How ‘Auntie Boss’ became one of TV’s biggest attractions

The cast of Auntie Boss show, which runs on NTV, proved to be a hit thanks to stellar performances by Nice Njeri who plays Shiru and Sandra Dacha as Silprosa. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • The show, which runs on NTV, proved to be a hit thanks to stellar performances by Nice Njeri who plays Shiru and Sandra Dacha as Silprosa.
  • The supporting cast led by Eve D’Souza as Varshita, Abdul Karim Athman as Cosmas, Grace Muna as Vanessa, Maqbul Mohammed as Donovan and Matthew Mwangi as Kyle have also done enough to entice themselves to a very hard to please Kenyan TV audience and they are reaping the rewards.
  • The show’s stand out actor is Shiru, a naïve and semi-illiterate house help who is very loud and nosy. She has a special relationship with young Kyle but has since been fired.

A show centred around house helps and watchmen is nothing new in Kenya. If anything, it is a subject that on the surface, looks lazy and has been exhaustively mined by TV producers.

So when Eve D’Souza and Lucy Mwangi launched the show on NTV three years ago, the future may not have looked as bright. But 1-2-3 shows later, they have proved that how you execute this angle is the difference maker.

The show, which runs on NTV, proved to be a hit thanks to stellar performances by Nice Njeri who plays Shiru and Sandra Dacha as Silprosa.

The supporting cast led by Eve D’Souza as Varshita, Abdul Karim Athman as Cosmas, Grace Muna as Vanessa, Maqbul Mohammed as Donovan and Matthew Mwangi as Kyle have also done enough to entice themselves to a very hard to please Kenyan TV audience and they are reaping the rewards.

The show totally dominated the nominations list of the Riverwood Academy Awards scooping nine nods among them; Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor/ Actresses and Best Directing and Editing Series categories.

Maqbul was nominated for Best Lead Actor while young Mwangi was nominated for Best Supporting Actor role.

Wanjeri and Dacha will battle it out for Best Actress while Eve D’Souza and Sandra Dacha, again, got nominated for Best Supporting Actress category.

The show, which is set in an upper-middle class estate known as Taifa Estate depicts the lives of domestic house helps in Kenya, their love-hate relationships with the families they work for and their activities around their living environment.

The interactions of the domestic house helps and the families they work for bring out the different dynamics at play in the relationships between employers and their nannies using humorous stories that many can relate with.

HIGH TURN OVER

“Most Kenyans refer to their house helps as ‘Auntie’ and we like to think we are their bosses,” says D’Souza. “The reality however is, more often than not, house helps run our homes. They are usually in charge  of our own houses, hence the title ‘Auntie Boss’!”

D’Souza, shares the Executive producer title with Mwangi and together they head Moonbeam Productions.

The show is directed by Arnold Mwanjila and Likarion Wainaina while Nicholas Kibathi is incharge of editing.

The idea of the show came about when both women exchanged their funny experiences with their house helps. Mwangi then said that it would make a really good TV show. This was in 2012.

They both knew that producing a series would be stressful but they finally put their fears behind two years later and started production.

“We just wanted to produce a good quality local show that cuts across the market, to be relatable and entertain an audience that comprises both the middle class and the masses. Our goal has always been to prove it can be done,” said D’Souza who moved to TV after years topping radio ratings at Capital FM where she hosted Hits Not Homework.

The show’s stand out actor is Shiru, a naïve and semi-illiterate house help who is very loud and nosy. She has a special relationship with young Kyle but has since been fired.

Silprosa, compared to Shiru is calm and collected but will never let a meal go untouched.

Varshita and Donovan are an over the top couple who should probably never be allowed within kilometers of each other but can’t seem to live apart.

They constantly argue, mostly due to the nagging and over protective nature of Varshita. Donovan is a clueless man who allows Varshita to run rings around him.

The two however attract the most criticism because of their over acting.

“I actually look at Varshita almost as a cartoon, pyschotic character but I also accept people thinking I overact,” says D’Souza.

As for Maqbul, D’Souza defends him saying; “It’s comedy, not a drama. His reactions are comedic and in line with the genre of comedy acting. I think he is beyond brilliant.”

To break monotony, the show casts local celebrities from time to time and to also add an exciting element to the whole process. Some of the celebrities that have been casted are Mejja and Madtraxx.

Many have also questioned the show’s high character turnover. “Lucy and I try as much as possible to keep the show fresh and interesting. This has largely to do with characters and their storylines. When we feel we have exhausted a particular character we try create new ones. It’s worked great so far!” she said.

The show however is not all fun and games. The whole team works tirelessly to produce and air the show.

“It is such an honor that we bagged the 9 nominations this time round,” said an ecstatic D’Souza.