DURBAN actor Razeen Dada made his first major break as an actor and producer during the recent Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) with the screening of his short film, Identity.
The former Mr India South Africa (2016), who was born and raised in the city, is a qualified chartered accountant.
He studied at the University of Cape Town and did his articles at Investec Bank in the UK and South Africa between 2013 and 2015. Between 2017 and 2020, he studied acting at various institutions, including in Mumbai for a year and then in Los Angeles for another year.
During this time, Dada did voice over work, TV adverts and he acted in a few films, His film work included Business of Love/Zindagi As We Know It (2017, romantic comedy), Eden – Where it All Began (2018, sci-fi drama) and Appnesia (2019, drama).
He returned to South Africa in 2019.
His latest project, Identity, is a 35 minute short film. According to the plot, a man suffering from schizophrenia undergoes an unorthodox therapy procedure that makes him revisit his distorted memories to find out what happened to his missing girlfriend.
Dada plays the lead role in the drama/psychological thriller/horror film that screened at the DIFF. He is also one of the producers on the project.
He said their company, Dragon Productions, were close to making a film in 2020 and then the Covid-19 pandemic started.
“But we didn't rest on our laurels. We basically conceptualised and developed new scripts and now we are finally launching Identity. The film was conceptualised and developed by Dragon Productions. Overall, it took about a year to make.
“My character is Ryan. The film touches on the topic of the cycle of abuse. One of the highlights is that it touches on mental health and wellness. During the Covid-19 pandemic many of us didn't realise how we would be affected mentally.
“But many of us were traumatised by the experience. Divorce rates went up, mental health cases went up, and what we wanted to highlight through this film was that post-Covid, mental health and wellness is exceptionally important. If you have any issues with mental health and wellness, you should seek treatment, otherwise it can result in a cycle of illness,” said Dada.
A private premiere for Identity was held last week. Thereafter, the film was screened at the DIFF until July 31.
“We are proud that we have made it and that we were selected in our home market. Now we are busy with the marketing and distribution of the film. We are currently in discussions with a distributor and that will probably be through a streaming channel. I can’t mention specifics at the moment but this is being negotiated and the film should be able to be viewed on a global scale.”
He said he would love to be an actor who travelled around the world and performed for audiences.
“And definitely an actor who can inspire and influence positively.”
Dada said at the moment their company had a few other projects and collaborations on which they are working.
“Personally, as an actor, I have something in the pipeline as well, which is at a bit of a sensitive stage, so I cannot say anything further because of various non-disclosure agreements. But it is an exciting time for the industry now because a lot more avenues have opened up. The kind of support that a lot of streaming channels are giving to local filmmakers in South Africa is unbelievable. This is exciting for our film industry.”
He encouraged anyone aspiring to do great things in the film industry to go after their dreams.
“If anybody wants to get into the acting industry, I think the first step is to take an acting class and to go for your dreams. I think anything is possible and also to be able to produce your own work is a great opportunity. We always need more filmmakers in South Africa.”
Identity stars Dada, Meghan Oberholtzer, Zahra Dada, Dino Adrus, Daniel Dinnie and Rizwan Dada. It is written by Siphakamiso Mafuleka and Neiloe Whitehead, and directed by Siphakamiso Mafuleka.
Following its run last week at the DIFF, the film is in the process of being secured on a stream network, the details for which will be announced later.
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