Nollywood filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has responded to critics of his new series, Anikulapo Series 2, saying he does not expect everyone to like or even understand his work.
Speaking in a recent video, Afolayan said his films are made for a specific audience and not for general approval.
“We make films for the intellectuals. We make films for people who can think,” he said. “I don’t expect that everybody would like my film. I don’t even expect that everybody will understand my film.”
The director explained that while he understands that not all viewers will connect with his storytelling style, he is confident that the audience he had in mind while creating the project understands it.
“I expect that the people I was appealing to, the people I had at the back of my mind when I was conceiving the idea, will get it,” he said, adding that he has received feedback from scholars, professors, and deep thinkers who appreciated the work.
Afolayan also addressed complaints from viewers who said they did not understand the series or felt the storyline was scattered. He argued that it is premature to judge a series without watching all its episodes.
“Let me break it down in layman’s terms,” he said. “It is a series that has many episodes. What you have seen are just a few. How do you conclude that it is not good when you have not seen the entire thing?”
He compared it to international productions like Game of Thrones, where audiences wait weekly for new episodes and follow the full season before drawing conclusions.
“You have not seen the whole season and you have already concluded that the story is all over the place,” he said. “We have created new plots. People who understand literature will understand.”
The filmmaker maintained that complex storytelling requires patience and attention. He suggested that those who struggle to follow the narrative could seek explanations from others who understand it better.
“For those who think they understand how film criticism works, well done,” he said. “For us, we will keep appealing to those who have common sense.”
Anikulapo, which began as a film before expanding into a series has attracted both praise and criticism since its release, with some viewers applauding its ambition and others questioning aspects of its structure.
In recent weeks, the director has also been in the news for speaking about movie promotion strategies and cinema economics.
At a film business forum, Afolayan said he finds certain promotional demands exhausting and would not “dance” to market his films. He explained that while he supports cinema releases, he wants clearer financial returns for filmmakers after revenue sharing and taxes.
Despite the criticism surrounding both his promotional stance and his latest project, Afolayan has made it clear that he is focused on telling stories in his own way.
Over the years, he has built a reputation for visually rich productions that draw from Yoruba history and culture. Films such as The Figurine, October 1 and Citation established him as one of Nollywood’s most distinct directors.
“I don’t expect everybody to like my film,” he repeated, reinforcing his position that creative direction should not be driven solely by popular opinion.
