Good night to the bad guys

Montana, played by Al Pacino, symbolised the possibilities the world has to offer – even though he was a criminal. Years later, Pacino was in another crime thriller, Heat, this time playing a cop on the trail of a bank robber and cash-in-transit heist kingpin played by Robert De Niro. Again, the bad guy was charming and was on the brink of starting his life over – and the audience was rooting for his escape.

The story of Heat had a bit of a South African connection to it in that real-life heist king Colin Chauke used methods he saw in that film to rob cash-in-transit vans in this country with great success until his capture.

STAR-CROSSED LOVERS: Thandeka Zungu, left, played by Nomzamo Mbatha, on the set of Isibaya with Sdumo Mtshali, right.

Good and bad has become so nuanced in television too, with the lines perpetually blurred. The Sopranos is a prime example, with the mafia don played by the late James Gandolfini having many sides to him that endeared him to the audience. There was outrage when a member of his crew betrayed him to the police, as viewers had adopted his personal code of “no snitching”. Stringer Bell in The Wire was a similarly likeable character, despite his drug dealing and ordering hits on ordinary citizens.

“It would be utterly boring if a bad guy was one dimensional and just evil in film and television,” says Desiree Markgraaf, executive producer of Mzansi Magic’s Isibaya.

Isibaya is revealing itself as a show that does not rely on sharp contrasts between good and evil, but rather the potential for good in “bad” characters and the potential for bad in “good” characters that is rare on South African television. Discerning viewers will have noticed how their feelings towards certain characters changed on a weekly basis as the twists and turns in the plot flew thick and fast. The central premise of the show is the rivalry

between two families, and the requisite love story among the younger members of the clan. The difference here is that all the characters are richly presented in ways that makes it hard for the viewer to distinguish which side to root for. Mkabayi, played by Tembi Nyandeni, and the Zungu family were initially presented as more noble than the Ndlovu family, led by Samson (Bheki Mkhwane). But as the show progressed, we saw Mkabayi shoot a man in cold blood, while Ndlovu displayed sensitivity and unwavering love for his son.

MATRIARCH: Thembi Nyandeni plays Mkabayi Zungu, head of the Zungu family.

“Its only natural for the public to be attracted to people who can easily ignore rules,” says Markgraaf. “These characters had immense depth about them and interesting back stories that really illustrated why they behaved the way they did.

”Mampho Brescia, who plays Iris, was cast as the typical Joan Collins bitch and is vilified because some of the things she does and says are often against the grain. But recent events have seen her take the role of a victim in a situation with her husband, leaving viewers slightly sorry for her. It is rather complex, but some viewers will be angry while others will be intrigued and some will be hopeful.”

CUNNING: Mampho Brescia plays the bed-hopping Iris in ‘Isibaya’.

“The script is written in English, which is then given to the actors to translate,” continues Markgraaf. “This process meant we had to find actors who were not only capable in front of the camera but were passionate and eloquent about their language.

”It was hard in the beginning, but our cast managed spectacularly and the other day on set one of the characters came up with a name in Zulu for a supermodel, which astounded everyone on set. So language and its various accents form an integral part of relaying the stories on the show.”

Watch Isibaya on Mzansi Magic DStv channel 161 on Monday to Thursday. Go to mzansimagic.dstv.com for more information.