Nigerian comedian-turned-director Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, has caused a stir in the media with his most recent disclosure against Funke Akindele, a prominent Nollywood character.
Basketmouth revealed the difficulties he encountered while making A Ghetto Love Story, his first significant motion picture release, in an open interview with Arise TV.
Speaking about the specifics of his filmmaking process, Basketmouth disclosed that Funke Akindele was his first pick since he felt he could guide his movie through to completion. He recalled how exciting and promising their first discussion had been in August.
He explained that what transpired was a string of unanswered texts and calls, followed by an eerie calm that dragged on. He claimed that Funke might not have been accessible because of other obligations or might have been preoccupied with her own film projects.
After suffering a significant setback, Basketmouth reiterated that he made the decision to change course and reconsider his approach, contacting Mo Abudu, another prominent figure in the sector. He claimed that, in contrast to his prior experience, Mo enthusiastically welcomed his idea right away, filled the void, and contributed to the realisation of “A Ghetto Love Story.”
His words in parts;
“With collaborations with filmmakers, it was dramatic. When I started calling all these like Mo Abudu and the rest of them, you know, I had a plan. I was going to start with Funke Akindele, and just run it all through.
“But when I called Funke, she was excited and that was in August, and then the next thing, she never picked up my calls again. But she was making a movie, maybe she was busy, or her phone is on silent, or maybe the phone got spoilt. But yeah, I hope she pick up or responds to my messages
“I’ve sent over like 25 messages or whatever, but she didn’t respond. So I had to change the whole plan and re-strategize. I had to go to Mo, this and that, but the rest of them came through.
‘I called Mo and normally she doesn’t do stuff like that, but she jumped on it. Sooner or later, I believe that filmmakers in Nigeria will get to understand that collaboration is the new competition”
