‘Brrr’ advert star eyes South Africa movie industry

It is one of the most discussed commercials running on TV today with critics sharply divided on its appeal and marketing impact.

Some consider it as the same old stereotype about African leadership; others see it as attention grabbing; engaging and pleasing.

Initially shot for the sub-Saharan Africa market, the Coke Brrrr advert has been roaming across the world for the last three years or thereabouts.

On this whirlwind of television action is its lead actor, Charles Bukeko aka Papashirandula, who confesses that he has gone through eye-opening lessons on best industry practices that could be alienating him from the unregulated Kenyan industry he has served with dedication.

“I might be taking a back seat on the local scene to give others a chance,” says Mr Bukeko.

In the movie Makutano Junction where he has featured for some years, Bukeko is now an absent father—with one of his photographs staring from the wall.

In many TV instances, some characters are “killed” due to unavailability or offered leave from the storyline so that they disappear into mere names without faces.

Since last Friday, Mr Bukeko who also plays lead actor in Citizen TV’s Papashirandula has been out of town on another promotional tour in Asia.

After featuring in the highly hyped ‘Brrrrrr’ commercial, Mr Bukeko is constantly on plum international assignments as a brand ambassador with Coke holding his advertising rights for the next two years.

On the way, the father of two has earned star ratings that he previously used to interact with as fantasy stuff in foreign magazines—several million shillings according to insiders.

That’s not all.

These days, Mr Bukeko is increasingly flying to South Africa where the two versions of Brrrrr were shot, an industry he now considers better disciplined and very professional compared to the disorganised side of the Kenyan scene where anyone walks in and out of the set, and there are no industry standards or regulations.

Next year, Mr Bukeko debuts on a South African drama Philemon. This is a 60-something ranger in The Big Five that features some of the lead actors from across the continent plus someone from Europe to complete the picture. It is an M-Net drama set in a Safari lodge in Mpumalanga.

“The South African industry respects actors so much that they are ready to offer anything that will keep the actor in the best state of the mind for best results,” says Mr Bukeko.

Contracts are a matter professional life; a day is spent going through the document line by line. After signing a contract, champagne flows. Then there is a break between which the actor is pampered to keep them in good spirits and most imaginative mind.

As opposed to the Kenyan case where directors appear on the set at the last minute, most South African directors are at hand to ensure that the actor is in the best frame of mind and is not bothered by anything or anyone. “Things down there ( South Africa) are different compared to what is happening here in Kenya.”

“In fact, I almost moved to South Africa a few months ago. I am still looking at what is on offer,” he says, but later reveals his plans to acquire two upmarket houses in Nairobi.

When he received the first call to audition for the Coke advert , it was just another one, but he obliged. Industry insiders say that Mr Bukeko got the chance to play the African buffoon in the Brrrrrrr commercial by default.

Another Kenyan actor his size had been cast and had even signed a contract for the role. When the shooting date finally arrived, the actor arrived on the with fresh demands.

This threw the crew into confusion forcing the director to start looking for an alternative actor— same size and still able to execute the concept at hand.
When Mr Bukeko arrived on location, the director was impressed by his natural character, size and acting abilities.

The other contract was cancelled.

Costumes were ready and cameras easily rolled after the usual drills. Shot on the sandy Zanzibar beaches, the first Brrrrrrr advert targeted the mass market.
The other two were shot in South Africa— one of them was a promotion around the Brrrrrrr concept and was initially targeted at the higher end of the market.

“My experience in South Africa has opened my eyes on what I am entitled to as an actor.”

Before stepping onto the Coke commercial, Mr Bukeko had diverse experiences on the set, some nasty, others usual.

He recalls a nasty experience during the shooting of a commercial that eventually grabbed the attention of country when it aired about five years ago. He was invited to audition, offered the job by the director, but the casting director was not very impressed.

When he stepped onto the set, he neither had an idea about the script nor the contractual terms.

After the shoot, Mr Bukeko demanded his pay and the response was what he had grown used to. He was ordered to go home and wait for the call. When the pay finally came through, it was the usual meagre pay (usually around Sh 40,000 on a brighter day) minus several commissions for agents he had not hired.

Kenyan scene
His costumes for the commercial were his personal clothes as the director did not initially have a person of his size in mind and he could not wait as he was also acting in a theatre production at the same time.

“That is what happens in Kenya especially when it comes to advertising.”

Over the years, the unregulated Kenyan advertising, film and theatre scene has been a walk-in-walk out scene. With several briefcase casting agencies that rely on commissions, the scene has been invaded by non professional actors who cast anyone as their faces are on television and billboards.