At 66, Tunde Kelani produces 18th movie

9 years ago

At 66, Tunde Kelani produces 18th movie

On Friday, November 7, 2014, ace cinematographer, Tunde Kelanipremiered his latest movie in Lagos.

Held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, the star-studded movie, which features top Nollywood acts including Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Lala-Akindoju, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Seun Akindele as lead characters, drew a large crowd of film stars, dignitaries and guests to the Onikan, Lagos Island venue of the premiere event.

Titled Dazzling Mirage the movie premiered in spectacular fashion, in the end delivering a large dose of the creative genius for which Kelani has become known over the years.

Based on a love story that explores an emotional subject tilted towards people living with Sickle Cell Anaemia, the movie further adds to the respected filmmaker’s acclaim as one who likes to address topical social issues in his works.

Written byAde Solanke,Dazzling Mirageis an adaptation of Yinka Egbokhare’s novel of the same title and traces the life of someone living with sickle cell who fights through betrayal and denial to focus on helping the public understand what sickle cell really means and getting the society to care more for people affected by the medical condition brought upon them through no fault of theirs.

Also featuring notable movie figures likeBimbo Manuel, Carol King, Yomi Fash-Lansoand others, the movie is the conscious filmmaker’s 18th movie in a career spanning several years of productive cinematic activities.

With Dazzling Mirageas a film boasting socially relevant themes in ample proportions, focusing on the much-talked about yet mostly misconstrued sickle cell anaemia subject, it is a measure of 66-year old Tunde Kelani’s inclination as a celebrated filmmaker who remains committed to the arts as a weapon of social justice.

Unlike most people in his age range, Kelani remains busy, but not with systems in the workplace, nor with boardroom politics and definitely not with political strategy. He is busy as a creative being who stays restless as long as ideas keep coming to his head.
[ads4]
Born on February 26, 1948, the cultural advocate and philosophical movie man popularly known as TK, is a veritable father figure for many on the Nollywood lane including Kunle Afolayan who continues to break the glass ceilings in the Nigerian filmmaking environment.
Beyond being the one who calls the shots as producer and director, the Ogun State-born man of amiable disposition regards himself as a storyteller, director, cinematographer and literary enthusiast.
In a career spanning more than four decades already, TK specialises in producing movies that promote Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and have a root in documentation, archiving, education, entertainment and promotion of the culture.
Born in Lagos, Tunde was sent to live with his grandparents at Abeokuta from the age of 5, attending the Oke-Ona Primary School in Ikija, Abeokuta and the Abeokuta Grammar School in the process.
Kelani’s grandfather was a chief – the Balogun of Ijaiye Kukudi and the young boy witnessed from close quarters aspects of Yoruba ways of life with the religion, literature, philosophy and Yoruba worldview taking roots in his young mind.
Also introduced to Yoruba literature early, the young Tunde became obsessed with the arts having seen how thrilling an impact books and theatrical performances of thePalmwine Drinkard,Oba Koso,Kurunmi,the Ogunde plays and more had on him.
In a recent interview with National Mirror, Kelani said:
‘When I was very young, I took to literature, I read everything I came in contact with. My show of fantasy came from books and stories. So, I was dreaming; I was lost in the world of books and stories… D.O Fagunwa was king in the art of telling stories.’
Another aspect of creativity that would go on to shape his life was his involvement in photography from primary school. So taken in with photography was Kelani that he became an apprentice photographer after his secondary school education before later undergoing training at the then Western Nigeria Television (WNTV) before he attended the London Film School.
On that, he said in the same interview: ‘You know that D.O Fagunwa writes with precision and the greatest sense of imagination. So, he fuelled my fantasies a lot. I discovered photography quite early too in Abeokuta then. I decided that I wanted to be a photographer before I went into motion picture production.’