The highly anticipated thriller Tokunbo, directed by Ramsey Nouah, premiered at The Jewel Aeida in Lekki, Lagos on Sunday, August 18. The event attracted a select group of Nollywood practitioners, eager to witness the latest offering from the acclaimed actor and producer.
Ramsey Nouah, known for his meticulous approach to filmmaking, shared insights into the film’s deeper themes. “As you can tell, there is a bit of a political undertone to it, a reflection of things that happen in our society,” Nouah explained. He also revealed a personal connection to the film’s title. “There is a bit of sentimental attachment to it being that my name is Tokunbo. They use my name a lot for fairly-used products, but I wanted to change that. Tokunbo is not fairly-used products; it is that which came by the sea.”
The film’s lead character, a smuggler of fairly used cars, is aptly named Tokunbo. Nouah and producer Chris Odeh initially envisioned the project on a smaller scale but decided to expand its scope. “We got everybody that we could pull together,” Nouah said, highlighting the efforts to bring in talents like Chidi Mokeme from the United States and Majid Michel from Ghana.
Chidi Mokeme, who plays Gaza in the film, spoke about his experience working with Nouah. “My first consideration is always the story. How does my character influence the story?” Mokeme praised Nouah’s directorial skills, albeit humorously referring to him as a “slave driver” for his relentless pursuit of perfection. “He made us do the fight scene in the rain five nights in a row to achieve the sequence,” Mokeme recalled.
The premiere heralds the Netflix release on August 23 of Tokunbo, featuring a star-studded cast including Gideon Okeke, Adunni Ade, Majid Michel, Chidi Mokeme, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Norbert Young and a host of others.
The red carpet event was a glamorous affair, with the media and Nollywood practitioners of all colours.
When the film eventually started at 7.51pm, it was action-packed drama and adrenaline inducing all the way to the last minute at 9.46pm. It must have taken a lot of love and dedication from the cast and crew to craft such an impressive film as the enthusiastic reactions from the crowd at the premiere indicated.
Tokunbo is poised to make a significant impact, not just for its thrilling narrative but also for its cultural and political commentary, marking another milestone in Ramsey Nouah’s illustrious career.
