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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Jaiye Kuti has appeared in so many films since she began her enviable career in 2002 after appearing in a television sitcom, ‘Laff Patterns.’ She’s one of the carefully selected crossover actresses who are spotted in films with both English and Yoruba as the language of communication. Recently, she joined the big league when she produced and featured in a cinema film entitled ‘Alagbede.’ THE NATION’s ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, GBENGA BADA, caught up with her and she opened up on a variety of issues and concerns ranging from her new film, marriage to her children, work, and life experiences as an actress.

I saw Alagbede and I know that it’s not a small production. What was the motivation to invest so much funds in it?

You know in life, after which you have done one thing, you know, many times, you just want to improve. And when you have this business mind, you, well, let me speak for me. I see a lot of things around me as business, including what I do, including the brands that I endorse their products. I look at them from business angles. So, in my line of production and producing many movies, I’ve known that one day, a time will come, when an opportunity will be open for a proper business for me because as a business person, you should be ready to take the risks. The risk is what makes you better than the other person because if you’re not ready to go as far as taking the risk, then it means that you’ll just be in one place, going round in circles and that’s it. And you cannot go past that level. I want to grow, I want to keep growing and I don’t want to stop. And that’s why I see Alagbede as a business for me.

So, do you think the risk was worth it?

Yes, the risk is worth it in many ways. I had the vision during COVID-19 when I was telling different stories on my Instagram page, you know. I would just come up with some stories. That was when I came up with that idea. I heard of a guy who wanted to commit suicide, I think it was a radio programme or something. So from what they were deliberating, all, I got something from there and I thought to myself like, okay, I won’t tell people this as a story. I think I have to make this a proper film. I have to shoot this, a proper movie and take it to the cinema. And that was how I came up with The Blacksmith: Alagbede.

“So why cinema? I mean, I know you’ve done a couple of productions by yourself and didn’t make it to the cinema, why cinema this time? Why not YouTube?

“Yes, I looked at the amount of money that would go into it. And I know that it cannot be N5 million or N10 million. I knew that 45 million naira would not do it. If you have to use the proper actor, you have to use the proper setting, the community, the area, the costume, everything. If you want to tell the story exactly the way you have seen it, and you want people to feel it, the creation of your vision, you know, it just has to go to the cinema. So by doing so a lot of people will get to go and see it. I was ready for whatever it took to make the money back, you know, but I wasn’t going to look at whether the money was too much or probably not going to make it back. I want to tell a story and whatever it takes for me to tell the story, I want to. And I know that YouTube is not going to give me the money back. I’m talking about 1 year, 2 years, 3 years. It might be there, and it could give me the money later on, but it’s something that I want to do now because I have other projects that I want to do that I have at hand. So that was why I decided to take it to cinemas.

Okay, we’ve heard some of your colleagues saying they had to sell off properties, cars, to get funds, and all that.

” For you and considering the current economic situation, how did you harness the funds?

I know, the situation could be quite difficult, but I don’t have to sell anything because I have been preparing for this for a while. I have been a brand ambassador to a lot of brands that gave me nothing less than N20 million, and N25 million, there were some projects, and documentaries, that I did that fetched me N30 million. I knew that I had some things to do in the future; I had a big movie ahead of me. By then, I had not even had a story, but I knew that there was going to be something. And I’m married to a man that I would call prudent, my husband is a very prudent person.

” So, he believes a lot in savings. And then we cultivated the idea from him to save money. You know, you take out what you need, not necessarily everything that you want, so I’ve been able to save. And it got to a point that I needed to build a house for my mom. So I had to dip my hands into the savings and I wanted to do something for her. I wanted to appreciate her because my mom is the reason why I’ve been able to do this. She’s been there for my children, from when I started to have children. So I built a house for her. So the money I was left with was like N55 million in that account and I knew that, okay, it’s time for me to do this movie. So I called my friend because I have two other partners and a friend, a sister, a younger sister, Motunrayo. I said, Motunrayo, how much do you have in your hand too? I want to produce this fine movie and I don’t think I have enough. She said okay, how much do you need? I said if I can get like N20 million from you, she said, okay, give me two weeks.

” I said okay, that’s fine. So before then, she raised the money like two times, 10, 10. So we had 75 million. I said that’s very good. I got an endorsement deal, and at that time, Twins Faja Nigeria Limited signed me again. They paid me 10 million. So the money was growing. And I called my other partner, Mr. Adeleye Fabusoro, how much do you have in your bank account for a film? I asked for like N10 or N15 million to continue this project, to do what I wanted to do. He said, okay, I can only borrow you. Borrow, borrow, borrow. So he was saying the borrow like two, three, four times. I said, okay, don’t worry. So that was how I was able to put this money together. And so far, so good. Every one of them has been part of this great support to sell the movie. In three weeks of premiering in the cinema, we were able to gross N60 million, above 60 million. We’re not doing badly. People love the movie. The movie speaks for itself. And I’m glad, I’m so glad that it’s going the way I envisaged.

So I know you mentioned your husband earlier

Yes, please.

Not everybody gets to see your other half, but with the little you said, you spoke quite fondly of him. Tell us about your husband.

Ah, Mr. Kuti. Mr. Kuti is an Ijebu man. We’ve been married since the year 2000.

” I had my first child, Mayowa, in 2001. And when I was going to come into the industry, I told my husband and I was like, well, I was done with the paid employment. I said I can’t do all this paid employment anymore. Maybe you set me up or something. Then he asked, okay, is there not something that you would like to do or love to do by yourself? And I said, I wanted to go into acting, but you would not want me because you would say I’m married. He said, hey, now you’re talking about your destiny.

So you should go and find a way, you know, to start doing it. So I went for an audition. I got a script. And then, of course, my baby was, my Mayowa was still little.

” So I needed somebody to take care of her for me. So my husband was supporting me in that area.

“So, from that time, I’ve been getting that support. The only thing my husband would say is that, don’t spoil my name. So you have to be careful with what you do, where you go, how you deal with people. And he has never complained about me having to kiss anyone on set.

Sometimes he will advise that clearly, you people would just be kissing like local people. Can’t you people kiss in the way that we feel the love and all that, that you’d be kissing and be doing like this? When it comes to your point to, I mean, your part to kiss, please, can you just do it properly? I said, okay, no problem. Unfortunately for him, I’ve not really gotten a role like that.