Multiple award-winning filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has explained that giving singing couple, Simi and Adekunle Gold, their first movie roles was purely coincidental.
Simi stars in Mokalik, which had a private press screening in Lagos on Tuesday.
Adekunle Gold made his film debut in The CEO released in 2016.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Qed.ng on Friday, Kunle said he did not know the pair were dating when he cast Adekunle alongside Angelique Kidjo, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Hilda Dokubo, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Wale Ojo and others in the psychological thriller.
“I am a fan of Adekunle Gold and didn’t know he was dating Simi when we cast him in The CEO.
“I had seen him perform with a live band and I wanted to showcase the originality in live music in The CEO. His style suited what we wanted to achieve in the film,” he said.
He added that Simi’s role in Mokalik was written to suit her.
Hear him: “I like Simi’s voice and I think she deserves to be celebrated beyond what she does with music.
“We wrote the part of a young girl with a beautiful voice who aspires to become a singer for her. I decided to retain her name so it is obvious that that was her natural role.”
The 44-year-old, whose other ground-breaking productions include Irapada, The Figurine, Phone Swap and October 1, added that between Adekunle Gold and Simi was Chidinma who made her film debut in The Bridge released in December 2017.
“Music is important to what we do and I like to partner with people once I identify they have talent. It does not matter whether they are celebrities or not,” concluded.
