• Original Crime drama on Netflix
• The story of Amandla
• Thabo’s career as an actor.
• “I only wanted to do film”.
• Silverton Siege

Thabo Rametsi is destined for great things. The South African actor’s performance in his latest film Amandla is searing, in a way that Denzel Washington made famous. He is so present that at times it is difficult to watch as his acting veers into the oncoming traffic of a pained reality played out against a bitter time in South Africa, drenched in blood and racism.

The story of “Amandla”

Currently on Netflix, Amandla (power) tells the story of two brothers trying to find a way of overcoming a tragedy when the younger accidentally triggers a violent occurrence that will take both down a fateful path. With themes like love, loyalty and, above all, the true meaning of power, being gutted and laid bare for investigation, the film approaches Shakespearean motifs as the once inseparable brothers are driven to go to war with each other. Their bond is born out of bloody violence at an impressionable age, with the loss of their innocence and becoming orphans. Inevitably, choice has the brothers’ paths diverge as the eldest falls into a life of crime to ensure their survival while the youngest pursues justice as a policeman. We know this is merely a set up for the final act of their relationship and a brutal crime demands their love be tested and the deceits of their childhood finally exposed. The crime drama hits hard, with the blows reverberating long after viewing. Much has to do with the taut direction of  Nerina De Jager (who also wrote the script) and the riveting performances of Rametsi, Lemogang Tsipa and Israel Matseke-Zulu.

Thabo’s career as an actor.

This film for Thabo Rametsi seems appropriately on time in terms of his trajectory as an actor. In 2010 he debuted with the SABC1 acting competition series Class Act, following up with the role ‘David’ in the television series Wild at Heart. In 2012, he made his cinema debut with Fanie Fourie’s Lobola and also appeared on television serials such as High Rollers and a guest role in an episode of the popular international television series Homeland. Then he starred in the television movie The Gamechangerswhere he played the role of a serial killer alongside renowned international actors Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton. 2016 however would prove his breakout and have Ramestsi become a household name in South Africa as the title character in the feature film Kalushi. Directed by Mandla Dube it tells the true story of Solomon Mahlangu who was executed by the apartheid government at the age of 23 and Rametsi would win the Best Actor Award for this role at the inaugural BRICS Film Festival in India in 2016. The star and director Dube would later reprise their relationship in the forthcoming suspense thriller Silverton Siege.

“I only wanted to do film”.

Thabo always knew he wanted to act. He attended Norkam Park high, home to some of the country’s popular stars, from the likes of Pearl Modiaide to Andile Ncube, Anga and many more. In an interview with Lerato Tshabalala on Touch Central, Thabo revealed that he’s plan was not to act on television but film only.

“I never wanted to do television. I just wanted to do films but I think the one show that changed that for me was Yizo Yizo. That’s the greatest TV show ever and why that was critical is because, before HBO was doing all these shows that we think are so hardcore, Yizo Yizo was already doing that.” He would go on to lay the foundation of his acting technique on such shows as High Rollers, Hard Copy and the American series, Homeland.

Future Acts

Thabo has plans of his own to contribute to the industry. “I want to start my own production company that creates shows like that (Yizo Yizo), of a high level. Shows that are very cinematic, that can attract movie stars. And that’s what we need to change in this country We need more film stars and fewer soap stars. But then we also need great drama series and that’s what I’ve been producing right now – coming soon!”

Amandla is currently on Netflix while Thabo Rametsi will also be seen in Mandla Dube’s Silverton Siege which launches on the streamer on April 27.