Nigerian veteran actor, Bob-Manuel Udokwu has decried the influx of poorly trained practitioners into the movie industry.
He expressed sadness that half-baked actors and filmmakers have invaded Nollywood and are now the leading characters.
Udokwu said the industry should be better than the level it has reached and the only reason the growth seems stagnant is because a lot of unprofessional activities are taking place.
He spoke during an Instagram Live session with journalist, Azuh Arinze within the week of his 60th birthday
The movie star said; “Nollywood ought to be greater than what it is at the moment. Unfortunately, the true potential of the industry is not being realised. A lot of unprofessional activities are going on.
“Many half-baked practitioners have invaded the industry. The real professionals should step forward and take back Nollywood.”
Speaking on the high point of his career, Udokwu mentioned having the privilege of anchoring Gulder Ultimate Search among other accomplishments.
He said; “Being in ‘Checkmate’ (a TV series in the nineties) was a game changer for me. Also, being in ‘Living in Bondage’ (one of the first Nigerian home videos) paved the way for some other roles.
“Anchoring Gulder Ultimate Search (a TV reality show) in 2007 was another game changer for me. It was also challenging, because I was not the first person that anchored it.
“I started anchoring the show in season four in 2007. But, I eventually became the longest-running anchor person for the show. I hosted it for five consecutive years. Basically, not one particular role changed my career; each role added to the things I was doing.”
In other news, Nigerian actor, Nkem Owoh popularly known as Osuofia, has said the type of stories being told in Nollywood movies makes it better than that of its global counterparts Hollywood and Bollywood.
Speaking on Thursday, he said Nigerian movies present real life stories and happenings around the immediate society, so it is wrong to compare the quality of domestic films to those produced in advanced countries.
Nkem Owoh further explained that Nigerian filmmakers were only adopting the use of technology imported from the developed nations.
He said; “The storyline we take is better than any story from any woods, we don’t have the technology, but we have the story.
“We are a third world country coming up, and people should give us kudos for the level we have attained.
“I believe, with the stories and creativity among us, if we get the needed technology, we will go places”.
