Pretty,sexy and multi-talented.Rita Dominic Waturuocha needs no introduction in the Nigerian movie industry.She is one star actress whose profile has been on the rise since she was lured into Nollywood by top actor-cum comedian, Basorge Tariah in 1998. And since then, Rita, as she is fondly called by her fans,has been an indomitable figure in Nollywood with her explosive performances in Nigerian home movies.Born in Abiah Mbaise Local Government of Imo State,the 30something year-old Theatre Arts graduate of University of Port Hacourt is blessed with stunning and attractive look.
Reserved and shy,it was in the news early last year that she was about getting married to the younger brother of Lanre Shittu,a prominent business man and car dealer.When asked to comment on it,Rita would rather keep mum;“I don’t want to talk about my private life. And for the marriage rumour, “there was nothing of such".She has acted in over 70 home movies,she is nonetheless excited about her role in the on going stage play - Vagina Monologues being sponsored by Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), a non-governmental organisation.
She started acting when she was six and continued when she was in secondary school. Being a professional actress is not accidental because she studied theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt and after that she came into Nollywood to act.Acting is something she has always had a passion for.So,if people are giving her accolades that she is doing well,it shows that hardwork has paid off.She never came out that I wanted to be a star because it is not something that you come and say.She has a passion for acting first and put in her best and whatever happens from there she take it.
She left the industry at one point and relocated to London.She came back in 2003 for a brief holiday and started acting again. She does nothing else apart from acting.She claimed she is an actor and an actor will always be an actor.She had starred in between 75 to 80 movies.Acting has deny her privacy and it hindered creatively in terms of resources and piracy.It gets to a point that she tell herself this is serious business and ignore whatever people are writing about her.She had to find a way to get it out of her mind and be focused and that is what she had done over the past years.People don't talk about you when nothing is happening in your life.When my privacy is invaded I snap out of it,forge on with my work and remain focused.
Marriage is not in her dictionary right now for personal reasons.It is not that she doesnt want to get married but she prefer to be an old bride.Funny enough everybody in her family is married.Her parents were happily married before their death.For her,marriage is good but just not psychologically ready for now.e don't care about what people think and people should know that whatever we are acting on television is make-believe and just trying to educate people about the society they are.When she is getting marrie,she is getting married for myself and not for what people say. She is doing it to make herself happy.
Her ideal man have to be like her.A man that shares views about life,a hardworking man,a man who appreciates strong family values,a Christian.She is a very deep thinker and need someone who can challenge her in terms of depth and discussion.She is just comfortable and okay and thank and bless God for each day that comes and goes.At least she don't beg for food on the streets.She debunked the rumour that she is arrogant or proud.She claimed she is not a snub,she has a certain aura that when people see her they believe even without saying anything to her that she is already a snub.She says she is a polite person because she was brought up properly from a proper family.She was brought up to respect my elders and exchange greetings with people but If you show her an attitude I will show you back.
She has never been harrassed in Nollywood but she knows it is there.She know such things do occur but the truth of the matter is whoever demands for that before giving you a role,you have to ask yourself 'do I have the talent? If you don't have the talent and you have sex from now till tomorrow, you are just wasting your time because they won't give you a job.Yes,Sexual harassment does happen and it is there because she have heard one or two complaints from girls but another thing is that you can’t really come out and criticize them because they are adults.
Where are these superstars?Although some of them still manage to get movie roles once in while,things are changing and their performance cannot be compared to what it was a few years ago.This may perhaps be due to the emergence of a new generation of talented actors and actresses who are holding their own against the established stars.
•Sola Sobowale: She is obviously an actress with an incredible talent.Sola’s versatility has earned her much respect in both the Yoruba and English sectors of the movie industry.She used to be a regular face in Nigerian movies but has not featured in any new flick since she travelled to London last year.Her whereabouts has generated a lot of controversies among her fans following wicked rumours that she was arrested in London for a drug-related offence.
•Hanks Anuku: Hanks is also a fantastic actor, especially when it comes to action movies.This actor has not featured in many movies of late,this is attributed to his nonchalant attitude on location.
