Funke Akindele and Rita Dominic, two of the flying actress – who do you think is a better actress?
Funke AkindeleThere is no doubt that star actress,
Funke Akindele Oloyede has come a long way since she started acting
professionally in 1987. In recent times, she has racked up an impressive
list of achievements, which has seen her profile rise meteorically.
Today, her appeal goes well beyond the film industry, to wider society.
Indeed she has become a veritable brand.
In September 2011, her
eagerly anticipated movie, The Return of Jenifa, was released. The movie
saw her reprising her role as the bumbling, irrepressible wannabe,
Jenifa. The movie featured actors such as Ireti Osayemi Bakare, Eniola
Badmus, Rukky Sanda, Mercy Aigbe, and Yinka Quadri. The movie also had
star turns by celebrities such as Banky W, Wizkid, Naeto C, and Sasha.
Expectations
were high as The Return of Jenifa was released at cinemas in Nigeria.
If Funke Akindele Oloyede had been worried about the performance of the
movie at the box office, she need not have been. The movie played to
packed cinema halls, and went on to become the highest grossing Nigerian
movie to date. Indeed the movie received the Highest Box Office award
at the Zuma Film Festival, which was held in May.
The remarkable
success of The Return of Jenifa, further solidified the status of Funke
Akindele Oloyede as a veritable star. Without a doubt, she had become a
star that no one could ignore. Following the success of The Return of
Jenifa, awards and requests for public appearances began pouring in for
the actress.
In May 2012, she won the Best Actress award at the
Zuma Film Festival for her role in the Tunde Kelani film, MAAMi. In June
2012, she won the Best Actress in an Indigenous Movie award at the
Nollywood Movies Awards. Also in June 2012, she won the Best Actress in a
Leading Role award at the Yoruba Movie Academy Awards. In July 2012,
she won the Best Crossover Actress award at the Global Leadership Award
for Excellence.
On the personal front, she got married to her
heartthrob, Kehinde Almaroof Oloyede on May 26, at an elaborate ceremony
which was graced by top Nollywood stars such as Desmond Elliot,
Genevieve Nnaji, Ini Edo, and Chioma Akpotha.
There were fears
in some quarters that she would not be able to handle the pressure that
would come with her increased public profile. However, she has risen to
the challenge, handling her public appearances with increasing grace and
commendable style. She was one of the Olympic torchbearers at the
Olympic Torch Relay, which took place in Coventry on July 1, and she
will be co-hosting the Nigeria Entertainment Awards in New York, on
September 2.
Just like her character, Jenifa, Funke Akindele Oloyede is flying on the fast track.
Rita Dominic The last 12 months have been very good
for Rita Dominic. In those 12 months, she has booked her place solidly
as one of the best Nigerian actresses – of all time. During this time,
she has been part of several top quality productions, and she has played
a diverse array of characters, which has deepened her oeuvre
considerably. Her career moves have been faultless, and her choice of
roles have been inspired.
In July 2011, Rita Dominic left
Nigeria for Kenya to star in the film, Shattered. In Shattered, she
played Keziah Njema – a woman whose traumatic childhood becomes a
precursor to a life of turmoil, depression, and self destruction. At the
time, a few eyebrows were raised about her decision to star in the
Kenyan production, but time would show that this was one of the best
decisions of her life.
After completing Shattered in August
2011, Rita Dominic returned to Nigeria, and in October 2011, she starred
in The Meeting – a romantic drama, which she produced with her manager
and business partner, Mildred Okwo. In The Meeting, she plays Clara
Ikemba – a cantankerous super secretary working in a government office
in Abuja.
Rita Dominic started 2012 by starring in Streets of
Calabar – a comedy thriller written and produced by former CNN and BBC
reporter, Charles Aniagolu. She starred in the movie alongside acts like
Anthony Ofoegbu, Wale Ojo, Keppy Ekpenyong Bassey, and Maynard Eziashi.
After
completing Streets of Calabar she went on the set Lions of ’76 – a film
centred around the events of the military coup, which took place in
Nigeria in 1976. The film, which is one of the most important films of
2012, is being directed by the award winning director, Izu Ojukwu, and
it is being shot on celluloid.
In May 2012, Rita Dominic took a
break from the set of Lions of ’76 to attend the African Movie Academy
Awards (AMAA) in Lagos. She had been nominated for the prestigious AMAA
award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She was up against some of the
best actresses in Africa, some of which were – Uche Jombo, Nse
Ikpe-Etim, Ama K Abebrese, and Millicent Makheido. In a stunning
victory, she clinched the award for her role in Shattered – the movie
which she did in Kenya in 2011. This victory sealed her position as one
of the best Nigerian actresses of all time.
However, there was
little time to celebrate her victory at AMAA, as she soon returned to
the set of Lions of ’76 in Ibadan. Without a doubt, Lions of ’76 has
been one of the most rigorous and demanding movies of Rita Dominic’s
career. She has been on set for 5 months now, alongside Ramsey Nouah,
and Chidi Mokeme, under the watchful Izu Ojukwu – one of the most
exacting directors in Nigeria. Lions of ’76 is nearing a wrap, and Rita
should soon be able to get a well deserved rest.
All in all, the
past 12 months have been some of the best of Rita Dominic’s career – if
not the best. The choice of films, which she has featured in have been
very good for her career. The AMAA award was the icing on the cake, and
at this point, any history of the Nigerian film industry would be
incomplete without a mention of Rita Uchenna Nkem Dominic.
