Brenda Fassie biopic gets green light after prolonged court battle
The Brenda Fassie biopic is set for release late next year with pre-production under way in the next few weeks.
Brenda Fassie’s long-time manage Sello “Chico” Twala has been trying to stop her son Bongani from going forward with the biopic of her life but the High Court in Pretoria has just changed the game, dismissing Twala’s application to permanently interdict Bongani from making the film.
“I had doubts the film would happen,” a relieved Bongani told the Sunday Times this week. “But I promised the nation I would make sure that my mother’s story would be told, and now that I am seeing the fulfilment of it, I am a little overwhelmed.”
Twala plans on appealing against the ruling, saying the film would be “useless” without the music rights he owned.
“It doesn’t affect me, it affects the producers. They need me more than I need them,” he said.
Work together for the greater good
Bongani Fassie
It would be challenging to make a film without Chico’s input and especially Brenda’s music he has the rights to, with Bongani saying:
“It is being told through my eyes, so we could ultimately get around it, if it came to that. But would it really be a true-life depiction of Brenda Fassie without Chicco?
“I mean anyone can tell a story about anyone but he played such a big role in my mother’s life that it would be difficult to not include him in her story. I am not going to retaliate to anything he said about me. I am willing to get his consent, to include him, to show that I am a bigger man.”
There is hope for a reconciliation, with Twala saying he was open to working with Bongani.
“It is not about fighting. It is about making this film successful. The thing for me is that Bongani was starting to be managed by people who do not understand the full picture. SA will never want to see a Brenda Fassie film without Chicco. Not only me, but all those who contributed to her life. I am open to working with him. I don’t hold grudges.”
Hopefully the two can settle their differences for the greater good of a Brenda Fassie biopic she would be proud of.
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