Basketmouth, a renowned Nigerian comedian and film producer, has shared his main concerns with Nollywood films.
The actor and producer expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of authenticity in many Nollywood productions, which makes it challenging for him to relate to them. As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, Basketmouth emphasized his commitment to achieving realism in his own work.
Criticizing the absence of realism in Nollywood, Basketmouth spoke candidly about his perspective while discussing his movie A Ghetto Love Story, saying:
BASKETMOUTH: I’m a perfectionist. I’m a Virgo. I read that Virgos are perfectionists but by default, I’m one. If it’s not a hundred, I’m not doing it. When I was making this movie, I told myself that if I don’t get it right, nobody is going to see the film. Because I know what I want, I know what I will get, so I don’t panic.
When it comes to our movies, the mistake our people make is that they don’t make the world believable. It doesn’t look real. If I cannot believe the world you’ve set your movie in, I’m not watching the movie. So, when I see these recent Nigerian epic movies, it looks like a stage play. It’s not real. I don’t believe it.
Sometimes what we don’t know that keeps us grounded or keeps us static is not knowing our purpose. A lot of people don’t know their purpose, and that’s another reason a lot of marriages fail: when the couple they don’t have a purpose.
I think I know my purpose in life better now. I was put here to give opportunities for people to shine. I was happy when Akah told me that in all his career, this is the first time he’s putting one hundred of himself in a movie, and he’s getting 100 back. I was happy to hear that because it means that you can trust me with your talent and I will deliver. I think that one of my purposes is to help showcase artists the way they want to be showcased. So I think I’m a kingmaker. Yeah, I can call myself a kingmaker.