Kunle Afolayan speaks on inspiration behind ‘Anikulapo’

Kunle Afolayan, the Nigerian movie producer and director, has spoken about the inspiration behind ‘Anikulapo’, his chart-topping movie.

In an interview with KapTV alongside Shola Sobowale, the 48-year-old disclosed that “Nigeria” inspired him to produce ‘Anikulapo’.

Afolayan said he also wanted a movie that will “depict who we are as Nigerians and Africans”.

“One I would say Nigeria, Nigeria is a lot of inspiration, and two I like stories that really depict who we are as Nigerians, as Africans. Then again, I’m very into originality, authenticity, and the fact that the Yoruba story isn’t even yet to be scrapped,” he said.

“If you look around, gone are those days when our fathers actually started with Yoruba films but now a lot of people would rather do it in English.

“Trust me if you dig deep, the Yoruba culture, the Igbo culture, the Hausa culture, Ibibio, Benin, in fact, you would not want to do anything in English because all these cultures have deep stories that if we start, I believe for the next 100 years, we would have a lot.”

On her part, Sobowale spoke on her role as ‘Awarun’ in ‘Anikulapo’. She described ‘Awarun’ as a “selfish” but “beautiful and hardworking” woman.

“Awarun was selfish, beautiful, and hardworking. She has been around, she knows her onions. She can read people and she’s very intelligent, so she’s always a step ahead of everybody,” she said.

Set in the 17th century Oyo Kingdom, ‘Anikulapo’ centers on the story of Saro, a young cloth weaver, who is brought back to life by a mystical bird after he was beaten to death for having an affair with Arolake, the Alaafin’s youngest wife.

The movie also examines issues surrounding the rebirth of identity in Africa by exploring different perspectives on the concept.

Watch the video below: