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Ezuruonye, Nwachukwu and Uwagbai
‘Breathless’ a new film being directed by Charles Uwagbai and produced by Jenkis Alumona shows that water can be thicker than blood at times.
As political noises echo through every part of the country, celebrated actor, Mike Ezurounye has, in the past few weeks, been on location in the Lekki area of Lagos. He is one of the stars of Breathless, a new film being. Directed by Charles Uwagbai.
Breathless also features seasoned actor Bimbo Manuels as the father at the centre of the storm in the story, with Ezuruonye and Big Brother Africa hero, Uti Nwachukwu, being the contending sons.
There are emerging faces that include Brycee Bassey, who the director notes, is a great promise for the industry. Doris Ariole wrote the story, with inputs from 10 other people that include Jenkins Alumona.
Our correspondent trailed the cast and crew to the National Conservation Foundation office at Lekki last Wednesday, where they variously spoke about their experiences and expectations.
Breathless is the story of a family bogged down by divided loyalty, estranged relationships and inherent dangers. The father, a divorcee, has two children – one of which is an adopted son (Nwachukwu). But tension is bound to arise because the man likes the adopted chap more than his blood son – as if to say blood is not thicker than water. The story gets more complicated when issues of inheritance, love and an ocean-blue murder come in, with Uwagbai noting that the movie is bound to catch viewers breathless. Yet, the title takes life from the respiratory problems confronting two of the characters. They are asthmatic.
“I would say Breathless is a crime story to a great extent,” Uwagba says. “The man is no longer married. The relationship between him and the son is strained, and the real son feels cheated that he has lost all – including his mother.”
Uwagbai says things are unfolding according to plans as he is getting the best from his cast and crew. According to him, his goal is to get something perfect from story to picture. He adds that to give viewers something novel, the producers tried to get people to play roles they had not played before.
“Based on Mike’s (Ezuruonye) experience, he can act anything you want him to. But here, Uti is the adopted son, who is delivering well on a role he hasn’t before,” he says.
He further notes that the budget he is working with is ample, although he declines to state how much. He says he is working with high-class equipment.
The movie is Uwagbai’s fourth feature. He had, for instance, worked on Okoro the Prince, Black Sillhuoete, and a comedy flick, Driver, which features Julius Agwu, Chinedu Ikedieze and Denja.
Ezuruonye, who as at that last Wednesday had been on location for 10 days, says the production is following the line of what the Nigerian film industry should be.
“The 10 days I have spent here have been a very good experience. I have been working with bright young minds who I will call visionaries for what the Nigerian film industry should be. I am not saying that great things have not been happening in the sector. But when you look at the shots, sounds and other aspects of Breathless, you will see that things are going in line with how movie making is moving,” he says.
He describes Uwagbai as a director for now and the future.
Ezuruonye adds, “He is a good listener. He is a team player, he is not boxed up in his own ego or euphoria of the business. He is an embodiment of what movie directing should be. He is a leader, not a boss. He observes well. He is one who would make noise via his craft and lens.”
Other actors’ perception of Uwagbai is inspiring, with Nwachukwu saying he is amazing.
He adds, “When I watched his previous projects, I said, ‘I must work with this person. He is a risk taker. He is deep. There is something just special about him.”
Also, Bobby says Uwagbai is a calm person.
“He knows the shots he needs,” she adds. “He takes his time. He doesn’t rush.”
Another top actor adding pep to ‘Breathless’ is Bobby Michael, playing the role of a detective.
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