Stan Eze, Zainab Balogun turn up for ‘Charge & Bail’ premiere in Lagos

‘Charge & Bail’, a dramedy starring BBNaija’s Pere Egbi, has premiered at a private event in Lagos.

The premiere was staged at the Ebony Life place in Victoria Island on Sunday, hosting both celebrities and the media alike.

‘Charge & Bail’ tells the story of a rich young lawyer posted to a “charge and bail” law firm during her year of the national youth service but trouble ensues as she struggles to fit in with the people, courts, and life.

Co-produced by Film One and Inkblot, it dwells on an adventure and a clash between the haves and the have-nots.

The movie is directed by Uyoyou Adia, a movie executive who wrote the Nollywood film ‘Nneka the Pretty Serpent’.

Among those present at the premiere are members of the cast including Stan Nze, Chigurl, and Zainab Balogun.

Speaking on her experience as a lead character in the film, Balogun said: “Shooting ‘Charge & Bail’ in itself was a unique experience. What drove me to take part in it is the number of themes that were fitted into it.

“As someone who has a legal background, I was able to bring to bear my skills and history into my character, Boma. It was fun creating a personality and watching it unravel itself, going from paper to screen. It takes a lot of time.

“Working with the cast made it easier. Filming is not always easy but we pushed through it. As you know, we need a lot more infrastructure and support in the film space but we had the likes of Inkblot who pushed the boundaries.

“I think the movie will do well and people are going to be able to connect with the realness, coreness, honesty, and truth that they see in the story. They’re going to see Nigeria at the end of the day and that makes it relatable.”

Pere Egbi, Stan Nze — on character embodiment

A teaser for ‘Charge & Bail’ was earlier released just as Pere was still in the 2021 BBNaija show. The footage had portrayed him as a confrontational and rich personality slugging it out with a plaintiff over dropping a court case.

Pere clarified that he’s different from the character he played, irrespective of existing perceptions of him.

“The character I played is really not me but, if you will scale through as an actor, you have to be able to dig it and bring something out. It was quite an experience. The character is cocky, rich, arrogant. I’m none of that,” he said.

“Naturally, I’m a very humble and reserved person. It was challenging going there and doing all that you’re not.

“There was nothing arrogant about me on BBNaija. I just had a very strong personality. But in the end, everyone is entitled to an opinion. I can’t change people’s perceptions of me. I can only be me and expect acceptance.”

In the same vein, Stan Nze said: “I played Dotun, an egocentric character who thinks he is one of the best things that happened to the legal space. I’m not a lawyer but we had to ensure our interpretation of the role was realistic.

“It was quite challenging but the director had us covered. We filmed for about a month. We took a break and came, back after three weeks. It was challenging. We couldn’t film the court scenes on any other day but on weekends.

“That stalled the shoot a bit; we all had to be available. N150 million is my projection for the movie in the cinema.”

‘Charge & Bail’ director Uyoyou Adia details casting process

Also among members of the cast for the film are Bimbo Manuel, Craze Clown, Femi Adebayo, and Folu Storms.

On the red carpet, Adia spoke to TheCable Lifestyle about directing the film and the criteria that informed casting.

“We had auditions and cast based on those that fit the characters we had written. The appearance was an important criterion for selection. They all came with their A-game and had my back as much as I had theirs,” she said.

Asked if the presence of the 2021 BBNaija housemate Pere made any difference in the movie’s rollout, Adia added: “Pere is my guy. He was in the film before he went for the BBNaija show, so it really didn’t determine that.”