Renowned actor Hlomla Dandala on Tuesday made his debut in the recast role of Caesar Ngonyama on hit telenovela ‘Smoke & Mirrors’.

The former ‘The River’ actor returned to the e.tv stable following the departure of Zolisa Xaluva.

“This is an exciting challenge for me, the character of Caesar is loved by our viewers, my aim is to please and ensure that I deliver as a performer,” said the seasoned actor.

“Playing a villainous character such as Caesar will surely bring the best out of me. But more than anything I’m excited to be back with the eFamily and I look forward to a real joyride as we enter the second season of the show”, said Dandala.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Smoke & Mirrors (@etvsmokeandmirrors)

A character being recast on any show takes some adjusting, especially since viewers have fallen in love with an actor’s portrayal of a character.

Sindi Zuma Ramos wrote on Facebook: “Hlomla is talented in his own right but with what we have seen with the old Ceasar I don’t think he is going to fill that gap!

“Old ceaser seeing Mthetho lying down we were going to see fire 🔥!! There is no comparison between the 2 but there is a huge difference, I will get used to it but it’s not nice.”

Nkatiseng Khoatsana said: “But guys we have to understand that Hlomla can't play that rule perfect exactly like the old ceaser he's not Zolisa at the end of the day so we have to love and appreciate him.”

The character of Caesar Ngonyama is a ruthless Xhosa businessman, who does whatever it takes to keep his power. “Selecting Hlomla as our new Caesar was no-brainer, it just makes sense,” said Dithapelo Segodi, e.tv Executive Producer.

“As a broadcaster we are happy to have him back on the channel and we hope our viewers are just as excited as we are”.

‘Smoke and Mirrors’ is the fourth most watched program on e.tv with 3.6 million viewers in March. Season two of ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ also sees the exit of Kabomo Vilakazi.

IOL Entertainment

hlomla dandala

Hlomla Dandala makes his debut as Caesar on ‘Smoke & Mirrors’