Siya Kolisi on impact of ‘Rise’ the movie

The film has been produced by Tebogo Malope and paints a picture of Kolisi’s tough background to arguably his greatest achievement yet – becoming the first black Springbok captain and winning the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Kolisi reflected on his own story.

"It was special. It was way more than I had expected. The support that I got from the community was overwhelming. I knew it was the right thing to do because it's their story, I grew up under them, they needed to see it before everyone else saw it," Kolisi said.

The Zwide residents were the first to get a glimpse of a movie that the producers have confirmed is 97 percent ready to air.

"Just seeing everybody together and when we finished watching it, we sang ‘igwijo’ which was special. Even when kids see me, they sing igwijo because they know I love it. We wanted it to be as normal as possible because that's who we are and that's what we do, when we are happy, we sing, when we are sad, we sing and when we are going through a tough time, we sing," he added.

The 90-minute-long film also highlights Kolisi’s significant impact not just in the rugby world, but across society as well with the work he is doing through the Kolisi Foundation alongside his wife, Rachel. 

"So, while you are in a position that can influence someone else's move, do it as best as you can and do it properly, don't take it for granted. In this movie, I hope people who think their circumstances are too difficult for them to make it, see that it's possible.

I want people to see what we have as South Africans are capable of, we are a 3rd world country but we've got top class people. We've got people who are resilient, I know my story is just one of many. There are millions of others who don't have the platform that I have and that's why I'm telling it because I know it will connect with a lot of people," Kolisi concluded.