Wit, humour in Mushroom Shade
Few weeks ago, United States-based film producer Chawezi ‘Chaz’ Munthali excited movie lovers through a trailer of his latest production Mushroom Shade series.
The three-minute and 58 seconds trailer provided hints of what people were to expect from the production and a sneak preview of the storyline.
The focus in the trailer is on the couple, Phillip and Angella, roles played by Amos Msekandiana and Fortunata Mkawa. The couple is having problems bearing children and a blame game ensues between them on who is to blame.
The trailer generated enough interest and a number of film fanatics expressed their eagerness to sample the upcoming production.
The first episode of the series premiered on Sunday and it has subsequently emerged that the narrative is much broader than what the trailer depicts.
Mushroom Shade adopts the narrative style. The first scene introduces the life of Yakosa, a character played by Mwai Simbota. The single lady does not hide her lack of interest in marriage, but at the same time, she enjoys the occasional dates.
She attempts to sugar-coat her adventurous lifestyle and convinces herself that she is way smarter than her sister Lissy (Cynthia Zondi Zulu), who is a self-confessed escort. Lissy does not hide that she sleeps with men for money.
In the course of her sex-for-money trade, Lissy gets entangled with her usual taxi driver Walezi, played by Bucci Mwale. Lissy is intrigued by how street-smart Walezi is and his command of the English language which she feels is above that of an average taxi driver.
Mushroom Shade provides an insight into the fortified male chauvinistic tendencies in some men. The classic example being the manner Phillip, Jona and Fred approach their relationship issues, including beating their partners and later taking them to bed without their consent.
Another thing that Chaz gets right in the production is the scripting and the manner the characters execute the lines. The spoken English is delivered with an assured grasp and precision. Although this is the case, the series still provides subtitles in English, which is not necessary.
The love and relationship issues depicted by the storyline offer an intriguing and exciting narrative in the subsequent episodes. The wit and humour in the exchanges is another plus of the production.
Seasoned stage actor Emmanuel Maliro said the series is the best production he has seen from Malawi so far.
“Kudos to the production team. I think the production is top-notch, the audio recording is very good, the acting is natural and realistic. It is captivating in every sense. The script is flowing really well. I love it,” he said.
On the other hand, videographer Sam Mwakanema said while he appreciated the photography aspect of the production, he has reservations on how the storyline is progressing.
He said: “What is the point of the episode? Is it a trailer or a story? I do not rate the production highly because it is not well-written. But I must admit that it is a step forward.”
In an interview yesterday, Chaz said the response they have received following the premiere of the first episode is amazing, humbling and encouraging.
“We put in a lot of work and to get this kind of reaction is satisfying. People are demanding that they see all the episodes right away, which means they like what they are seeing. Art cannot answer all questions at once. There will be a lot of twists along the way and people should be patient,” he said.
Other characters featured in the series include Ben Sam, William ‘Episodz’ Phoya, Patrick Mhango, Francis ‘Ace Dirty’ Vassilatos, among others. Mushroom Shade will be airing weekly via YouTube.
