How Thusi is stemming her name as the pearl of African films

Pearl Thusi is one of the leading actresses in South African biopic that was the opening film ‘Kalushi The Story Of Solomon Mahlangu’ at the 19th edition of the Zanzibar International Film Festival

Kalushi tells the story of teenage Solomon Mhlangu, a freedom fighter who, after being falsely accused of murder and terrorism in 1977, was executed under the apartheid regime.

The historical biopic captures Mhlangu’s legacy. This film and many other roles that Pearl has played in a recent past have won her accolades including a deal in the US early this week. This week Pearl Thusi (Brenda) as Mhlangu’s girlfriend speaks of the role she played in this film.

How does it feel that Kalushi is winning awards even before its premiere?

For all of us, as a team, this is a huge achievement. And it’s only a sign of things to come for the film and all of our individual careers. We’ve set the bar really high and it feels so good that our hard work is being recognised. The biggest achievement, however, will be if the movie is enjoyed by those who worked tirelessly to make it for the people of South Africa and Africa at large.

Your role as Solomon’s girlfriend, Brenda, was nominated for best actress, how did that feel?

I was absolutely thrilled. It’s a huge honour and it was the first time I was nominated for a lead actress role - I’ve been nominated for best supporting actress at the SAFTA’s for a drama series and for other fashion and presenter related awards. This is really special.

What inspired you to take on this role?

The director, Mandla Dube, is so passionate and he sold it to me from the get go. He is such an inspiration. Also, to be a part of such an important story was not something I would let pass by.

How did you prepare for the role?

A lot of reading and rehearsals. It was hard not to be desensitised though. We’ve seen so much of all the trauma and stories about those times but psychologically it was heavy to carry that story and I’m so blessed to have been given the opportunity and strength to do it.

What aspect of making this film did you enjoy the most?

The teamwork. It was awesome to work with people who are all equally interested in making something successful. The challenges created a lot of opportunities for me to grow. I love a good challenge with a great vision.

What was the greatest challenge while making this film?

Brenda is not a real character. All the other characters are real. So I had to create her myself with the director. Which was fun because it’s less pressure to live up to a real human being. But I didn’t have someone to emulate in a story where everyone else had an idea of the story of their characters.

What mark do you think this movie will continue to leave? What mark did it leave on you?

It’s going to educate many people who didn’t know about Solomon Mahlangu and the South African plight for freedom and the huge role that the rest of Africa played in making sure we succeeded. For many they will see that there was no age limit to the amount of sacrifice and pain the struggle brought and caused. The producers were phenomenal. There are also many light-hearted moments in the film. It’s a full body of work. It’s beautiful.

This film took eight years to make, for how many of those years were you involved?

Three years.

Any acknowledgments of your cast and crew? They spoke very highly of you last night, what will you remember from what was said?

Everything. Last night was ethereal. Obviously Thabo’s performance is impeccable. Our director was very interested not only in creating the characters but also us as actors, which was awesome. Jafta and Thabo M were also fantastic. Our DOP was also amazing, often the calm in the storm.

Any characters you would like to play in the future, and any movies in the pipeline?

I’m up for many powerful story and characters. It’s all up to the man above where I end up. I’m so excited for the future.