WITH a keen eye for videography and flair for the written word, Dawncliffe’s Veron Vadivelu hopes to one day produce his own show for Netflix.
The 21-year-old said he is constantly developing and writing ideas for both film and television as well as stand-up comedy and poetry acts. Outside of this he cooks and bakes and launched his own brownie business to earn an income to cover his daily expenses.
“I am disciplined with my finances, which allows me to invest in my goals and endeavours,” said the determined Vadivelu.
The project he hopes to sell to Netflix is Untitled For Now, a comedy/drama series that he wrote and created, and showcases the country and, in particular, the South African Indian culture to the world.
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“The entire project began because of a problem I faced. I wanted to be an actor but the roles available did not accurately represent a modern South African Indian as the roles available were stereotypical and out of touch. The solution was simple: I needed to create these roles,” he said.
With inspiration from his personal experiences and interactions, Vadivelu started to conceptualise the series in 2018 while studying quantity surveying at DUT and working part time.
The script work started a few months later and has, since March 2019, tried to have the series picked up.
Untitled for Now follows Michael, a 26-year-old South African engineer of Indian heritage who, after experiencing a catastrophic incident, is forced to re-evaluate his life, career and passions.
“Through odd interactions, hilarious and dramatic incidents in a third world setting, he tries to discover who he is and what he wants for his life. Little does he know that the past still lurks nearby and a new foreign romance awaits. This series is filled with laughter, pain, South African culture and our delicious food,” said Vadivelu.
His hopes and dreams for the series, which was completed after 12 months, is for it to be nominated for Emmy Awards and Golden Globes, the level he believes the show and its cast and crew are capable of.
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“You shouldn’t reach for the moon or the stars, you should reach for the sun because, even if you don’t reach the sun, you would have already surpassed the moon and the stars,” he said.
The aspiring filmmaker said the support he received, both professionally and personally, helped him complete daring the project.
“In terms of filming crew, it was the very capable Prashant Pillay of ‘DigiBoyz’. We had assistance from my fellow comic, Vincent Joseph. Jaedon Daniel composed the music and, in terms of my personal crew, there are far too many to mention. For those who went out of their way for me and the project, my deepest thanks and gratitude,” said Vadivelu.
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