•Cossy Orjiakor: She was always in the news some years back due to her controversial exploits in the musical video of fuji musician,Abass Akande Obesere.The crossover actress has since kept a low profile in the showbiz industry.Cossy, a Unilag Masters degree holder and a landed property owner in Lekki,has also found love in music.But as far as Nollywood is concerned right now,she is a fading star.
•Nike Peller: She is the beautiful daughter of the late popular magician,Professor Peller.Alhaja Nike embarked on pilgrimage to Mecca last year,can also be described as one of the fading stars considering how frequently her face used to appear in Yoruba flicks.
•Alade Aromire: Still basking in the joy of producing the first Yoruba movie,Prince Aromire is supposed to be one of the most celebrated actors, both in ANTP and the movie industry at large.Having produced and acted in many of the earlier flicks that ruled the movie scene between the late 1980s and the 1990s,Prince Aromire,who had made other stars during his active days is now a fading star.Although the reason he is fading away cannot be ascertained,Aromire,who now sits atop a group of companies had at a time incurred the wrath of some executive members of the ANTP.He was expelled from the association.He was axed after being found guilty of floating an organisation which grooms upcoming stars without the permission of ANTP.But now,he has been made to apologise and atone for his sins.He has now retired from acting but often produces movies just to introduce prospective actors.Prince Aromire uses his media on cable TV,Yotomi and Alphabet Music Production to promote his proteges.
Rasak Olayiwola (Araosan): Although Rasak Olayiwola a.k.a. Araosan was perceived by many as a local champion in the past,the erstwhile rave may have buried his talent having found a greener pasture.The actor,who is a founding member of the Odunfa Caucus of ANTP now lives in America with his family having won the annual American visa lottery two years ago.Due to this development in his life, he no longer features in movies and is no more in touch with film producers.
Jerry Amilo: After the accident which resulted in a three-day coma for the Nollywood actor,not much has been heard about him.Jerry had a close shave with death in an accident a few years ago. This became a turning point in his life.According to the action films expert,he saw God when he died and was deposited in the morgue for three days.This was what made him heed the call that he must be born-again.
Since then,he has not been in the limelight but his works still speak for him as one of the best action film actors Nigeria has every produced.But today, his fame is gradually fading away.
•Sandra Achums: The delectable actress' face and name would probably still open doors,though the opportunity is not unconnected with her success in the movie world.
Having explored both the English and Yoruba speaking genres of the industry,she later had an opportunity of living outside the shores of the country,due to marriage.
She is now back in the country to pick up her career after her marriage developed hiccups.However,due to the influx of highly ambitious and younger actresses into the system,she may have to work even harder to reclaim her past glory.
•Regina Askia: Though Most Wanted actress,Regina got married to a whiteman,she has had her own share of stardom.But she is no longer the rave of the moment.She is one of the actresses who are currently fading away in the industry.
.Liz Benson: She is one of the most fantastic actresses Nollywood has ever produced. Lizzy is still a role model to many young actresses in the industry,has acted in countless number of flicks.During her active days in the industry,hardly will you see any movie jacket or poster without Liz Benson's beautiful face.She was the toast of virtually every marketer because her face alone could sell thousands of copies of a movie.Today,her numerous fans have not seen her face for several months.
.Clarion Chukwura: This is another talented actress that Nollywood could be proud of.Her sheer versatility in moviedom has earned her respect and several laurels, both within and outside the shores of Nigeria.Beautiful Clarion,who had a child for ace juju musician,Sir Shina Peters.She is one of the stars,who are gradually fading off the screens of Nollywood.
.Yemi Ayebo: This Ikorodu-based filmmaker cum actor rose to prominence in the early 1990s with the movie,Yemi My Lover.Later,he made other films like Yemi In The Moon and of recent,Gbeleyi Fariga.But his flicks have suffered criticisms as regards technology,originality and at times,storyline.Yemi has also ceased to be prominent in the make believe industry.
