JOHANNESBURG, (The Southern African Times) -The Zimbabwean arts scene is growing in leaps and bounds with a myriad of entertaining content sprouting from all corners of the country. One such show is the first ever Zimbabwean superhero show Captain Mfombi whose acting lead is Takudzwa Denzel Badwell Mashonganyika affectionately known on the Zimbabwean entertainment circles as ProBeatz.
In as much as he is gifted as far as beatboxing, dance and rap elements of hip hop is concerned, Captain Mfombi needed way more than that. The Southern African Times caught up with one of the members of Captain Mfombi’s production team and a lot of interesting details surfaced.
SAT: Whose brainchild was the show?
The TV Series was produced by Invision Studios producers Charles Mugaviri Jr, Denise Edwards, Blessing Chinanga, Shaun Mundawarara and Probeatz who plays the lead in the series.
SAT: Who is the scriptwriter and to whom can the casting be attributed to?
We normally have a writer’s room as a team but Probeatz and Charles spearhead with the storyline and the flow. Casting is done by the Producers Shaun Mundawarara and Blessing Chinanga
SAT: How has been the public reception of the show so far?
The reception has been amazing! We have had several comments from our audience saying this is the best thing they have ever seen from Zimbabwe. We have to bear in mind that our biggest audience are young people who have never seen the Zimbabwean great films like Neria and Yellow Card. So we are being judged in the now and its amazing to know and see that we have made content that resonates with all spheres of our Zimbabwean society. We are so encouraged every week when we receive fan art and fan appreciation which is another reminder of the impact the show has made. We are grateful.
SAT: Take us through the production journey? Who is on the ground to ensure production and shooting site scouting?
We kickoff the week with our writers’ room meeting every Monday where we discuss the story and episode details and if there are any changes to the script as a result of the previous episode. Any new ideas that can be incorporated. Production days are Tuesday & Wednesday, and we edit on Thursday hoping for a Friday release.
SAT: Does Probeatz and Natasha Muz contribute to the storyline on the episodes, or they are solely involved as the main characters of the cast?
Pro and Natasha are great improvisors and they contribute greatly to their dialogue which is one of the most crucial things we have on the series. Their improv brings an authenticity and an edge of originality on screen.
SAT: Does the show have target demographics as in age group?
We have a large following of ages 18-35 but this happened naturally and was not intentional at all.
SAT: Any future plans as far as increasing the frequency of episode releases?
The series ends on Episode 10, so we are left with 5 more episodes! We will be releasing episodes every week until finale week.
Writer’s Note: There is a new super hero in town and this narrative will change the mindset of the African child. Growing up, we did not have much TV content to choose from and that narrowed our prospects in terms of dreams and aspirations. Captain Mfombi will definitely highlight Zimbabwean and African children’s childhood and it is worthy to be on mainstream TV.
(Report written and compiled by Leo Muzivoreva)
