Following her lead role in the popular movie, Jenifa, star actress, Funke Akindele’s life has not just only flipped on its head, her celebrity status has also skyrocketed. She is dealing with the fame and mentioned how she struggles to cope when she gets spotted by fans on the streets since she became one of the Glo Ambassadors.
It all started when my younger sister, who is still in the University of Lagos, got home one day and said; ‘Sister can you imagine, some girls in my school wanted to attend a party in Abuja and while they were at the airport about to board a plane, a text message came in one of their phones and they discovered the text was from the girl who was organising the party; it was not meant for them.
The message read in part, “I have sent the girls and please, make sure you send my money and keep everything coded okay.” After reading the text message, the girls discovered that it was mistakenly sent to their phones and they found out that they were actually ‘organised’ for rituals.
I asked my younger sister: “Are you sure this thing really happened?” And she said yes; and I tried to figure out how best I could tell this story.
So, I said, why can’t I bring in comedy into it and I concluded that the comical scenes would draw more audiences to listen and see the story and learn a few lessons from it.
It was at that point that I remembered this Igbo girl who was a wannabe while I was in school, but she was so local with this strong Igbo accent. So, I gave birth to the character, Jenifa, but decided not to use the Igbo angle to it. I stayed within my Yoruba roots knowing that if they wanted to deal with me, they would not be too harsh since they will remember that I am one of their own.
That was how I married the wannabe character and the critical issue of those girls, blended it with comedy, and Jenifa was born.
Jenifa 2, has since been released and Jenifa 3 – The Return of Jenifa, is set to be released shortly.
Meanwhile, Tunde Kelani’s next film is something of a departure for him and his star, Funke. News of their collaboration on Maami has sent ripples through the industry, with many pointing out to the filmmaker the fact that he doesn’t work with ‘stars,’ he creates them. It has also been suggested that Akindele, the highly successful star of Jenifa, doesn’t need the leg-up. But the cinematographer and the actress say their collaboration is long overdue. Kelani says, “I’ve known Funke Akindele for a number of years and I’ve followed her progress all along. She has incredible range and as far as I’m concerned, none of those has been used.”
Kelani usually has a player in mind when he conceives stories, and he’s convinced that Funke is the right person to play the hard-working single parent of Kashimawo, a youngster who grows up to become a player for Arsenal football club in the English premiership. The director feels the same way about Wole Ojo who will play the adult Kashimawo in Maami, though he and the actor have only met once. Also, Funke and Ojo have never met, but this is no problem, as the two never actually meet onscreen (the actress will only interact with the fictional Kashimawo in childhood).
Funke said she has been dreaming of working with Kelani for a long time, and relishes the challenge of Maami. She said, “I’m in love with the script. It’s different from the characters I’ve played before. I feel so honoured, privileged, to work with Tunde Kelani. I really appreciate the opportunity and I intend to do my best.”
Hopes are high for the ‘experimental’ film. “We are using the highest level of digital media you can think of. It is challenging on many fronts,” Kelani said.
Despite emerging as Africa’s best actress at the recently staged African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Bayelsa State, highflying actress Funke has said that her best is yet to come.
The actress, who was in Ghana when crowned as the new queen of African movies, said she has not reached the peak of her career as many people presume.
“Although I feel highly elated having emerged as the best actress in Africa, my best is yet to come,” she stated, adding that she still has a long way to go as far as film-making is concerned.
“This is a turning point in my career and I’m so proud of it,” she concluded.
Considering how she started, she got her break when she was picked to play the lead role in the rested TV drama on sex education entitled I Need To Know.
Apart from featuring in Opa Williams’ Naked Wire and Egg of Life, she has today through her Mass Communication and Law degree backgrounds built a unique angle to her kind of stories as a script writer and producer; investigative and crime flicks relayed in Ojo Ketala, Agbefo, Eta ‘nu and Maaku. (Naijarules adapted)
