Bhai's Cafe is a South African musical comedy-drama film shot in the style of a Bollywood film directed by Maynard Kraak from a screenplay by Darron Meyer and Aaron Naidoo. It premiered at the 2019 Durban International Film Festival.[1] It had a brief theatrical release in February 2020 before moving to DStv Box Office when cinemas closed the following month.[2][3]

Bhai's Cafe
Poster
Directed byMaynard Kraak
Written by
  • Darron Meyer
  • Aaron Naidoo
Produced by
  • Razia Rawoot
  • Maynard Kraak
  • Mehboob Bawa
Starring
CinematographyFW Stark
Edited byCohen Lorenzo Davids
Music by
  • Edward George King
  • Ravjive Mohan
Production
companies
  • Razia Bawa Productions
  • West Five Films
  • PostCity
Release date
  • 15 July 2019 (2019-07-15)
(Durban)
Running time
99 minutes
CountrySouth Africa
LanguageEnglish

Premise

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The film is set at a local café in Wynberg, Cape Town run by Bhai that comes under threat from a property developer, whose son catches the eye of his daughter.[4]

Cast

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  • Mehboob Bawa as Bhai
  • Suraya Rose Santos as Rashmi
  • Siv Ngesi as Patrick
  • Rehane Abrahams as Mary
  • Thabo Bopape as Lionel
  • Farouk Valley-Omar as Chaganbhai
  • Jessica Sutton as Stephanie
  • Masali Baduza as Thandi
  • Dillon Windvogel as Shamiel
  • Elodie Venece as Veena
  • Stavros Cassapis as Kabir

Production

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The story was the brainchild of Razia Rawoot and Mehboob Bawa, with the setting inspired by Bawa's memories of the corner shop in Claremont his family owned when he was growing up in Cape Town. Originally intended to be a sitcom, director Maynard Kraak introduced them to screenwriters Darron Meyer and Aaron Naidoo to help them turn it into a film. It was filmed on location in Cape Town.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Bhai's Cafe to close 40th Durban International Film Festival". Chatsworth Rising Sun. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Movie Release: Bhai's Cafe is Officially Out in Cinema's Nationwide!". Urban Asian. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  3. ^ Thangevelo, Debashine (17 May 2020). "Gentrification and family at the heart of 'Bhai's Cafe'". IOL. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Bhai's Cafe filmed in Cape Town". Weekend Special. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  5. ^ Dercksen, Daniel (5 February 2020). "Bhai's Cafe – A South African film about family, urban gentrification and romance with a Bollywood touch". Writing Studio. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
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