Neesha Maharaj|Published
Durban comedian and actor Theshen Naicker’s micro-budget film My Cousin’s Big Fat Durban Wedding has received nominations for Best Wardrobe and Costume Designer and Best Micro Budget Movie.
The movie, which debuted on the big screen in December 2025, has been nominated in the 2026 Simon Mabhunu Sabela KZN Film and Television Awards.
“I was quite surprised that my movie was nominated in the wardrobe and costume category considering there are other highly funded Netflix movies that had bigger budgets for costume.
“I have 15 years industry experience dressing brides, so I literally walked into my closet and redesigned eastern wear I already had, into Indo-African fusion outfits,” said Naicker.
Costumes created for the movie included lehengas for both men and women and Indian suits for men.
The western costumes were high end brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton which Naicker had sourced while traveling abroad over the years.
When contemplating the wardrobe for his movie, Naicker took cognisance of an Afro-centric look he wanted his costumes to reflect.
With this in mind some of his ensembles were Indian garments embellished with African jewellery.
Naicker believes the costumes worn by the cast added to the movie’s appeal and made it (the movie) “look beautiful”.
“Working on a wardrobe with no funding was a challenge. However, it was an opportunity for me to showcase my fashion sense and style. The characters in the movie lived affluent lifestyles,” he said.
“Each character required a specific style of outfit. I did not compromise on the quality where wardrobe was concerned,” he added.
The journey of designing and curating these outfits took Naicker back to his childhood when he aspired to be a fashion designer.
However, he abandoned this dream when a relative told him he would not make money out of a career in fashion design.
“This movie validates all my hard work. Just the nomination itself is an honour,” said Naicker.
He said he was proud that his micro-budget movie that he spent a few hundred thousand on, had done so well.
Following his success in the world of movie making, Naicker has taken a break from his Aunty Sheila videos.
A second movie is in the pipeline for Naicker who said production would commence next year.
He has also been approached to direct a movie and said he could not reveal too much just yet.