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| Ukeje |
At
that prestigious award ceremony, Ukeje did not only emerge as the Best Actor of
the Year, his uncanny knack for roles interpretation was also exceedingly
celebrated by both the organizers and keen observers of the Nigerian movie
industry globally known as Nollywood.
That
was not his only achievement in the year under review. He also carted away many
other movie related awards including ‘Best Actor in a Lead Role’
at the Best of Nollywood
(BON) awards which held on Thursday, December 5, in Asaba, Delta State.
Others
include ‘Best Actor Award’ at the Nollywood Movies Awards which held on
Saturday, October 12, where he was rewarded with a brand new Nissan car; AMAA;
and the coveted prize for Entertainment and Talents at the Future Awards which
held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, among many others.
“Winning
the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards was a humbling experience. I had really
powerful people to contend with in my category; people that are really good at
what they do. This is Africa and I know I just have a few movies in
circulation; it is just really wonderful to know that the viewers know I am
good enough,” he joyfully said shortly after the AMVCA.
With a
unique combination of good looks, an acting prowess and a great voice, Ukeje
has set himself apart as an effervescent actor to reckon with. He stands tall with his phenomenal
rise, large fan base, cult-like followership, and off course, the anticipated
recognitions from industry stakeholders. No wonder he is the first actor to be
named person of the year by Nigeria’s most authoritative voice on entertainment
news- Entertainment Express.
Though
he had always been involved in stage plays and was a member of the acting group
christened Rhythm of the Blackman,
his emergence into the Nigerian movie scene could be traced to
the year 2006, when he won the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) Reality TV
Show, after which he starred in his first movie entitled White Waters. His
role in White Waters startlingly earned him the Best Upcoming Actor at
the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), 2008.
After being part
of AMBO, how did the Abia State-born act prove to movie producers and directors
that he could fit well into the Nigerian movie industry? “I have to be honest,
it was really, really tough. Reality TV shows are good concepts here in Nigeria
but I think the part the organizers have to work on is how to incorporate
whoever wins into the industry at large. We just win and we think that yes, the
world is going to bow at our feet, but then we realize that it really doesn’t
work like that.
“But since then
it has been interesting, difficult and a serious roller coaster. When you sit
at home for a contract that doesn’t allow you do anything for one year and then
you finish on that contract and your eyes open to the real world on how
Nollywood doesn’t automatically accept you and you have to try and prove
yourself, then you begin to see the reality of it. But now, I’m beginning to
enjoy bits and pieces of it, so it’s getting better now,” he hinted in an interview.
Like the Bible
says, you cannot hide a light under a bushel. Ukeje’s illumination in the
acting space stood him out, making him one of the shakers of the movie industry
in 2013. He remained one of the number one choices in many hit flicks; from
Asaba to Lagos, Enugu to Abuja, his face graced posters and movie jackets and
was adjudged by many as the hottest new face in Nollywood.
By the standard
of the many awards he carted home, especially the AMVCA, Ukeje is acknowledged
as Africa’s King of the screen. Indeed, apart from his amazing roles
interpretation skill, his star factor got a boost by the many awards he won.
Did this ‘prodigy’ stumble into acting? He speaks: “
I started off with the fellowship I belonged while on campus. After we staged a play at the Muson Centre, a bigger organization called ‘Rhythm of the Black Man’ saw what I was doing and they asked if I wanted to play a small role for one African-American play they were working on. So I joined the group and we did stage plays all around Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt for four years.
I started off with the fellowship I belonged while on campus. After we staged a play at the Muson Centre, a bigger organization called ‘Rhythm of the Black Man’ saw what I was doing and they asked if I wanted to play a small role for one African-American play they were working on. So I joined the group and we did stage plays all around Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt for four years.
“Then I was studying Marine Sciences at the University
of Lagos and I was also trying to keep my grades up as well because for me it
was important for people not to think I was not doing well in school. My first
acting gig was a stage play in 2001 and I did stage plays from 2001 to 2005
before AMBO came up.
“The truth is that it was in my third year in the
University that I began desiring to act professionally. This was in 2003. I
knew that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. Things were really
picking up and it was just easy for me to act and do it effortlessly.
Big thing, they
say, starts small. He might not have starred in over 50 movies, but the few he
has done are outstanding. Half Of A Yellow Sun, Two Brides And A Baby,
Hood Rush, Alan Poza, Comrade, Confusion Na Wa, The Awakening,
Black November ,and Gone Too Far are some of his movies. “I have
starred in about 13 movies. It keeps getting better every day,” he disclosed in
a telephone chat with Entertainment Express.
The
phenomenal rise of Ukeje indicates that a movie star is not made by the
quantity of movies to his credit, but by quality of the movies.
Charmed
by the actor’s acting skill, critic and movie producer, Charles Novia in his
list of the best five actors for 2013 wrote: “No apologies to anyone. My number
one actor for 2013 would be OC Ukeje. In arriving at this conclusion, I had the
uncomfortable task of distancing his acting in my movie ‘Alan Poza’ from the
list of other movies he was assessed with…He has an unusual intensity as an
actor and a peculiar propensity to project his characterisation which would
leave many with gaping mouths.
“One
cannot ignore that in 2013 alone, Ukeje won the ‘Best Actor’ diadem four times
at the AMVCA, NEA, BON and NMA awards. He has also been nominated for ‘Best
Actor’ for eight times in a single year. That is enough to make heads turn and
so they should. This is a feat even the older acts in Nollywood cannot boast
of.”
Just
as honey attracts bees, fame also attracts women! In this vein, Ukeje is not an
exception. He unreservedly confessed in an interview that female fans are all
over him- a good number of them want something intimate from him. Some even go
as far as throwing their phone numbers into the good-looking actor’s car.
“There
are occasions when I am driving and someone would throw something into my car.
Reflex makes me dock but when I check what it is, it is a lady’s phone number,”
he confessed in a chat.
Indeed,
this is not only an honour to the young, energetic and inspiring entertainer,
but also to so many aspiring and up and coming actors, who are breaking
barriers and making progress in the highly competitive motion picture industry.
Like a whirlwind, Ukeje’s impact was truly felt in 2013; hence he truly
deserves being Entertainment Express Man of the Year.
By JAMES EMMANUEL
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