VETERAN actress Rhodha “Mai Sorobhi” Mthembe may be down,
but she is certainly not out.
A year ago, Mai Sorobhi suffered a stroke which partially
paralysed her left side. At some point, she fell on hard times and had to
depend on well-wishers.
But the seasoned actress, who made a name for herself as
Phillip “Paraffin” Mushangwe’s wife in the popular drama series “Paraffin”,
said not even failing health will take away her love for the small screen.
The actress’ passion for acting remains intact. In fact,
Mai Sorobhi is actively searching for fresh roles on television. She also feels
that she is now ripe for a directorial role due to her experience in the
industry.
“I was born an actress and I cannot do away with this part
of my life for any reason, health included. Right now, I am ready to take up
new roles. I can even direct plays as I have acquired enough experience,” she
said.
The veteran actress still has her old touch. She remains a
bubbly, hilarious, candid and easy-going character.
During an interview with The Sunday Mail Society, Mai
Sorobhi cracked several jokes and made light of her situation, which is clearly
dire.
“Kana ipo pano ngachitotsva nekuti zvichirimo (Even now,
let’s get down to it because I’m still adept),” she said with a chuckle.
Mai Sorobhi started acting during her school days at
Mutambara Primary and Secondary schools in Mutare.
More than a decade later, she broke into professional
circles through “Paraffin”, a drama that propelled her to national acclaim.
Her role in the drama series was so financially rewarding
that she, together with her late husband Vaxison Mthembe, bought their
Kuwadzana Extension home.
Mai Sorobhi feels that the stroke that has afflicted her
came at the wrong time as she has lost her husband as well as her friends
Mushangwe and Lilian Mbirimi from the “Paraffin” cast.
Without a shoulder to cry on, she feels that bottled up
stress culminated into a stroke.
She remembers how her daughter’s illness shortly before the
stroke also gave her sleepless nights.
“Nomatter is my sixth born child. She lives in South Africa
and is the one who sees to my welfare. When she fell sick, I got stressed up,
wondering how I would survive if she died. We are very close.”
On the day she became paralysed, Mai Sorobhi was at home
and her other daughter, Charity, had briefly gone out. She describes having a
strange sensation as she was cleaning up after breakfast.
“I felt as if I had been electrocuted,” she recalled. At the time, she did not realise that she had just had a
stroke.
The popular actress describes the time she was admitted at
Harare Hospital as the worst days of her life.
Doctors had to take her through counselling sessions as her
blood pressure remained high, thereby posing a threat to her life.
While she is yet to fully recover, Mai Sorobhi still has
good memory, a sharp eye for scrutinising things and some intelligence to spice
it all up.
Mai Sorobhi’s favourite actor is Lazarus “Gringo” Boora. She says she was heartbroken when he was hospitalised a few
weeks back. She believes Gringo can still reach dizzy heights in acting.
“He has so much to offer. Given the resources, Gringo can
make a great difference in the industry,” said Mai Sorobhi, adding that she
wishes to pay him a visit despite her own health woes.
Whenever she can, Mai Sorobhi watches some local television
dramas and feels that she can contribute to the growth of the industry.
She believes that the current crop of actors needs to go
back to the basics. Sunday Mail
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