FOR Diolan Govender, a Durban TV host, lifestyle content creator and actor, landing a role on Netflix’s Miseducation has been a highlight in his career.
He started his journey in pageantry, becoming the first Indian crowned Mister Teen World in 2018. Govender hosted SABC1's long-running youth show, YoTV in 2020-21, while completing his studies in media and communications at Wits University. His latest venture sees him feature in Miseducation.
Govender, who now lives in Sandton, matriculated at Crawford in La Lucia. He is currently in the final year of his undergraduate degree.
“While perusing my tertiary studies and allocating enough time to focus on my entertainment endeavours, I’ve immersed myself into the world of public relations, working with a diverse portfolio of clients over the past two years.
“As an adolescent, I found it particularly difficult to articulate a sentence, having a severe stutter and talking quite quickly contributed to this. However, whenever I stepped onto stage, I was able to articulate a sentence perfectly. Being on stage or in front of the camera became my place to feel heard, seen and more importantly, celebrated.
“Several years after immersing myself into the world of the dramatic arts, I made the decision to take my craft seriously at the age of 11, and the rest is history,” he said.
Govender said he played Shaan in Miseducation.
“Shaan is a charismatic yet selfish individual who often indulges in his mischievous side, no matter how inconsiderate it may be to others. In fact, he is quite the jerk. The audience does not necessarily get to see every layer to Shaan but he is quite an interesting character to dissect to understand his behaviour.”
He said Shaan was different from himself.
“But with attention to the masculine physicality of the character and working closely with the director on set, I was able to bring the daredevil that Shaan is to life.”
Govender said that while growing up, he was inspired by stars from the Indian community who were on TV.
“While other kids gravitated to international mediums of entertainment, I found myself gravitating towards South African television. I clearly remember turning on my television every weekday at 7pm in time for ”Isidingo“ to watch Leeandra Reddy and Jack Devnarain bring their characters to life. As I looked up to my television screen, I found myself represented in them.
“While many Indian entertainers have found success in this industry, the opportunities previously offered have fed into societal stereotypes. While representation has been offered to our community, representation is ineffective if it does not accurately represent that group.
“It is honestly game changing to see shows like Miseducation offer our community the accurate representation we deserve and I’m only optimistic that the future holds more of such productions.”
Govender said he was excited for what the future holds.
“Although I’ve been in the game for the past 10 years, I consider this only the beginning. I can share more information on my exciting venture on YouTube where I share more of my authentic personality on my channel, @DiolansDiary.”