Lehasa Moloi and Dineo Moeketsi star in Mrs Right Guy.

TICKING every box for escapist romantic fantasy is the new South African rom-com, Mrs Right Guy, which opens on April 29. The film stars Dineo Moeketsi as the lovelorn Gugu Hlatshwayo who, downhearted and disappointed by love, has learnt to reject men long before they can get too close to her.

Gugu has grown up with the curse of being the ‘It Girl’, the most beautiful and wanted by everyone. She is the kind of woman who walks out of her yard and is beset by guys asking her out, and trying to ‘mack’ or flirt with her.

Being raised by Gog’ Agnes has saved her, with the older woman warning her off boys and their slick ways. She eluded all of them. That is, until she met Sipho Motshegwa, who showed her that her grandmother was right, when he wooed her, won her, married her, bonked her, and left penniless on an island paradise.

Mrs Right Guy is directed by Nigerian-born filmmaker Adze Ugah, who says he is excited about the film nearing completion. “It’s the perfect vehicle for Dineo Moeketsi’s big screen debut,” he says. “The storyline about the challenges facing the contemporary single woman in her search for a mate is so relevant right now, and the film reflects the complications millennials face as they try to find true love.”

Raising laughs as well as hope for those who have been wounded by love, the film follows Gugu as fate introduces her to two eligible young men – serial seducer Dumile (Thapelo Mokoena) and regular good guy Joe (Lehasa Moloi). One is a sure-fire way to heartbreak, and the other a guaranteed ticket to true love and happiness.

Gugu is blinded by the charm, wealth, and power of Dumile and doesn’t see Joe for who he is: a kind, hardworking and grounded man who is just as comfortable on a chicken farm, as he is in Soweto or a glitzy corporate office. How will she make sure she lands the man she deserves, especially after her shoddy treatment of Joe?

Actress, singer, dancer and television presenter Dineo Moeketsi hosted the Channel O music magazine show O-Access from 2011 to 2012.

She has appeared in a number of theatre productions including Grease, The Fifth Floor and 66676, and starred in the role of Lindiwe in the SABC1 youth drama series Soul City in 2010. In 2014 she co-hosted (with Shugasmakx) the Mzansi Magic reality series My Perfect Proposal. Dineo currently appears as Naledi in the e.tv soap Scandal.

Lehasa Moloi has hosted e.tv’s music and gadget review magazine show Mgongo since 2012. He has appeared in TV commercials, music videos, and various soapies, including Rhythm City and Isidingo. In Spud: The Movie he played PJ Luthuli. He has also appeared in the television series Erfsondes, Soul Buddyz, Muvhango and Wild at Heart.

Thapelo Mokoena presented the first season of the South African version of Fear Factor in 2005. He has appeared in the SABC1 soapie Generations and the drama series Mzansi. He was also one of the celebrities to compete in the sixth season of the SABC3 reality competition Strictly Come Dancing, in 2013. In 2014 he hosted the e.tv reality makeover series Sinawe72.

Director Adze Ugah began his foray into filmmaking at the National Film Institute in Jos, Nigeria. He moved to South Africa to further his studies, and earned an Honours degree at the South African School of Film and Drama (AFDA).

He has worked as assistant director on SABC 1 television drama series Home Affairs and the feature film series Heartlines, as well as City Sesla. Ugah featured as one of several directors on television drama series such as Society, Zone 14 and Jacob’s Cross. He served as lead director on Mzansi Magic’s massively popular telenovela, Isibaya, and has to his credit, the multi-award-winning documentary Burning Man.

Mrs Right Guy was funded by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in association with the  Gauteng Film Commission, and The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

A Fuze Films production, the film was produced by Dumi Gumbi, Kethiwe Ngcobo, Mokopi Shale and Cati Weinek. The film is being distributed in South Africa by Indigenous Film Distribution.