Nollywood actress Osas Ighodaro has said her days as a Tomboy prepared her for the action role she portrayed in 3 Cold Dishes, a new movie produced by Asurf Oluseyi.
3 Cold Dishes tells the story of three ladies who were trafficked as teenagers and forced into prostitution against their will.
The movie has singer Burna Boy and his mother, Bose Ogulu, as Executive producers. It stars great actors like Adebodje Wayidi Adeleke, Taiwo Adeyemi, Prescilia Ahoue, Ruby Akubueze, Mentor Ba, Bambadjan Bamba, Fulbert Bayili, Aldot Bossou, Fanta Dumbai, Sourou Gouvoeke, Maud Guerard, Osas Ighodaro, Femi Jacobs and Wale Ojo, among others.
Our Correspondent caught up with Osas Ighodaro on the sidelines at the cinema in Ikeja, Lagos, where the movie was shown. She gave insight into her preparation for the role she portrayed, which required her to speak French.
“I practised so hard to make sure that the French came off as authentic and genuine as possible,” she said. “That is the character of Esosa. When she was younger, she was captured and put in a place where they only spoke French. So, she had to learn how to speak French. As she was older, which is the character that I played. She had to know how to speak French. So it took some time to rehearse and practise, and I’m glad that you guys liked it.”
Regarding her action display in the movie, the actress said, “It wasn’t too hard because, naturally, I’m an athletic person; I grew up as a Tomboy, I did many sports, I ran around, climbed trees and all of that. I know a lot of people see me as prim and proper and graceful, which I am as well, but there are different layers to me.”
– 3 Cold Dishes may be the start of Afrowood –
Our correspondent learnt from the producer of the movie, Asurf Oluseyi, that 3 Cold Dishes was shot in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Ivory Coast and Mauritania.
In the movie, three languages or more were spoken, including French, English and Yoruba. The movie also featured actors from other countries – Mentor Ba, a Senegalese actor who starred as Abdul Wakil, a human trafficker; Ivorian actresses Maud Guerard and Fat Touré; and Sourou Gouvoeke from the Benin Republic, among others. The cast also includes Nigerian actors like Wale Ojo, Femi Jacobs and Osas Ighodaro.
3 Cold Dishes’ production shatters boundaries in terms of languages, region and nationality. It unites Africa and tells the stories that many may not be aware of about the continent. With such an outcome, other producers in Nigeria’s Nollywood may begin to look beyond their country, and that may become the beginning of Afrowood.
It wasn’t all roses, as Producer Asurf Oluseyi revealed how challenging it was moving from one country to another in Africa to achieve the best picture and story. He, however, attributed the success to good planning and a “very good preproduction stage.”
He said, “Most of the sequences in 3 Cold Dishes were designed and developed before shooting. We had an idea of what it was going to look like. For the Mauritania sequence, we had to do a lot of preparation because we had only five days to complete it. We had a lot of challenges too. We ended up shooting in just three days out of the five days. However, because we had a good preparation before the actual shoot, it was a bit easier.”
3 Cold Dishes displays some amazing action stunts that look dangerous and are not advisable to be tried at home.
“We didn’t have doubles. The actors actually did all their stunts by themselves. The girls were the ones doing their stunts. Osas was the one shooting, likewise the other girls. We never had doubles on the set. It was exciting, and it was also my first time filming in the desert,” Oluseyi said.
