The name Segun Ogungbe is not unfamiliar in the Nigerian movie industry, especially in the Yoruba sector. The actor who has just returned from a trip to the Netherlands speaks with FEMI OGUNTAYO about why he was there and also talks about trending issues in the movie industry. Excerpts:
What’s new with Segun Ogungbe?
Well, a lot is new to me. Currently, there is an ongoing plan for me to shoot a new movie next month which should be in the cinemas and also on Netflix later on which is entitled ‘Osho’ (Wizard). The reason being that, I have shot a lot of movies and many of my fans would tell me that they want them on Netflix and all that, especially those not in the country, so I have decided to do something for them too.
How would you describe this year for you so far?
We thank God because the movie industry is changing every day and we thank God we are evolving with it also. Things have really changed, from the days of cassette to disc and now we are in the digital era, I just thank God we have been able to remain consistent and relevant with time.
How would you describe the effect of the evolving movie industry on the movie business generally? Especially now that everything is moving gradually to majorly streaming online.
It has not affected us negatively, in fact, before we had to look for ways to market the movies by selling the disc and all, but now that we have several streaming platforms that are paying well like Netflix, YouTube and the likes, I would say things are better. It has now become easier for us to market our movies and I am really happy about that.
Recently, you were in the Netherlands with your family, can you tell us about the trip? What was it all about?
We were there on holiday and you know we have been working on some projects before now also and our people in the Netherlands showed interest in seeing them so we showed them that there. I also shot a movie there, you know we have our colleagues in TAMPAN who are based there too, so we did a project together over there too before leaving there. But originally, I was there on holiday with my family.
So, what did you bring back from the Netherlands?
We thank God, you will recall that I did a movie recently that I titled ‘Jolo’ and it was massively received by my fans as it got over 5 million views online and they have been asking for a sequence. Now I am announcing here now that there is a sequence coming soon that I titled ‘Juda’ which will drop soon. It is a sequence for my movie ‘Jolo’.
Recently, some actors in the indigenous Yoruba movie industry were recognised at the AMVCA and one of them, Odunlande Adekola, was widely celebrated by you his colleagues. What would you say this recognition portends for the movie industry, especially the Yoruba sector?
I believe it will bring more development to us because whoever is recognised like that, it will be a plus to his or her career and whoever is associated with him, be his colleagues, the people he serves as ambassadors for and the likes. It will also draw more people to him, more people will want to work with him. So, it is definitely a thing of joy and we want more of that moving forward.
So, should we also be expecting one of your movies to be nominated at the next AMVCA?
By God’s grace, we are working on that.
This trending issue of celebrities ‘carelessly’ exposing their families on social media, what would have to say on it?
You see, you cannot satisfy everyone, especially our people. Sometimes, when you think you have done something and it is the right thing, you will still get some people who would say what have you done? That is life for you and when you are in our line of work or a celebrity, you should expect that a lot. I am not surprised, not everyone will love whatever you do and even if you shoot a movie and everyone is commending your job, you will still get some people who would still say you did rubbish. On carelessly exposing families on social media, if you check my social media pages out, you will notice I am not the type who does that. I don’t really post things like that, I don’t even have the time, but some people, have time to post unnecessary things like what they eat, what they wear, where they go and what happens in their homes on social media and there are some people online who don’t have other jobs than to monitor these things and pass comments on them, some positive and most times negative. But that is their life, it is a free world.
So, would you say social media has made or marred the industry?
It is in both ways, it has made and marred the industry in so many ways. For example, seeing two celebrities having issues and taking it to social media, this isn’t good for them, it isn’t good for the industry and they don’t know. On the other hand, it has made some people who they are today. Through social media, some people have become celebrities, some make their connections through social media. So it depends on how one makes use of it. I would just advise all of us to behave ourselves publicly, especially on social media because we are supposed to be role models to a lot of people out there. They should manage what and how they post on social media with wisdom and care. They should remember people are watching.
Some up-and-coming stars in the movie industry have always complained of the big names not giving them the chance to rise to that height where they become a face too and that they are limited to smaller roles in movies. What is your say on this?
The problem is that most of them lack focus, nobody can stop whoever is focused from shinning, and that is just the fact. If you are focused and develop yourself to the stage where people will see you as someone to reckon with, nobody will say they want to relegate you. Just like I said earlier about actors fighting themselves on social media, who would want to associate with people like that who lack focus? So, when they are focused, they will definitely be relevant and be on top of their games.
On a lighter note, can you tell us one of the greatest things a fan has done for you?
I have a lot of wonderful memories with my fans, a lot! A fan has called me before and told me he loved my movies and would like to sponsor my next project and he did. He gave me money to shoot another movie.
Some words for your fans
I will thank them for always patronizing us and they should also know that they can make or mar us by whatever they say or how they relate to us. They should please continue to support us. This digital era has brought a lot of us closer than before. So, they can contact us anytime and let us know how they feel about us. Though some fans are naturally wicked and would just because they have data, write bad things about an actor or actress, which will also influence whatever decision that person also wants to make. So, they should please be nice to us. I thank them all.