SPLICED MOVIES /
REVIEW / Nothing for mahala
ISSUE 01
by Pippa Tshabalala
Nothing
for Mahala is a movie with a
message. Normally this would
make me groan, and indeed when I attended the premiere of the movie and heard
speeches about financial planning I was confused to say the least.
Watch
the
trailer
Thapelo also stars in
the upcoming Long
Walk to Freedom
with British actor
Idris Elba.
Nothing for Mahala tells the
story of Axe Gumede (Thapelo
Mokoena). A shallow, wanna be big
shot commercial property developer,
whose sole focus is on making money
and making his mark on life. He
believes you have to spend money
to make money, and indeed this is
what gets him into trouble. Axe is
unfortunately spending way more
than he is making, and is up to his
eyeballs in debt.
With loan sharks on his tail, Axe
is looking for that one big break to
elevate his status and solve all his
financial issues, hopefully impress
his boss (Jamie Bartlett) and snatch
that partner position away from his
ambitious colleague, Pule (Shoki
Mokgapa). Of course things never go
as smoothly as he hoped, and as part
of his run in with the loan sharks, Axe
ends up in court and is sentenced to
200 hours community service at the
Autumn Hills Retirement Home.
While working reluctantly
at the retirement home under
the supervision of the beautiful
Reneilwe (Mmabatho Montsho),
Axe is assigned to Hendrick (Marius
Weyers), a grumpy resident who
is indiscriminate in his hatred of
everyone.
Axe must now endure his
community service in order to get
back to making money, but in a
somewhat predictable story arc,
he and Hendrick butt heads but
ultimately develop a long lasting
friendship. We find out why Hendrick
is the mean and bitter old man he is,
and we see Axe grow and develop for
the better through their relationship.
Axe’s love interest Reneilwe is
played by the lovely Mmabatho
Montsho, whose character is smart
and sassy, and who won’t allow Axe
to charm his way out of trouble. Her
strong sense of self is in stark contrast
to Mokoena’s character, who is lost in
a world of materialism.
As the film progresses we become
acutely aware of how pointless Axe’s
material pursuits are, and how dire
his situation is becoming as he digs
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