If you're looking for a flick that packs a punch and delves into the murky world of South African politics, mark your calendars for 29 March, when Heart of the Hunter makes its Netflix premiere.
Leading man Sisanda Henna, who plays Deputy President Mtima, the corrupt politician at the heart of the story, lets Drum in on what to expect.
Now, picture this: a post-democratic South Africa where a retired assassin (played by Bonko Khoza) is pulled back into action and has to fight to protect his family by morphing into a battle against a power-hungry politician eyeing the presidential seat.
That's the canvas upon which Heart of the Hunter, directed by Mandlakayise Walter Dube, unfolds. It's the on-screen adaptation of the gripping novel by South African luminary Deon Meyer.
As we chat, Sisanda, born on March 18, 1982, gives off an infectious energy.
He's been in the industry for 22 years yet his passion for storytelling is still palpable.
"I think Tim, the producer, Willem Grobbler and Deon Meyer who are the writers, and Mandla, the director, were tapping into a lot of contemporary political themes through my character of Deputy President Mtima," Sisanda muses when asked about the relevance of the corruption theme today.
"For me, it was a lot of fun to draw inspiration from real-life characters," he continues.
When pressed about which current South African politicians specifically influenced his portrayal, he slyly deflects, leaving it up to the audience's interpretation.
"I think it's gonna be quite interesting to hear from viewers who they think my character depicts," he says with a grin.
But what drew him to the role in the first place?
"The team behind the movie," he answers without hesitation. "I've always wanted to work with Tim and Mandla. And to top it all off, I wanted to work on a Netflix original," he adds with a chuckle.
As for what viewers should take away from the film, Sisanda keeps it refreshingly straightforward. "The first thing is we want people to flippin' have a good time and just enjoy the proudly South African Netflix Blockbuster," he says, his enthusiasm infectious.
Beyond Heart of the Hunter, Sisanda has been keeping busy.
"There's another Netflix project called Soon Comes the Night, which is a limited series and is already out," he shares.
But how did a guy who studied IT end up in the acting world?
His campus was in Auckland Park, a few blocks up from the SABC studios, where all the soapies where being filmed, Sisanda remembers.
One day he strolled from campus to the SABC and told them he wanted to give it a shot.
And, luckily, he got a role as a background actor.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“Sure, it wasn't a leading gig, but it was a start. And you know what they say about being in the right place at the right time, right?”
