Riaad s long walk to funny

Riaad Moosa, award-winning stand-up comedian who has given us shows such as Strictly Halaal, Riaad Moosa For The Baracka and, more recently, the movie Material, plays Ahmed Kathrada in the biopic Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom. By Noor-Jehan Yoro Badat

The Anant Singh biopic - Nelson Mandela granted the producer the film rights to his autobiography - received an eight-minute standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Portraying Kathy , as Kathrada is fondly called, is really not entirely a departure from the work he has done, says Moosa.

Material, he says, may be peppered with comedic scenes but it also had strong drama , a slightly challenging medium for him as it was his first movie role. I've had little cameo roles, but I was the lead in Material.

When he was approached to play the part of Kathrada, he found it a difficult decision to make. But he was honoured at the thought of being a part of it, and he realised it was a role he couldn't pass on.

IOL mandela movie premiere

Riaad Moosa, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Dean Lotz and Terry Pheto pose on the red carpet before a screening of the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto.

REUTERS

He believes he was chosen because of his performance in Material. They thought I should read for the role. They had had a difficult time finding the right person to play Ahmed Kathrada. And when I met Justin Chadwick, the director, he liked me.

The behind-the-scenes interaction took place at the beginning of last year. It was a whirlwind for him, as he was involved in getting his movie out. Within two months he was on set.

To prepare for his role he read Kathrada's memoir and books on the struggle, and watched videos on the subject. He was also given the opportunity to interact with and study his subject closer. Over the last two years, he saw Kathrada a number of times, visiting him at his home, and accompanying him - with Moosa's wife Farzanah - on a tour of Robben Island.

He is an amazing man. Humility is the one word to describe him. He has taught me a lot. Even though I have a small role in this film, having my experiences and chatting with him, it changed me.

Kathrada, he says, taught him patience, sacrifice and understanding the important things in life. Did Kathrada offer him tips on his role?

He deflects advice, like how he deflects compliments. For him it's water off a duck's back. It was nice to be around him.

The tour of Robben Island resonated with Moosa. He was 34 and realised that Kathrada was at a similar age when he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

On the ferry ride to Robben Island, Moosa pondered Kathrada's release at 60. He was the youngest of the trialists. But his whole life was gone.

He asked Kathrada how he had felt about life imprisonment, and Kathrada responded with a Chinese proverb: I grumbled because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.

That spoke volumes to Moosa. And then he asked Kathrada how he felt when he knew he was going to be released after 26 years.

Kathy said that he was told that a fax had been received from prison headquarters. And his first question was: What's a fax?' It hits a funny line, but it says a lot, that he came out to a different world. Their (the trialists) approach to life was important. They understood sacrifice.

They thought they were going to be hanged. And they had a meeting to discuss whether they would appeal if they were going to be hanged. They said no'. They decided to die. They wouldn't appeal. The struggle would lose its momentum. The cause would lose its momentum.

Hearing these stories, I internalised these emotions in my acting. It helped me to understand sacrifice. And I was more thankful about my life.

However, he thinks he over prepared for his role. Especially after having seen the final product, he says with dry humour. There I was in the background, doing all his (Kathrada) mannerisms, and the focus wasn't even there, or it was on a wide angle. But I had a very good experience.

Still, the movie project had its difficult moments.

The shoots were challenging, very physical.

And it was also dealing with the mismatch of historical accuracy and the need for a movie narrative. To condense life in two-and-a-half hours is a big challenge, as well as leading people in a story that makes sense.

But I think they did the best job that they could. The Toronto audience loved it. The reaction was extremely positive.

I need to see the movie again with fresh eyes. There's a difference to script and final edit. I think people will discuss this movie.

We (the actors) certainly discussed it afterwards.

British actor Idris Elba, says Moosa, has done the best Madiba he has ever seen.

He did a good job, without a doubt. The accent was not perfect, but it was good. And he had that same emotional presence, charisma and tangible star quality that Madiba has.

When Idris walks into a room people's eyes immediately fall on him, a quality just like Madiba, which other actors may not have. And Naomi (Harris, who portrays Winnie Mandela) did an amazing performance.

How does he think his fans will react to his role in the biopic?

Not much, if you think of how difficult it is for other characters. For example, Idris has to portray Madiba. I have more in common with Kathy. I can change my voice and adopt the mannerisms. Idris has a greater challenge.

Moosa has his hands full with his countrywide tour for his new show Doctor's Orders. Balancing his family - he has two children - and work schedule is a tricky act. Primary to his family's well-being is ensuring there's stability.

He tries to perform most of his shows on a couple of weekends a month. He plans the long runs during the school holidays,

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