5 must-watch Kenyan shows and movies in July

If you are looking for some entertainment to warm you up, may we suggest some fresh movies and TV shows coming to Showmax this July that are loaded with drama, romance and laughter?

Monica

In Monica, Kenya’s sweetheart Brenda Wairimu (Shuga, Mali) plays the titular Monica, an ambitious social climber who has no qualms about lying and clawing her way to the top to escape her ghetto. Boasting a star-studded cast, Monica also features other favourites like Joyce Maina (Aisha, Selina), Fidel Maithya (Selina), Torome Sision (Kona), Ephy Saint (Tahidi High) and veteran actor Raymond Ofula (The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind).

Planned release date: 8 July 2019

Plan B

After gaining critical acclaim with her hit romantic comedy This Is It that featured Kenya’s Nick Mutuma, Nigerian filmmaker Omolola Adeleke “LowlaDee” wrote and directed the Valentine’s Day romantic comedy Plan B in collaboration with Sarah Hassan’s Alfajiri Films.

Plan B, which was released on 14 February 2019, follows Lisa, played by Hassan, a woman who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with a stranger. When this stranger turns out to be a successful Nigerian businessman, Lisa teams up with her best friend Joyce (show-stealer Catherine Kamau) to make him pay his dues.

Planned release date: 8 July 2019

The Roadside

Before taking over Hollywood, Kenyan Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o appeared in a short film called The Roadside, a sweet rom-com that will take you barely 30 mins to watch. The Roadside stars Lupita and Ndungi Githuku (Changes) as a slowly disconnecting young couple who decide to rejuvenate their relationship by going on a weekend getaway away from the city.

After their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, the girlfriend is left alone by the roadside while her boyfriend wheels away the flat tyre to be fixed. It doesn’t take long before she’s joined by a stranger who just won’t go away easily, leading to a humorous interaction that is a delight watch. Like Bottom Line Kenya described, The Roadside is “a light-hearted rom-com for lazy Sundays but still, it asks some fundamental questions about romantic life in modern Kenya.”

Planned release date: 4 July 2019

Hullabaloo Estate S4-9

There’s nothing greater than seeing veteran comedy giants Olexander, Makhoha and Ondiek back on our screens with the comedy show Hullabaloo Estate – it’s reminiscent of their Vioja Mahakamani days.

Directed by Phil Karanja (Sue na Jonnie), Hullabaloo Estate, as the name suggests, follows residents of a typical neighbourhood in Nairobi as they go about their daily lives doing what they do best – engaging in shenanigans and disturbing everyone’s peace.

Planned release date: 25 July 2019

Varshita S2

Eve D’Souza’s Varshita and Maqbul’s Donovan are a match made in heaven – or hell. In Varshita, this on-screen pair is as self-destructive as any dysfunctional couple can get. A spin-off of Auntie Boss, Varshita follows toxic lovebirds Donovan and Varshita, who are now married and living under the same roof, while also driving each other insane daily. Psychotic as Varshita is, it’s a role that D’Souza has learned to embrace, saying in a past interview that it has helped her step out of her comfort zone and to stretch her abilities as an actor.

Planned release date: 4 July 2019