With Saro return from the dead to accomplish a single task and Kuranga standing on the way of the son of Bashorun of Oyo, Anikulapo: Rise of the Specter has showing the deep root of greed, ambition, power play, manipulation, love and betrayal.
Anikulapo: Rise Of The Spectre, is a six-part Nefltflix Original epic series spinoff from 2022 hit movie, Anikulapo directed by Kunle Afolayan.
In Anikulapo: Rise Of The Spectre, Saro returns to the Oyo Kingdom with orders to complete a nearly impossible task of killing the twenty people he brought back to life using the magical powder gained from the mystic bird (Eye Akala).
With Kunle Remi returning as Saro and Bimbo Ademoye as Rolake, the lovers turned foes are joined by a unique blend of Nollywood veterans and stars such as Sola Sobowale, Jide Kosoko, Lincoln Owo Ogunde, Taiwo Hassan, Gabriel Afolayan, Adewale Elesho, Uzee Usman and others.
The Guardian chat with five members of the cast including Lateef Adedimeji, Gabriel Afolayan Uzee Usman, Eyiyemi Afolayan, and Oyindamola Sanni.
Speaking on the project, Adedimeji who played the role of Awolaran, the son of the Bashorun of Oyo, rated Anikulapo a 100 over 100 project. “Every scene has a mood, and Kunle Afolayan will tell an actor the mood even with the lighting or with the camera angle even before a line go comes out from the character itself. So for me, Anikulapo is 100 over 100, Rise of the Specter.
“Anikulapo: Rise of the Specter is a very relatable story. There is no way anyone will watch Anikulapo and won’t find something personal or has to do with someone known or something that has happened around them. It speaks about politics, day-to-day activities and what is happening in the community.
“Anikulapo has added another value, another feather and another step to me moving ahead. This is a story that cuts across every part of the world. And it is a beautiful thing that we’re waking up to the fact that our story and what we have here is so beautiful, that when we tell the outside world, how beautiful we are and how beautiful what we have is, there is no way we won’t keep topping the game.
This project is phenomenon, magical, fire and shut down.
Usman who played the role of Kuranga, said: “Anikulapo is refreshing. The Northern-Yoruba mixed character brought some flavour.
When asked about how challenging his role was, he said: “It was very challenging because Lateef and I have to rehearse fights for weeks, then we have to be in a particular frame of mind, a particular place for monitoring. Everybody brought their A-game; it was challenging for everybody because Kunle is a perfectionist.
“The scene between Princess Omowunmi and I was interesting; I passed out, and she didn’t know. Her father put something on my body the night I was supposed to get intimate with her so, it was an emotional thing for her because she had to go beyond and above to convince the audience that I died in her hand and on her bed. Everybody in the room that day started crying. Her father had to hold on to her because she couldn’t stop crying and we had to end shooting that day.
Also, Eyiyemi Afolayan who played the role of Princess Omowunmi described her role as challenging but has opened her up to the industry.
“I just got into the industry. I am still trying to get used to acting along with the people I look up to in the industry so, I had to buddy my role. I had to match up to their capacity and just be natural with my role. I’m glad I had the opportunity to take on this role.
When asked what she would do differently if she were asked to play the same character again, she said: “I will learn to speak Yoruba fluently but I don’t think I will do anything differently in terms of action.
Speaking with The Guardian, Gabriel Afolayan who played the role of Akin described the movie as a good standing for Nollywood industry. “Anikulapo is different in all facets; from the background of merging the veterans and the new guys and from the idea of holding the pillar. This project gives a feeling of what should be happening in the industry- love, comradely, wanting to seek each other out, partying while working and letting us know that people are who they are so, it has given the job an offshoot of a big deal.
“This movie is relatable; it talks about love, friendship, politics, culture and betrayal, these are the things we experience every day so, what the project has done was to replicate our lifestyles and then back it up with traditional and cultural factors. Anikulapo is not a total fiction but a diplomatic discussion between nations.
Oyindamola Sanni, said: “Anikulapo is intriguing. My role was challenging. The fact that I had to speak Yoruba all through and it was my first time playing a major role in one of my mentor’s movies. I was scared and the tension was much because I didn’t want to make any mistake.
“This project is a booster. Anikulapo has skyrocketed my career.
When asked about her most interesting scene, she said: “The scene where I was happy to announce to my mom that I had somebody to get married to. I was pregnant and she told me that Saro was the same man she was in love with and had intimate moments with and that he was not alive. So, with the pregnancy, it was too late to turn back so, bringing emotions into one was a lot.
“Being part of Anikulapo has helped me to appreciate the Yoruba culture bette.
