s still down to earth. Even though he was born into luxury and money, he’s in touch with the realness in the world,” Suntele said.
