A MOVIE celebrating the life of Pinky Mothie, a promoter and cultural activist, will soon release in cinemas.
The film, Never Give Up, is written by Sarah Mahabir and produced by YFDP and Big M Productions.
Mothie, who was born and raised in Northdene, moved to Shallcross after marrying her husband, show promoter D Mothie. She now resides in Morningside.
Recalling her love for culture and stage, the 73-year-old said: “I was born in a music and cultural family. My dad (Gokul Rambharose) and siblings were one of the founder members of the Divine Life Society. When I married, D Mothie, who was a renowned show producer, I became involved in his lavish productions.
“We initiated the eastern band and sari queen contests that many people looked forward to the Durban City Hall. The annual Artes Awards with leading singers and dancers was held annually.”
Mothie said marriage marked the start of her journey in show promotions.
“I was 16 years old when I married. That was when my life changed. My first production with my husband was at the Orient Hall in 1969, the year we were married. It was the launch of the eastern band and sari queen contest.
“When the queen contests were overrated, I decided to switch to women empowerment as I was then a widow and knew exactly what a single woman goes through in life. My trials and tribulations, with a fair amount of challenges, made me a stronger person. Raising four children was no easy task but with hard work and dedication to my kids, I reached my goal.
“When I reached the top, I decided to empower women by introducing the Influential Women and Artes Awards as this served both women and entertainers, who I loved promoting. Now 55 years later, I am continuing with my husband's legacy.”
Mothie has three daughters and a son.
“The eldest is Veena, who is in her late fifties and lives in Durban. She is a mother of two and handles all of my admin and coordinates my current productions. My second daughter is Leena, who is a financial manager in Dubai. She just turned 50 and is also involved in my shows as a compère.
“My youngest daughter Sarah is quite popular for her stage performance and as a TikTok queen. She is in Johannesburg and takes after me in promotions. She is in her late thirties, has two sons and runs her own business on a farm in Vereeniging.
“My youngest is the popular Rajiv Mothie, who lives with me and takes care of me like a baby. Rajiv is at the peak of his career now in productions, marketing, as a celebrity entertainer and also a movie star. He is single and has a unique character that everyone loves him for. All of my kids and grandkids are involved in my productions. My shows are controlled by my family backstage, especially the grandchildren with modern technology. They have been trained by the techno wiz himself, Rajiv.”
Hope
Mothie said they started working on Never Give Up in 2016.
“We decided to do the film to give women hope and inspiration; to ‘never give up’. The main inspiration behind the film is D Mothie’s vision of collaborating with India and South Africa in a feature film.”
The lead actors stars are Rajiv, who plays himself and his dad.
“Akshay Laxman, a global star from Mumbai and currently trending on YouTube, plays Danny (my brother). Samvedhna Suwalka, who stars in Jee Karda, an Amazon web series, plays me. Pranesh Maharaj, a Sama Award winner, plays my father. Tanya Gibbs is our item song star.”
The movie is directed by Amit Chheda.
“He was chosen based on his great work with movie star Paresh Rawal in Road to Sargam.”
Mothie said in 2018 her film Memoir of Pinky Mothie screened in Mumbai.
“It was the first title of the film. A Mumbai preview was done for stars and VIP guests. The movie was meant to thereafter launch in South Africa but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we decided to wait for the best time. The movie will now be billed as South Africa's Bollywood Diwali blockbuster for 2023.”
Mothie said the film would release on October 27 in cinemas across the country.