Sivenathi Mabuya and Bohang Moeko make for wonderful anchors in the spin-off, ‘How to Ruin Love: The Proposal’
|Published
The “How to Ruin Christmas” franchise has proved to be a winning formula for Burnt Onion Productions, which is helmed by the Ramaphakela siblings (Katleho, Tshepo and Rethabile).
That said, they successfully mined the chaos that erupts when families get together for a big event in the franchise, as well as in the recent spin-off series, “How to Ruin Love: The Proposal”.
True to form, the casting is on point.
In the four-part series, Beauty Sello (Thando Thabethe) and Sbu Twala (Sandile Mahlangu) are no longer at the heart of the drama and are content to enjoy it from the sidelines.
This time around, the narrative centres on the love story of Zoleka (Sivenathi Mabuya) and Kagiso (Bohang Moeko). Before their third anniversary, which happens to also be on Valentine’s Day, Zoleka is looking for a commitment from Kagiso.
With the two sharing a joint account, where they are saving for their future, she is expecting him to put a ring on it.
But Kagiso doesn’t seem keen on making the leap.
On the job front, Zoleka’s popularity as the lead actress in a popular telenovela, “Sinful Seductions”, isn’t looking too promising. With the first season ending on a cliffhanger, she’s unsure about her future on the show.
More so, with the creatives (seemingly moulded on the Ramaphakela siblings) being evasive in their responses to her questions.
Kagiso is on the cusp of a multimillion-rand deal for his app. Despite the financial security, his reluctance to make an honest woman out of her doesn’t sit well with Zoleka.
As such, she, accompanied by her BFF, Amahle (Noxolo Dlamini), decides to drop strong hints about being the perfect makoti at the 16th birthday bash of his younger sister, Omphile Phatudi (Nefisa Mkhabela).
However, her well-intentioned efforts fail. Burning the pap didn’t help her cause either.
Despite the setback in her plans, Zoleka doesn’t give up. But her suspicions are roused when Kagiso goes on a work trip to Durban.
She takes along her other ride-or-die and flies to Durban to surprise him. But she ends up getting a rude awakening instead she sees him getting down on one knee with Amahle in front of him.
Triggered by what she sees, she causes a scene, where she spills everyone’s secrets. This causes a rift between Kagiso’s mother Khutso (Marjorie Langa) and father Papi (John Morapama) as she lets slip that their house is facing foreclosure.
The social media influencer in the family decides to post the video, which goes viral and wreaks havoc for the couple.
With Zoleka remaining remorseful for jumping the gun with her assumptions about Kagiso cheating on her, he heads back to Jozi to salvage his deal, if possible.
The other story arcs in the series involve Kagiso’s overbearing sister, who has moved in after a fallout with her husband (played by S’dumo Mtshal), and a family feud between Papi and his wealthy sister, Doreen (Shoki Mmola).
In the interim, Zoleka tries to save her relationship by any means necessary and turns to her affluent father, Martin (Dumisani Mbebe), for help.
But his hesitancy in welcoming Kagiso, who he deems not good enough for his daughter, makes the situation worse.
Much of the series centres on Zoleka’s frequent rush to judgement landing her in hot water. As such, she finds herself having to make amends.
But, after one too many hasty assumptions, Zoleka seems to have ruined her happily-ever-after dream.
Mabuya and Moeko make for engaging leads. They share great chemistry, which translates well on screen.
One of the hooks of the franchise is the well-intentioned meddling that transpires. The series is no different.
The colourfully etched cast helps offset the drama and comedy.
Overall, the romcom does what you expect it to do – take you on an entertaining journey. Don’t go looking for more!
∎ “How to Ruin Love: The Proposal” is streaming on Netflix