Article
By Olu Victor
Rave-of-the-moment singer, David Adeleke a.k.a Davido, is about to cut his teeth as an actor, his cousin, Ikechukwu Ojeogwu has revealed.
Ojeogwu who is the producer of the said movie, John Zerebe, is also making his debut in Nollywood, with a proposed budget N10 million for this first flick.
The money may be small considering the director of the movie, Teco Benson and a cast member like Genevieve Nnaji whom he is considering for the lead role, but Ojeogwu said the budget is outside cameras and other equipment which he has acquired to start off his full scale production company.
Although he is yet to finalize on bringing casting Genevieve for the lead female role, he believes that having the diva with Davido in John Zerebe will be a great achievement. “I have not decided on the female lead yet, but my eyes are on Genevieve Nnaji. Having her and Davido in the same movie will surely be a huge hit, but the major challenge now is that Genevieve is younger, and may not fit-in well, as the character of the lead actress demands,” he said.
Being the first film by an unknown producer, a popular face like Davido will surely make a good hype, but Ojeogwu said he is featuring Davido, not just because they are related or because of his popularity. “The choice of Davido is not to make the film accepted by the general public. I believe that my cousin, Davido really fits the role for which he was chosen. This was not favouritism. Although, Davido may have become a huge success in the music world, this would be his first time in a movie.”
He added that the choice of Teco Benson is also to realize the potential of the script towards an action-packed movie. “The choice of Teco is obvious. John Zerebe is action-packed, and the best person to direct the movie is no other person than Teco. I will be playing the lead role, even as the producer.
He revealed that the movie is a combination of his personal experience and those of others. “I put everything together to make it unique. John Zerebe is about a young, smart guy who wants to live a big life at an early age. He wants to achieve everything within the twinkle of an eye. This leads him into doing all sorts of things for quick money. But was he able to achieve that? You just have to find out when the film is released.
Like the kind of parental support which Davido enjoys, Ojeogwu said he has also got the backing of his mother to become a filmmaker. “She has been very supportive; I won’t be here without her support. I developed this idea to go into acting before David became Davido, let alone being known all over the world. She told me she would be supportive. I am happy with the kind of family I have, they give us everything in order to achieve our dreams.”
But how disposed is Davido to the project? Ojeogwu said “Davido is quite delighted and very supportive on this project like he has always been and he’s so big that if he puts his hand in anything that doesn’t worth it, it would tarnish his image and what he has built for himself. He has a lot at stake, aside from the financial stake, his image is also at stake and he’s taking this as serious as any other business.”