Up Close with RMD, Alex Ekubo at ‘Conversations in Transit’ Film Location

Yinka Olatunbosun

It could as well be a reunion for Nollywood actors Richard Mofe-Damijo and Alex Ekubo as they arrived at the film location for Nigeria’s next box office hit, ‘Conversations in Transit.’ Set at the ultra-modern Mobolaji Johnson Rail station, Ebute Metta, Lagos, the movie produced by Native Media is a love story that took place mostly on a train. For the two actors, working with the producer, Rogers Ofime has become a family tradition. With trust and commitment, they got on board this new production, absorbing the thrill of the drama being created per frame.

Ekubo who plays the character of Mohammed in the movie has featured in television and film productions such as ‘Tinsel’ and ‘Zero Hour,’ with the latter directed by Robert Peters. Ekubo expressed his excitement as well as his initial apprehension about some scenes in the movie.

“When I first got the script, I told Rogers that ‘No, this is not possible.’ How will we achieve this? As an actor, there seems to be an area of divide between what you imagine while reading the script and when you get on set. You see a scene where perhaps two actors are travelling from Lagos island to Peru and then you get on set; you are told not to worry; it will all happen at the backseat of a car. As an actor, you would have envisioned how that scene would go. But I completely trust Rogers and Peters on this. They are no small fish and not new to big productions at all. After my conversation with them, I knew it was achievable,’’ he said.

The good-natured actor shows his humble side when he said the success of the movie does not necessarily depend on a particular star actor.

“I feel that this movie will go on successfully with or without me. This is already a blockbuster with or without any individual cast. Sometimes in your career, you are just happy to be a part of a project that you know will be successful. I am happy to be a cocktail of talents like Tope Tedela, Uzi, RMD and other budding artists,’’ he said.

For him, infrastructure is key to making believable stories on screen and at the same time, he bemoaned the accusing fingers pointed at Nollywood lately for its role in providing media content that glamourise ritual money.

“You can’t shoot in absentia. You can’t shoot what is not there. Where some are saying that Nollywood is the reason why there is constant ritual killings, which makes absolutely no sense to me, we are here pushing the buttons and trying to best represent the country in the good light in a way the government can’t do,’’ he said.

His character Mohammed is entangled in a love triangle. As a northern in the movie, Ekubo has lines in Hausa which he was able to deliver beautifully given his northern background.

“I schooled in Federal Government College Daura, Katsina and I lived in kano. So, I speak fluent Hausa. That helps the characterization,’’ he revealed.

Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) shared the same sentiment on the role of infrastructure in delivering high quality film productions in Nigeria.

“It makes life a lot easier when you channel the story in the movie, it is not about the people alone, the locations are also part of the story. All the things that are lacking in our movies stem from the fact that our locations are not part of the story enough. We need to have locations that are so pivotal to the stories you tell, with more infrastructures in place, the better stories you can tell and the more the ease of doing films. I remember when I was in government and I lightened up Asaba, I remember what it did to our movies. It meant that night scenes were more picturesque and night shoots were easy to do,’’ he said.

Describing the plot of ‘Conversations in Transit’ movie as a ‘mix match of emotions,’ RMD believes the whole love story is a long emotional ride.

The former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta state has acted in several hit movies including ‘Out of Bounds,’ ‘Hostages,’ ‘The Wedding Party I and II,’ ‘King of Boys: The Return of the King’ as well as Oloibiri which was produced by Rogers Ofime.