.Lilian Bach: This mulatto actress used to be one of the most sought-after in the movie industry.Although the impact Lilian has made in the industry cannot be underestimated,she has not appeared in movies for quite a while.Unlike when she was busy,jumping from one location to another,Lilian seems to have taken the back seat in Nollywood.
.Ronnie Dikko: Ronnie used to be a prominent face in soap operas, and then Nigerian movies.This has made her a role model for many upcoming and aspiring actresses.Although Ronnie is into other businesses,her commanding presence in moviedom seems to be gradually fading away.
Anytime i see her on movies,she just always amuse me but i like her all the same-get to know her more from her interview in one of Naija Magazine:
Clara Nneka Oluwatoyin Chukwurah was born on Sunday July 24th 1964 at the University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Lagos to Mr. John & Mrs. Christiana Chukwurah.Mr J.C. chukwurah,a chartered accountant and top Lagos socialite,and c.o. chukwurah,an ibara abeokuta princess who was a building materials contractor.She is an only daughter with four brothers.She had a good childhood in a big home off Commercial Avenue in the Old Yaba,Lagos,growing up among upper middle class neighbours and family friends in a clean,organised and civilised neighbourhood of a not then over populated Lagos state, Nigeria.
She attended Moluka and Lady Lark nursery schools in Yaba, Lagos and All Saints primary school, Montgomery road, Yaba, Lagos. The loss of her father in 1975 when she was aged 11yrs moved her and her brothers to live with her paternal uncle in Aba, Abia State. She attended Queen of our Rosary College (Q.R.C.), Onitsha, Anambra State, Her hometown for her secondary school education. She was listed in the Daily Times as having passed her Common Entrance examination with the highest aggregate thus with the choice to attend a federal government college and she chose Q.R.C. She studied acting and speech at the Department of Dramatic Arts, University of Ife, Ile-Ife.She later did a three weeks refresher speech course in Leeds (North England) in 1997 sponsored by The West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds.
She began acting as a keenly interested teenager in Oct. 1979 having played Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ both school plays while at Q.R.C.
She became a semi-professional actor with the University of Ibadan Performing Company and also joined Tunji Oyelana’s band “The Kenneries” as a back-up vocal. On Jul. 1st 1980, she left the UPC to further her professional training at the University of Ife on Oct. 1st 1981. She became a professional actor in 1984 with Lola Fani - Kayode’s soap opera “Mirror In the Sun”, she has in the twenty six year span of her career attended several theatre workshops, theatre business seminars, Script conferences and refresher courses. A deeply talented actor, she acquired skill with training and experience to emerge as one of the best at character and method acting in Africa. A continuous student of history and literature; she is a voracious fan of writers such as Robert Ludlum, Leon Uris and John Grisham. She got her foundational inspiration at age six from Michael Jackson and at eight years old from King Sunday Aladeniyi aka Sunny Ade. Her most interesting past times are long country side drives, sailing, fooling around with her family, reading historical or covert books, watching historical films and listening to R&Bs, Orlando Owoh’s and King Sunny Ade’s oldies.
She got married to her estranged husband in an elaborate traditional wedding in Onitsha about some years ago,had once married Mr. Tunde Abiola,younger brother of the late Basorun M.K.O. Abiola and also had a son for the Afro Juju music star, Sir Sina Peters.she presently lives with her first son Clarence Peters (a graduate of City Varsity Multimedia Film School, Cape Town South Africa) and two younger sons (Robert and Brian) in her Lagos home. She loves Al Pacino and Halle Berry. She loves the company of her brothers, nephews and younger people. She believes in discipline, loyalty and hard work.
The 2007 edition of the Niteshift Coliseum Nollywood Nite was held the other Sunday night at the Niteshift Coliseum,Ikeja and was a gathering of who-is-who in the Nigerian movie industry as the Coliseum threw its doors open for the second edition of the Nollywood night.The whole hall was filled to the brim with popular actors and actresses,their producers,directors, musicians,stand-up comedians to the young and upcoming showbiz personalities and the media gurus.
