Khanyi Mbau is finally coming into her own
|Published
Khanyi Mbau has grown in leaps and bounds since she set tongues wagging with her lavish lifestyle. The socialite has gone on to build a solid career in the entertainment industry, making her mark as a radio DJ and actress.
Mbau’s latest project, Red Room, is directed by Sans Moonsamy and features prominent local actors Pakamisa Zwedala, Nick Nkuna and Aubrey Poo. In the film, due to be released in cinemas nationwide on March 8 next year, Mbau portrays a rich businessman’s wife, Zama, whose husband is immersed in the world of human trafficking, sex and betrayal.
Zama then discovers the truth of her husband’s secret life; and has to deal with the feeling of betrayal and his death through suicide.
The loss causes her to lose the affluent life she has become accustomed to and she has to fight to rebuilt it.
Mbau says the story mirrors her own life - rebuilding herself after losing everything. “It’s kinda like a Khanyi Mbau story - a girl who loses everything and is forced to survive And working really hard to being the Khanyi I am now, who has learnt to be independent.
Khanyi Mbau says the film’s story mirrors her own life.
“Preparing for this role made me pull myself towards myself and introspect. It was quite difficult, but I had to be honest and couldn’t be selfish because I am telling someone’s story. I had to relive my fears and the things that I was probably hard on myself on.
“But the experience was rewarding as I experienced myself grow and see myself in an out-of-body experience,” says the 33-year-old actress, who believes hers is a God-given talent.
Mbau traces her journey to playing notorious Dobsie in SABC 2’s Muvhango 11 years ago and being mentored by veteran actress Pamela Nomvete.
“I think I only realised that I can act in 2015 when I did Happiness is a Four Letter Word. All these years of being in the industry from 2004/5, I just acted because I enjoyed it but didn’t realise that I could actually do it.
THE 33-year-old in a noir scene from her latest project.
“Now I know that I actually understand the craft. I am not doing it to survive or just to make money. It is something that I deeply understand and I am comfortable in,” she says, adding that she has learnt of the inner strength of a woman.
“Women in general are very strong. Unfortunately, society, which is a highly male dominated space, has over the years broken us down and men define roles to us so that we don’t take over the world that easily.
“But women are strong, they are home-builders and world-makers, and that is what I have learnt. I have learnt the power to this thing called women, that we haven’t explored yet and given ourselves the opportunity to look into.”
Mbau, who has been through dark phases in her life, also believes she is one of a few South Africans who have an authentic story to tell about themselves.
Her story may not be political but is as authentic as those of veterans such as Nelson Mandela and OR Tambo.
“And by authentic I mean that all that people have known about me, my love life, the people I fell in love with and whatever was reported in the tabloids, was all an organic thing. I put my heart on my sleeve and lived each moment out honestly. So I am an authentic story.
“The great thing about this is that I am a revelation for many South Africans that didn’t believe anything is possible.”