AN Izinga actress is celebrating a rare career milestone after appearing in a new South African television series and a feature film in cinemas, both released within weeks of each other.

eGagasini: Waves of Change premiered on eTV two weeks ago, with TeKayha Sukuram starring alongside a cast that includes Gugu Gumede and Meshack Mavuso, both of whom appeared in Netflix’s recent hit series The Polygamist.

This past weekend, audiences were also able to see her on the big screen when Sugar Cane Boy was released in cinemas nationwide.

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The actress plays one of the lead roles in the film, which is based on Rubendra Govender’s novel of the same name, a book that is also studied as a setwork in schools.

“Having both a television series and a feature film released within weeks of each other has been an incredibly surreal and rewarding moment,” she said.

“Acting is a career that requires a lot of patience because you often wait months, or even years, for projects to be released. To suddenly have audiences able to watch me on both television and in cinemas at the same time is something I never imagined. I am extremely grateful!”

While the two productions are set in different worlds, the actress said her characters share some similarities.

In eGagasini: Waves of Change, she plays Jess, a wealthy daddy’s girl who is used to getting whatever she wants.

In Sugar Cane Boy, she plays one of the lead roles, adult Seyuri Murugappa, the love interest of the story’s hero. Seyuri also comes from an affluent family and carries herself with a certain sense of confidence and superiority.

“Because the two characters share many similar personality traits, the preparation for each role felt very familiar, even though they exist in completely different worlds,” she said.

Sugar Cane Boy was one of the first projects she filmed several years ago, and she said it has been interesting to look back at the performance while working on eGagasini, which is currently in production.

“It’s been interesting looking back at that performance and drawing on some of what I learned playing Seyuri while developing Jess in eGagasini, which is currently in production,” she said.

“It’s been a nice reminder of how every role contributes to your growth as an actor.”

Working alongside established actors such as Gumede and Mavuso has also been a memorable part of her experience on eGagasini.

“It was such an honour to work alongside actors of that calibre. They have built incredible careers, so simply being able to share the screen with them and learn from them was an unforgettable experience,” she said.

“One of the biggest lessons I learned was the importance of professionalism and preparation. Watching actors with so much experience remain humble and fully committed to every scene was incredibly inspiring. They reminded me that no matter how far you come in this industry, there’s always room to keep learning and growing.”

With Sugar Cane Boy based on a novel studied in schools, she hopes the film will have a particular impact on young people.

“I hope young people take away the message that your circumstances do not define your future. Sugar Cane Boy is a story about resilience, identity and hope, and I think bringing a novel that’s studied in schools to life on screen allows those lessons to resonate in a much more personal way,” she said.

“If audiences leave feeling inspired to embrace their heritage and believe in their own potential, then we’ve done our job.”

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