Since the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) launched in 2013, Nollywood actor Ramsey Nouah has only been nominated once in the Best Actor in a Drama/TV series. That was in 2017 for his intriguing role in the movie ’76. He lost the coveted award to Sambasa Nzeribe (Slow Country).
Nouah who made his directorial debut last year is getting another chance to add an AMVCA to his plethora of awards with this year’s nomination. Interestingly, the film which put him in the spotlight last year, ‘Living in Bondage: Breaking Free’ did not fetch him this opportunity. Rather, the Okechukwu Oku directed film ‘Levi’ earned Nouah a spot in the AMVCA this year.
Nouah played the titular character, a tech-savvy young man who fights for his love and life. Like ’76 where his role demanded him to explore emotional depths, Nouah interpreted his role peerlessly by displaying raw emotions that are viscerally convincing.
Of all the nominees in this category, Nouah is the only experienced actor. This may or may not work in his favour. Being a category that is open to the public for voting, Nouah may want to leverage on his over two decades career in Nollywood to get the highest votes.
For a very long while, and perhaps still, Nouah is deemed the poster boy of Nollywood. Call him Brad Pitt of Nollywood. His handsome looks and the intensity with which he interprets his roles makes him one of the sought after actors. Even with young actors gracing the screen, Nouah still has that Midas touch that delights any director. It is in the value that he adds to the script. The way he connects with his characters and embodies them as if they were part of him. Throw in his good looks and you have a charming prince in front of the camera.
Last year, the actor who will be clocking 50 this year went behind the camera. It was his first attempt at directing and the outcome of that production, the sequel to the classic ‘Living in Bondage’ fetched him more accolades than he could imagine. For the seventh edition of the AMVCA, the film fetched 11 nominations. Meanwhile, ‘Levi’ which is putting him in the Best Actor spotlight has only one nomination.
Winning in this category would be a well deserved honour for Nouah but the younger actors nominated in the category may pose a threat. There is Timini Egbuson, whose exceptional acting in ‘Elevator Baby’ received great reviews; Swanky J.K.A. who played Nnamdi in the prominent ‘Living in Bondage: Breaking Free’; Efa Iwara was the misguided son of a rich man in the action packed thriller ‘Seven’; and Gabriel Afolayan lights up the screen in ‘Coming From Insanity’.
Apart from ‘Levi’, each of the nominated films earned more than one nod, making them strong contenders for Nouah. Perhaps, ‘Levi’ may be the lucky charm for the Nollywood sweetheart.
