Entertainment
Funke Akindele Dumps Yoruba Films For English Movies?
The recent story at our dis
posal, has it that popular Yoruba actress, Funke Akindele (Jenifer), has finally dumped the Yoruba film industry for the English language movies as she has been very busy on film sets in Enugu and Asaba where Igbo producers roll out several flicks in English Language.
The actress now has several English speaking movies to her credit and she has also won awards courtesy of such films. It has been observed that many of the film’s producers use Funke in are comic roles where she plays a clownish character.
It is not clear if Funke will still be very active in Yoruba films, though we gathered that some Yoruba producers do not have the financial strength to pay for her services. Unconfirmed reports has it that Yoruba producers want to offer the actress fees ranging from N100,000 to N200,000 which some say she has surpassed.
However, we could not confirm what the Enugu and Asaba based movies makers pay Funke to get her on set, but what we observed is that the actress prefers to act in Asaba and Enugu movies instead of the Yoruba flicks because of the language barrier of the latter.
It would be recalled that Funke Akindele got her breakthrough in the movie world when she acted in herself produced flick titled, ‘Jenifer’ from where she later got her nickname ‘Jenifer,’ soon after the success made by the film, she became one of the hottest movie stars in Nigeria and one of the most sought after.
Many film makers came calling afterwards and this landed her several endorsement deals including, Glo, Vita form, Jobber man, Klin detergent, Omo detergent, Qlicking.com, Lagos Island Revenue service among others.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.
Nancy Briggs
