Neighbourhood watch: Meet the Khumalos

Best known for her directorial debut Keeping Up with the Kandasamys, which was the highest grossing South African film in 2017, Jayan Moodley has added another hilarious family comedy to her slate. 

A week after its 11 April release, Meet the Khumalos reached the number four spot on Netflix’s list of global top movies and was among the 10 most-watched films in 35 countries. 

The decision to pursue filmmaking after completing her BSc degree has definitely paid off for this award-winning Durban-based writer, producer and director. 

“I’ve always been passionate about telling stories that celebrate South Africa’s cultural diversity and identity,” Moodley tells me. “This film was a dream come true for me and the production will be one of my life’s highlights.” 

Meet the Khumalos centres around a feud between Instagram-lifestyle-obsessed Grace Khumalo (Khanyi Mbau) and a feisty, no-nonsense businesswoman Bongi (Ayanda Borotho). An old feud between frenemies is reignited when Bongi and her family, the Sitholes, move into a lavish lifestyle estate where the Khumalos are their neighbours. 

Grace and Bongi’s rivalry, however, takes an unexpected turn. The two women form an unlikely alliance after discovering their children — Sizwe Khumalo (Jesse Suntele) and Sphe Sithole (Khosi Ngema) — are secretly dating. United by a shared mission, they set aside their differences and join forces, determined to do whatever it takes to break up the young lovers. 

The star-studded cast also includes Bonga Dlamini and Siyabonga Shibe, who play the husbands, as well as the late Connie Chiume, who takes the role of Mavis, Grace’s well-meaning but meddling mother-in-law.

Déjà view

Besides Mbau’s recent facial reconstructions, another contentious point among many viewers is the film storyline’s similarities to the Kandasamy franchise. It followed a feud between two Indian mothers —  also neighbours — trying to break up their children’s relationship. 

The star-studded cast of Meet the Khumalos also features faces viewers have seen in similar roles in other Netflix films and series. 

Mbau, for instance, played a wife who didn’t get along with her mother-in-law in Happiness is a Four-Letter Word, Suntele played a son in Savage Beauty and Ngema a daughter in the Blood and Water series franchise. 

I ask Moodley how she navigated the risk of recycling actors and story­lines in this latest project. 

She replies that she and the casting director Ayanda Sithebe at Actor Spaces were conscious and intentional with the casting process. She argues that strong actors can transcend typecasting when given the right material and direction. 

The idea wasn’t to replicate what they’ve done before but to challenge them to bring fresh dimensions to these roles: “We worked closely with actors to shape characters that felt distinct,  grounded in the world of Meet the Khumalos and reflective of the film’s tone.” 

Moodley says she knew Mbau was Grace even before they had started writing the script and that this is Suntele and Ngema’s first role in a film of the family comedy genre. 

She further argues that when someone is just right for the role, filmmakers go with their gut instinct and trust in the process. 

Same script, different culture?

However, the differences with Keeping Up with the Kandasamys can’t be ignored. For Moodley the biggest shift was moving into a new cultural and narrative space.

“The Kandasamy franchise came from a place of familiarity — it was rooted in my own community, with characters and experiences that felt like home. With Meet the Khumalos, I had to immerse myself in a different cultural lens, one that deserved just as much authenticity and respect.” 

The Kandasamy franchise focuses on Indian-Hindu culture, while Meet the Khumalos explores modern living and aspects of Zulu tradition, such as uMemulo. 

“That was a beautiful cultural moment to include — it carries deep significance and symbolism, especially for women coming of age.” 

Moodley says it was important to represent Zulu traditions, family dynamics and humour in a way that was both genuine and celebratory, while ensuring broad relatability. 

“This meant deeper research, consultation and sensitivity to storytelling — all of which challenged and excited me creatively. 

“The story allowed us to explore both the modern and the traditional and show they can co-exist meaningfully in a South African family today.”

Mending fences

The theme of mending fences between neighbours, friends and family is tucked away in between the laughter and feuds. Many families and friendships are faced with a variety of interpersonal and social issues, including mental health, alcoholism, poverty and inequalities. Relationships can break apart, breeding resentment and anger. 

Holding on to grudges can get us stuck in a loop of negative emotions that can impact our mental and physical well-being, especially women, such as Grace and Bongi in the film. 

“Women’s relationships are often complex, layered with love, expectations and sometimes unspoken pain. 

“I’ve always been drawn to stories that portray those layers authentically,” Moodley says. 

The film shows how honest conversations, underpinned by empathy and respect, to express the weighing pain, can go a long way to repairing relationships. This is exactly what Moodley aimed for. 

“In this film, I wanted to show how healing can happen across generations — through honest conversations, laughter and shared experience,” she says. 

“The film allowed us to explore reconciliation between sisters, mothers and daughters — and even between in-laws. 

“These emotional journeys resonate because they’re universal — we all have relationships we wish we could mend. 

“Having women protagonists is also very precious to me.”

Locations and stories

Beyond the comic storyline and the characters, what was also precious  was the lavish location. Despite the film being shot in an upmarket estate, which was both a creative and symbolic choice, Moodley also wanted to show the link between place and personal pain. 

“The lifestyle estate location also allowed us to explore themes of identity and family beyond socio-economic stereotypes. 

“Just because a family is successful, and lives in a polished environment, doesn’t mean they don’t have real issues, conflicts and emotional truths. The setting became a character in its own right — polished on the surface, but filled with heartfelt, messy and deeply human moments.”

“The film had to come full circle with locations, place and identity as well, with the uMemulo taking place at a beautiful community hall with KwaMashu as the backdrop.”

Shooting the film in an urban estate, Moodley says, offered a fresh visual landscape, contrasting the traditional elements in the story with a modern, aspirational lifestyle. 

Moodley is part of a growing number of KwaZulu-Natal filmmakers telling local stories with global appeal. She beams with excitement to see the province finally getting  the spotlight it deserves. 

The region, Moodley adds, has such rich storytelling potential — stunning landscapes, diverse communities and a deep well of talent. 

“Productions like Uzalo, Umjolo, and Blood Legacy have paved the way for KZN to become a true filmmaking hub. I’m proud to be part of that movement and hope that Meet the Khumalos contributes to the momentum,” she says. 

“There’s still so much more to uncover and I’m looking forward to what’s next for the province.”

Despite the storyline’s similarity to Moodley’s debut film franchise, Meet the Khumalos is a hilarious family comedy about letting go of ancient grudges to repair friendships and creating new relationships.