As the entertainment industry, particularly the movie sector, continues to expand and churning out new movie stars regularly who are raking in millions from appearance and engagements with top brands as their ambassadors, the new public begging adopted by once celebrated movie stars is becoming a source of worry for many stakeholders. SEGUN ADEBAYO examines some of the issues contributing to this rising trend.
The entertainment industry, particularly the movie sector, has been in the eye of the storm in the last few years and the reason may not be too far to seek. While the industry is growing in leaps and bounds and catching the attention of many including investors from within and outside the shores of the country, things are not rosy for many of its practitioners.
Against the hype, the buzz and attention that come with fame, many a Nigerian expects practitioners to be well off but the current outcry of celebrated artistes over grinding poverty is casting a shade over the claim of prosperity in the country’s film industry.
The industry is indeed booming and those who know how to sell the business of showbiz are regularly being patronised by brands which offer them endorsement deals that are renewable after a period of time. This explains why many celebrities now build their influence and strength on their presence and followership on social media platforms, particularly Instagram and YouTube, as these remain viable channels where they rake in huge money weekly and monthly, depending on what they are selling to the audience.
As the young and influential ones continue to make money, same cannot be said about veteran thespians whose outcry for financial assistance continues to dominate social media space and
With the industry now being rated by stakeholders as one of the fastest growing profitable sectors and projected to generate more than $10 billion in revenue in the next two years, one may not be wrong to posit that those who work and earn a living in the multimillion naira industry should live comfortably on and off the screen.
But the common trend among Nigerian celebrities is that the moment the ovation goes down and the attention they once enjoyed begins to decline, they usually fall into a life of penury with some of them being forced to come back to the public through social media platforms to beg for financial assistance in order take care of one situation or the other.
Over the years, the public and in fact some influential Nigerians have had to come to the rescue of a number of veteran actors and actresses in the English and Yoruba speaking sectors who were either down with one ailment or could no longer live a decent life because of what some people described as poor economic decisions which they indulge to satisfy their lavish lifestyles.
With questions constantly being asked by fans and followers of happenings on the entertainment scene about how they went from being one of the most famous and influential movie stars of their time, who rocked the movie scene for a number of years to going broke and struggling to make a living from what used to be their regular turf.
Public begging as new fad
The social media in the past few weeks has been awash with stories of veteran Yoruba actors and actresses, who now struggle to cope with life after fame as they continue to come out to beg the public for financial assistance with some of them even pleading with the public to buy them vehicles and help them regarding accommodation.
From Margret Olayinka, also known as Iya Gbonkan who got a new car and house to another veteran actor, Fatai Adetayo, famously known as Lalude, who got a brand new Toyota Camry, the number continues to rise as more veteran actors began to embrace the idea of public begging even as some of their colleagues kicked against it.
Between June and now, at least five veteran actors have come out to beg for financial assistance and the number may rise in the coming days.
While findings by Sunday Tribune revealed that some of them blame their situation on poor health conditions which require huge amounts of money to manage, others simply want to ride on the wave of the empathy currently pervading the social media space. It was gathered that a number of them had a bad culture of investing their money wisely.
It was observed that while the lack of education contributes to the current problems of some of them, the inability to rise to the new demands of the industry has further pushed some of them into oblivion. With social media platforms now offering filmmakers a dynamic and cost-effective channel to market their films and products to a wide range of people, only the young ones are embracing the idea.
It was learnt that many of the veteran actors don’t have social media platforms where their previous works and current ones could be shared with their fans and prospective movie producers who could demand for their services and pay them well.
Sunday Tribune sought opinions of some of notable movie producers and actors across the Yoruba and English speaking movie circles but some of them opted to speak anonymously. The reason, according to them, is to avoid deriding their colleagues who found themselves in difficult situations beyond their control.
Though, the lives of the rich and famous often seem glamorous, but even the biggest celebrities have issues with money. Despite many inspiring stories of celebrities who came from nothing and worked their way out of financial hardship, the opposite also happens. From musicians to athletes and even to movie stars, sometimes fame and wealth result in a disastrous spending spree.
Speaking with Sunday Tribune, a popular actor in the English circle who is known for playing the role of traditionalist posited that while some actors them have managed to bounce back after falling, others usually die in financial crises.
He stated that many people die in silence because they feared backlash that could trail their decision to open up about their challenges, adding that it is always difficult for somebody who has been in the faces of the people as a star to come and star asking same people for help.
He maintained that broke celebrities slide into bankruptcy as a result of poor economic decisions which they make to satisfy lavish lifestyles that are obviously beyond their means. It was also gathered that some of them have never really been financially buoyant as their fans were made to believe in the movies. Life portrayed in movies is a far cry from the reality for many of them.
Investigation by Sunday Tribune revealed that many veteran actors and actresses still live in rented apartments while a few who got lucky by their relationship and influence in the society were able to build modest homes but couldn’t enjoy life the way many think they do.
“When they get sick or go broke and come to the public to ask for help, those who don’t know their real stories will wonder why they couldn’t take care of themselves after making so much money from movies and other engagements they get involved in. Some of them are not educated and could not push their career beyond their current level, hence they don’t get called for jobs outside of their social position”, said another Yoruba veteran actor
A veteran actor who didn’t want to be mentioned said many of his colleagues went broke not because they didn’t plan for life after fame, but because some of them found themselves in situations they could not help.
According to the thespian, rising to fame is one thing, maintaining fame is another.
“When you gradually step out of the spotlight because of age or other factors, it takes the grace of God to stay healthy and active because the moment you are not involved in things that have kept you going for many years, you begin to experience a sharp decline that demands a strong mental state of health to deal with.”
Another thespian who also wouldn’t mention his name observed that those who come out to beg have their reasons but not all of the claims are genuine, adding that “if you have worked hard and saved for the rainy day, you should be able to take care of yourself with the help of your children and family before you begin to think of asking the public for help.
“I was once in a very terrible situation but I didn’t come and ask anybody to help me even though I needed all the help I could get, but I don’t want such attention for my family. I told them if I died, they should just let me go and rest. They simply spend more than they make, max out on credit and lose sight of how to manage finances – that is if they ever knew how to begin with.”
Need for a trust fund
Further investigation also revealed that there may soon be a way out of the current trouble for the thespians as some prominent Nigerians have reached out to some stakeholders in the Yoruba movie industry to set up a trust fund that could cater to the needs of veteran artistes who may be plagued by unforeseen circumstances.
It was gathered that any moment from now, stakeholders in the industry will gather to announce the development to the public and put an end to the public begging of veterans. It was also gathered that a prominent actor in the Yourba speaking section of the film industry will be chairing the board.
A source told Sunday Tribune that the trust fund had been discussed for weeks and is being considered to fly any moment from now.
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