It was indeed a night of glamour filled with fun,where the good,the bad and the ugly were displayed from the most splendid to the outrageous.Stella Damasus-Aboderin, Jennifer Eliogu and Ohi Alegbe were the comperes.The event could not have held at a better time,with the yuletide season around the corner,Nigerians are beginning to revel in the mood of the season.Like the first edition that held amidst fanfare more than 12 months ago,this year’s was no exception.The stakeholders gathered for a reception to honour and celebrate the very best of Nollywood,said to be the third largest movie industry after Hollywood and Bollywood.
The prestigious event was supported by Amstel Malta,a product of Nigerian Breweries Plc and MTN bore the insignia of the two corporate bodies who have before now used the incredible platform of Nollywood to sell their brands and services to their consumers.The evening of glamour kicked off at 6pm with a red carpet reception that lasted all of 60 minutes.Some of the earliest arrivals include Mr. and Mrs. Alex Usifo,Emeka Ossai and his wife,Obey Etuk, Madam Kofo with her signature skyscraper headgear.The paparazzi had a field day taking the very best shots availed them by the intriguing garbs adorned by a majority of the attendees.Their style came in the very best of designs.
The scene was reminiscent of what obtains at the Oscars and Grammy.A beautiful dramatic display of fire works that lasted 15 minutes riveted eyes to the heavens when the sky bore a combination of colours with sparks flying in different directions signaling the end of segment one (the red carpet reception) and the beginning of segment two.Soon after, guests were relishing the cozy interior of the Arena where they were treated to a fresh round of entertainment. Coliseum in house band,The Shifters Band, was in their elements when they presented their carefully choreographed dance routine to an appreciative audience.
The Guvnor of the Niteshift, Ken Calebs Olumese in his welcome address intoned that the 2007 edition is an improvement on the previous year’s.He intimated of the forthcoming 20th anniversary of the upscale club that will take place next year.The combined efforts of the comperes ensured there was no dull moment to be experienced. They made sure the audience was a participatory one.Dreadlocked act,Rhymzo was the first musician to perform for the night.He was charged with setting an upbeat mood for the night.He dished out two wave-making hits from his repertoire that got the crowd swaying effortlessly.Okey Bakassi was able to sustain the high tempo of the occasion with his rib cracking jokes. He threw his jibes right at the audience who were engulfed with rapturous laughter in the midst of wining and dining.
The industry has come a long way having achieved international recognition. All these could not have been possible without the contributions of some people who made it happen.These set of people who by dint of hard work have made it to the hierarchy of the profession and rank among those who have professed love for the screen were honoured at the Nollywood night.The first set of awards went to time-tested actress, Joke Silva,Emma Edokpayi,Yoruba movie actor Jide Kosoko,ace cinematographer/movie producer,Tunde Kelani and Justus Esiri of The Village Headmaster fame.
Yahoozey crooner,Olu Maintain,literarily set the house on fire with his hit single Yahoozey that is currently ruling the airwaves and has become a national anthem among youths and elders alike.The young chap whose sojourn in the music world began with the defunct Maintain group made up of himself,Tolu and Big Bamo,went on to surprise critics when his debut solo effort spiraled above expectation.Unable to resist the lure of good music,the likes of Obey Etuk,Madam Kofo and Rachael Oniga found their way upstage doing the popularised Yahoozey step.His five star performance was a hit with the guests who nodded in approval to the lyrics as if asking for more.He was the man of the night.
The second set of awardees after a thrilling musical break was made up of movie industry icons like Olu Jacobs who was in far-away United kingdom,Clarion Chukwura who by popular opinion was adjudged the best dressed for the night.She was indeed red carpet worthy she looked sexy and glamorous.In fact, her appearance that night made her look far younger.When she was called to the podium, the effect was electric.
Okechukwu Ogunjiofor who starred in the first ever home video in Nigeria with Living In Bondage,Toun Oni,a cross-over actress and Chief Eddie Ugbomah who has written his name in letters of gold in movie world of celluloid films like Oyenusi,Death of a Black President among others.
The roll call was impressive.Actors and actresses from the Yoruba and English language movie sector were in attendance although the number of the latter far outweighed the former.
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