I watched Basketmouth’s interview, where he revealed that Funke Akindele stopped answering his calls when he reached out for a movie collaboration.
He even sent over 25 messages – he said – but Funke Akindele didn’t respond.
And while Basketmouth sugarcoated his approach from the angle of someone who was interested in collaboration, I have a different perspective on that.
You see, Basketmouth is one of the most creative Nigerians. Had he decided to only tour with his comedy shows, he would have become very successful in the industry. He has the substance, and the audience loves him, but great men push boundaries. His series Flatmates is where I saw, for the first time, most of the cast. Some, I would later learn, were already popular comedians before Flatmates, but I met them first in Flatmates.
I first saw Funke in the film Jenifa. And ever since she produced that movie, she has not looked back. She could have become a very sought-after star, but she decided to be fully into making films, and she’s yet to disappoint. As someone who has tried so many things, I can tell you for free that getting to the level of Funke requires working round the clock and having a good head on your shoulders. And if Funke picks any talent out there, she has what it takes to turn the person into a diamond. She is the ship and the captain, and she knows the power she wields.
I would first say that Nigerians are yet to know how big Funke is in the industry. In fact, she was the first person approached by Basketmouth, and when she declined, he reached out to Mo Abudu.
Funke has not told us her side of the story, but I am inclined to believe that she viewed it from the lens of business. To be sincere, Basketmouth is a great guy with huge love from the masses, but in the Diocese of the film industry, Basketmouth is a canon in the cathedral where Funke is the Bishop. And it is left for a Bishop to grant a favor to any priest—after all, the church is his.
The lovers of Basketmouth would drag Funke, but a woman who built such an empire must have had a reason not to open her door to a duke.
