- In Almost Every YORUBA Movies
Popular Yoruba actor, Odunlade Adekola, is the most featured actor in Yoruba movies. His face is on the jacket of over 80% of the movies churned out over the last 2 years its because he is good. So talented is he that every producer wants to use him in his/her films. Every marketer wants his photograph on the movies jackets they release.
In 2017, it was Odunlade who featured in virtually all the Yoruba movies that came out. So also in 2018. Since January 2018 his services have been in high demand and he is known to hop from one location to the other, back-to-back, playing bad roles. And because the demand for his service is high, producers wait on him to give them dates he would come on their location. Many now have to wait for 3 to 4 weeks to have him on their locations. Even Yoruba movie marketers now insist and also advise movie producers to get Odunlade on their movies so that it can sell.
That is how hot he is. Of course, he doesn’t come cheap.He is now the highest- paid actor in the Yoruba movie industry, and payment must be made days before he steps on any location.
If he does not receive an alert, Odunlade would not move an inch, explained one Yoruba Movie Producer. He is an influential actor in the Yoruba movie industry. He joined the entertainment industry in 1998, and he featured in Bolaji Amusa’s an movie entitled: “Fawonraja” in 1999. The talented actor eventually had his big break in the Yoruba comedy movie entitled “Asiri Gomina”, produced by late Ishola Durojaiya (Alasari). The Yoruba super actor is also a filmmaker, producer, director and singer. He has his film production house, known as Odunlade Adekola Film Production (OAFP), and he is said to have starred in more than 150 movies and produced over 50 movies.
He bagged a B.A. in Business Administration from University of Lagos. He got married in 1995 to Mrs. Ruth Adekola and their union is blessed with 4 lovely boys. This industrious actor has won several awards such as City People Awards for Best Actor in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015.
Also Africa Magic Movie Awards for Best Actor in 2014, and Africa. Magic Movie Awards for Best Existing Actor in the movie Pepeye Meje in 2015.
Apart from playing several lead roles in most hit movies emanating from the industry, Adekola has also been dominating the industry representing Yoruba actors in several programmes involving Nollywood home and abroad.
Before any other person would be considered for an endorsement in the Yoruba movie sector, Odunlade becomes number one favourite, and that is the reason he has endorsement such as the multi-million naira deal with Telecommunication Giant Glo, Nigeria Breweries, Ogun State Government, Ekiti State Government and several others. Patrons they often use him as their brand ambassador.
So, Adekola is a household name in the Yoruba entertainment circle, as he dominated the industry with his superlative acting skills over the years. He is also one actor who has remained at the top of his career for close to a decade without being seriously challenged by anybody, collecting awards as Best Actor back to back, which is rare in the industry.
He has one of highest number of followers on Instagram, making him to have edge over his male counterparts in the industry. Also, his hilarious facial expression goes viral after being used as Meme by his fans, and this sometimes attracts foreign website to forcefully talk about it. Africa Magic Yoruba also increased his rating in the entertainment industry, with the numbers of his movies shown per day. If the station is showing 20 movies in a day. Odunlade must surely appear in not fewer than 15 of the movies and this automatically attract him to any brand to appoint him, as its ambassador.
It was gathered that most Yoruba movie marketers will rather pay Odunlade N250 thousand to feature in their movies, for as few as 5 scenes, than paying, any other actor 100 thousand naira for 25 scenes in a movie. His face on a movie jacket sells movies compared to any other of his male counterparts.
This extremely hardworking actor’s humility and sense of humour has also helped him a lot in his career. He is very jovial, and there can’t be any dull moment, anywhere Odunlade is present.
And he also has a very unique way of relating to both his younger and senior colleagues in the industry, without stepping on their toes. He is not just loved by only the Yoruba genre artistes, but also by the English Language genre counterparts in the Nollywood.
All these are parts of the reasons, marketers are ready and willing to pay anything, just to have him in their movies, and he is rated one of the most influential and richest actor in the entertainment industry, and he is dearly loved within Nigerian entertainment circle, as well as on social media.
He is an actor, director, singer, producer and film-maker. He acts mostly in Yoruba movies. He is currently the most popular actor in Ogun State. Born on 31st December, 1978, in Abeokuta, to Pastor and Deaconess Adekola, he started acting at a very tender age.
Odunlade is from Otun Ekiti, a town in Ekiti State, but grew up in Abeokuta. Odunlade Adekola attended Saint John RCM Primary School in Abeokuta, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate.
After completing his primary education, he proceeded to Saint Peter’s College in Abeokuta and obtained his West African Senior School Certificate. After completing his primary and secondary education, Odunlade Adekola proceeded to Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Abeokuta, and obtained a National Diploma Certificate.
He is married to Ruth Abosede Adekola and the marriage is blessed with beautiful kids. Odunlade Adekola is a prolific movie producer and produces mostly Yoruba films. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Odunlade Adekola Film Production. Through his production company, he has produced several movies. The most notable movie he has produced is “Adebayo Aremu”, which he also acted in as a lead character.
Odunlade Adekola began his acting career professionally in 1996. That same year, he joined the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners and was under the tutelage of the late Nollywood actor and producer Isola Durojaiye also known as Alasari.
He has acted, scripted, produced and directed several Yoruba films. They include Omo Colonel, Aroba, Oro, Sunday Dagboru, Monday omo adugbo, Taxi Driver: Oko Ashewo, Eku Meji, Kurukuru, Sunday gboku gboku, Adura, etc. In December 2015, he marked his entrance into the Nigerian music industry.
In the course of his acting career, he has won several awards. In April 2014, he won The Best Actor in Yoruba Films at the Africa Movie Academy awards
In 2009, he won the award for the Best Actor of the Year at the City People Entertainment Awards. In 2011, he won the Best Actor of the Year at the City People Entertainment Awards.
In 2014, he won The Best Actor (Yoruba) at the City People Entertainment Awards. In 2015, he won the Best Actor in a Leading Role at the City People Entertainment Awards. In 2015, he won the Best Actor of the Year at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
His movie school, called Odunlade Adekola Film Production OAFP was established a few years ago. The group has really helped the Abeokuta chapter of filmmakers in the Yoruba movie industry. Besides that, the group seems to be the biggest in the city at the moment, producing many quality movies back to back, it has also been used to create movie roles for a lot of upcoming actors and actresses.  Some of the stars from OAFP are: Tunde Owokoniran Taiwo Aromokun, Bukola Adeeyo, Biola Adekunle, Eniola Ajao, Muyiwa Olorode and many more.
– Biodun Alao
