On the Couch with Riaad Moosa
By Yashika Ramautar
South Africa's favourite Muslim comedian, Riaad has just wrapped up his latest performance in the form of a movie, entitled "Material" which is releasing all over the country this week. Tabloid Newspaper's Yashika Ramautar caught up with the comedian to find out his experience in this new genre.
YR: You play the role of Kassim in the movie Material. How much of your personal life inspired the movie?
RM: Well the actual narrative has nothing to do with my life, but some of the conflict situations that were dramatised in the movie come from personal experience. Some of the community issues are things that I grappled with and we've brought that in the movie.
YR: Do you think the South African Muslim/Indian community is as conservative and orthodox as portrayed in the movie?
RM: Some elements of it certainly are. We definitely went for authenticity in the movie. But from a personal perspective, some conflict situations are the same over. For example I have always had a problem with doing comedy in a bar set-up where there is alcohol. So when I first started, I use to do my piece and then leave because I couldn't stay in that environment. Therefore I lost out on all the socialising that came after the shows, as I love to just chill with other comedians and I couldn't. Now I don't do stand-up in that environment anymore.
YR: What are some of your highlights / funny moments from filming with the cast?
RM: Oh lots of it! The difficulty was being able to improvise, but within the scene as the story must move and you have to go in the direction of the plot. We had lots of fun moments. One time they left us out in Zoo lake, which was very difficult. They actually brought the camera in first! So we know we are not that special when they care for the equipment more than the cast. It was like, we can lose Riaad and Joey, who cant swim by the way, but bring the cameras in please!
YR: How did your parents react to you relinquishing your doctor's degree for a career as a stand-up comedian?
RM: My parents were very supportive actually, because it came very naturally. It wasn't like one day I went up to my parents and said," Mom, dad, I want to be a comedian." I was doing my medical degree and as an extra-curricular activity I was doing stand-up comedy. And it just completed everything as certain opportunities opened up for me with comedy. Therefore I find myself here, having not planned to be here.
YR: Do you think Indians are unfairly portrayed as overly conservative and naive in commercials and movies? How can this be changed?
RM: Yes there's a lot of stereotypical things. But the important thing to understand about this movie is that, it moves away from the usual narrative that you are constantly exposed to, especially within the Muslim community that is always linked with "terrorism, war and gender issues" in the media. So, we are now moving into a realm where there is a story that everyone can relate to. Its a family story, the only difference is that the protagonists, or leads are Muslim with an Indian background.
YR: What advise would you give to anyone wishing to pursue a career in stand-up?
RM: My advise is always two things: don't give up on searching for your bliss, that which makes you the most happy in terms of what you love doing. Secondly, always try your best and don't be afraid of failure, keep on trying, because thats an admirable quality, to keep on trying.
YR: With this being your first movie role, what can audiences expect from you in the future?
RM: I dont think I will do anymore movies. I love comedy and the idea of being creative and innovative, so if theres a project that comes about, maybe, but acting is not something I could do. I was inspired by this project, having been involved in the whole process and therefore took it on.
My favourites:
Body part...nose
Piece of clothing...shirt
Sweetmeat...burfee
Model of car...Audi
Person to joke about...myself
Indian town in SA...Rylands
Indian actress...Farzana Moosa, my wife
American actor...Robert De Niro
Movie...Shawshank Redemption
South Africa's favourite Muslim comedian, Riaad has just wrapped up his latest performance in the form of a movie, entitled "Material" which is releasing all over the country this week. Tabloid Newspaper's Yashika Ramautar caught up with the comedian to find out his experience in this new genre.YR: You play the role of Kassim in the movie Material. How much of your personal life inspired the movie?
RM: Well the actual narrative has nothing to do with my life, but some of the conflict situations that were dramatised in the movie come from personal experience. Some of the community issues are things that I grappled with and we've brought that in the movie.
YR: Do you think the South African Muslim/Indian community is as conservative and orthodox as portrayed in the movie?
RM: Some elements of it certainly are. We definitely went for authenticity in the movie. But from a personal perspective, some conflict situations are the same over. For example I have always had a problem with doing comedy in a bar set-up where there is alcohol. So when I first started, I use to do my piece and then leave because I couldn't stay in that environment. Therefore I lost out on all the socialising that came after the shows, as I love to just chill with other comedians and I couldn't. Now I don't do stand-up in that environment anymore.
YR: What are some of your highlights / funny moments from filming with the cast?RM: Oh lots of it! The difficulty was being able to improvise, but within the scene as the story must move and you have to go in the direction of the plot. We had lots of fun moments. One time they left us out in Zoo lake, which was very difficult. They actually brought the camera in first! So we know we are not that special when they care for the equipment more than the cast. It was like, we can lose Riaad and Joey, who cant swim by the way, but bring the cameras in please!
YR: How did your parents react to you relinquishing your doctor's degree for a career as a stand-up comedian?
RM: My parents were very supportive actually, because it came very naturally. It wasn't like one day I went up to my parents and said," Mom, dad, I want to be a comedian." I was doing my medical degree and as an extra-curricular activity I was doing stand-up comedy. And it just completed everything as certain opportunities opened up for me with comedy. Therefore I find myself here, having not planned to be here.
YR: Do you think Indians are unfairly portrayed as overly conservative and naive in commercials and movies? How can this be changed?
RM: Yes there's a lot of stereotypical things. But the important thing to understand about this movie is that, it moves away from the usual narrative that you are constantly exposed to, especially within the Muslim community that is always linked with "terrorism, war and gender issues" in the media. So, we are now moving into a realm where there is a story that everyone can relate to. Its a family story, the only difference is that the protagonists, or leads are Muslim with an Indian background.
YR: What advise would you give to anyone wishing to pursue a career in stand-up?RM: My advise is always two things: don't give up on searching for your bliss, that which makes you the most happy in terms of what you love doing. Secondly, always try your best and don't be afraid of failure, keep on trying, because thats an admirable quality, to keep on trying.
YR: With this being your first movie role, what can audiences expect from you in the future?
RM: I dont think I will do anymore movies. I love comedy and the idea of being creative and innovative, so if theres a project that comes about, maybe, but acting is not something I could do. I was inspired by this project, having been involved in the whole process and therefore took it on.
My favourites:
Body part...nose
Piece of clothing...shirt
Sweetmeat...burfee
Model of car...Audi
Person to joke about...myself
Indian town in SA...Rylands
Indian actress...Farzana Moosa, my wife
American actor...Robert De Niro
Movie...Shawshank Redemption
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