High Rollers’s Danny isn’t leaving her high-stakes career to chance
|||LIFE is all about choices. Sometimes you make the right ones and at other times, not. For Mayuri Naidu, she’s been on a winning streak with hers.
The Durban actress, who honed her craft in theatre, moved to Jozi in March last year.
She says: “I auditioned for High Rollers when I was in Durban. About two weeks later, they let me know that I had got the role. The contract was for a year, so I thought, ‘why not?’ and moved.”
Naidu studied drama and communications at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She also obtained a diploma in TV/radio presenting from Damelin.
She adds: “I’ve also been doing a creative writing degree through Unisa. Studying through correspondence is not easy. If there is an assignment, I’m literally doing it the night before. I keep telling myself that I work best under pressure.”
And that certainly helps, with High Rollers now shooting more episodes as their three- episode-a-week run has been extended to five with the new 80 percent local quota in place.
Prior to essaying the role of Dhanapriya “Danny” Rangila, she was on Muvhango for a year-and-a-half, made a cameo appearance on Soul City and bagged a role in Spin Star, an eKasi short movie.
Danny was introduced as a cocktail waitress-turned-dealer at Kings Casino. By the end of season two, she was promoted to junior whale hunter.
On inhabiting this character, Naidu says: “I moulded her on myself. Danny is extremely neurotic. That’s a tick. She’s ambitious. Tick. So it was quite easy to find those aspects in my personality. Yes, she is a gossip. But she also has a good heart. She cares about her friends. As a woman, her job means she is going against the grain with her family.”
As an actress, Naidu cherishes the challenges that these multiple layers bring to her character.
Shedding light on Danny’s rise in ranking at the casino, she reveals: “She became a whale hunter, which is very important because she has to find all the bigwigs, bring them in and treat them well. The thing that is happening right now, which I’m very excited about, is Danny is undergoing a massive transformation. I can’t give away too much. But she is definitely growing up with Ravi having left and there is a lot more focus on her and her work.”
Naidu continues: “There’s a definite path that she is taking that is not expected of the character. She is growing up. She feels that if you want certain things, there are choices that have to be made. And we also see the consequences of those choices.”
When asked about her most interesting storyline to date, she offers: “I’m doing it right now. My character is being challenged. She’s making enemies. She’s also standing up for herself, but maybe not in the best way. And she is pushing away people who care about her as well as discovering how she works as a lone wolf.”
By the way, the story arc she is referring to involves one of the King brothers.
With most roles for Indian actress echoing the usual stereotypes, Naidu is grateful to have bagged such a juicy character.
She points out: “It’s a big deal for any actress to get something that is regular and to be able to do what you love while learning at the same time.”
Although she hasn’t completely forsaken theatre, when her schedule permits, she hopes to return to the stage.
In the meantime, she says: “For a long time, I had very specific goals. Then I realised that life doesn’t work out the way you plan it. So now I allow myself to go with the flow. What’s important for me is to keep working, challenging myself and being more creative.”
And when she isn’t on set, she chills by watching movies, reading, or visiting one of the many restaurants in Jozi.
Naidu laughs: “I love eating and there are so many choices here.”
All in all, High Rollers has proved to be a pretty sweet deal for Naidu!
High Rollers airs on SABC3 weekdays at 7.30pm.