CANE Cutters, a film that reflects on matters of Indian indenture against the backdrop of a modern love story, is a step closer to the big screen after the filming recently wrapped up in KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the storyline, a final year law student drops out of university to do a documentary on his grandfather’s trip from India as an indenture labourer. His world changes when he meets a young doctor fighting for her independence as a woman.
The lead characters are played by Razeen Dada (Dev) and Kajal Lutchminarian (Amisha). The support cast are Shika Mahara (Priya), Vanessa Marawa (Prudence) and Adam Dore (Zack).
Eubulus Timothy, one of the executive producers, said the film partly aimed to reignite interest in local histories.
“In most of the diaspora like Trinidad, Jamaica and Mauritius, Indian Arrival Day is a public holiday. We in South Africans don’t really know our history. Most Indian South Africans don’t know the date of November 16, 1860.”
He said by merging the past and the present, they added creative storytelling.
He said: “We did extensive casting for almost two years, looking for the leads. After going through so many audition tapes, we brought the shortlist down to eight. We then held a workshop and chose Kajal as Amisha and Shika as Priya.
“Of all the actors who turned up, Razeen was the only one who came to the audition prepared. He even brought props. It’s very much what happens in Hollywood.”
He said filming started last month.
“We completed the principal photography on June 7. It was hard work but we had a lot of table reads before we set a date to start shooting. The actors were well prepared. The sound sync is completed and we started editing the movie last week. It is still a long process before we have a movie, but we do have a distribution deal in place. We are grateful to Panavision for giving us the best camera and lenses in the world.”
He said many people supported them in their endeavours.
“The project was self-funded. We are proud that every talent and crew have been paid in full.”
Timothy said a release date would be decided in a few months.