Nollywood and Renewed Season of Royalty

Photo source: iRokotv

(All Africa)--About 15 years ago, more than 80 per cent of the movies that were being churned out on a weekly basis, were all 'epic' films.

In case you have no understanding what an epic film in Nigeria film tradition otherwise called Nollywood is, let me give you an insight. A movie that was shot on location in a typical village with mud houses and all the characters wear sack clothes and walk bare footed. It is always about some gods (then Amadioha, Orisi Iyi, Sango and Ogun among other not too popular gods) fighting for or against the people. It was fashioned in the tradition of the Greek theatre-deus ex machina-where issues are resolved by the gods.

The 'epic' tradition later gave way to 'comedy' films, that era saw people like Aki and Paw Paw among others becoming stars in Nollywood. It was just an advanced Baba Sala and Jagua kind of slapstick comedy films.

There was a season where almost all the films produced where about sorrow, tears and tragedy. The lead character is made to go through unimaginable pain. Films like Onome among others kick started that era and in every film, the lead actress must cry her eyeballs out at the drop of a hat. The audience loved the movies and actresses like Nkiru Slyvanus among others were seen crying in all the films they starred in.

Then enter the 'campus' film season where a large percentage of movies were themed around life in the campus. There are no clear cut plots, just some bunch of characters acting out something with a 'known face' but inside in a school campus setting and it was bound to make an impact in the already saturated market.

So what do we have now? More than half of all the films produced in Nollywood in the last couple of years are all about royalty. Walter Anga is the stereotype prince in almost all the movies and he is either looking for a good wife or is in an epic battle with the king for refusing to marry the wife arranged for him because he is in love with a 'village' girl who the father (the King) feels is not classy enough to be the next princess of the Kingdom.

I have seen Anga in over 20 Nollywood films playing a prince and the plots are all similar. One very embarrassing thing I noticed was the actor using the same red Toyota Tundra pickup truck I saw him use in two different films that were not sequel to each other. The only connection was that all movies were directed by someone who will unarguably win the 'Best Director of films with Royal themes' award in Nollywood-Ugezu J. Ugezu! Any film you see that guy's credit on, it must have royalty as plot. He even writes some of the stories and screen plays too.

Yul Edochie, son of veteran actor Pete Edochie appears to be in competition with Walter Anga in playing prince in Nollywood films centered around royalty while Mercy Johnson is the leading stereotypical light in playing the 'village girl' that the prince will always prefer over the sophisticated, more pretty princess.

The plots are similar, costumes and even locations are almost the same including the cast and crew. Some people are just very lazy, especially the storytellers and screen play writers. The 'Royal' films as many practitioners call this set of film; are very predictable (most Nollywood films are predictable anyway). From the beginning, you already know that the Prince will marry the pauper girl and he will either get serious opposition from the Queen Mother or the King or both, but at the end, they will see reasons with him on why he should marry this lovely, humble, good mannered but poor girl.

This is a passionate appeal to Ugezu J. Ugezu and his clan of 'Royal' movie producers to be more creative because the monotony in their craft is becoming not only sad but offensive to discerning minds.