Funke Akindele Called, Warned Me Against Mentioning Her Name in Interviews – Kunle Afolayan
Nollywood filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has revealed that actress and filmmaker Funke Akindele personally cautioned him against mentioning her name during media interviews. Afolayan made the disclosure on Sunday during an interview with ARISE News, while reacting to the controversy that followed his earlier comments on the pressures and demands of promoting cinema films in Nigeria. According to the filmmaker, Akindele called him angrily and accused him of deliberately referencing her during discussions about movie promotion. “Listen, Funke called me yesterday, and all she was saying… she called and said, ‘Mr Afolayan, I know you don’t like me, but don’t mention my name in your interviews,’” he said, adding that she raised her voice and ended the call abruptly. Afolayan explained that he later reached out via text message to clarify his intentions. “I texted her and said I don’t know what must have caused this, but it’s fine, and I explained a few things to her, and that was it,” he added. The filmmaker contrasted Akindele’s reaction with that of actress Toyin Abraham, whom he said understood his point and even turned it into a skit. “Toyin Abraham and I spoke, and she said, ‘Egbon, I get what you’re saying,’ and she turned it into a skit where she was jokingly asking people to watch her film so she could make more than N10 million,” Afolayan said. Clarifying the context of his earlier remarks, Afolayan stressed that his comments were made at a film business forumwhere cinema operators questioned him about returning to cinema releases. “The cinema operators were asking me when I’m coming back to the cinema, and I said I can’t if you can’t guarantee that I’ll make substantial money,” he explained. He further noted that box office figures are often misleading, as filmmakers receive far less after deductions. “If a film makes N2 billion, after sharing, taxes, and deductions, what comes to you might be around N500 million,” he said. Despite the backlash, Afolayan insisted he harbours no ill feelings toward Akindele, describing her career as a model worth emulating. “I have absolutely nothing against Funke,” he said, revealing that he recently advised young filmmakers at the Rama Film Festival in Kaduna to adopt her business model. He praised Akindele’s consistent growth from her early success with Jenifa to the strength of her current brand, while admitting that the intense promotional energy her strategy requires no longer suits him. “She has grown consistently, and it’s working for her. I just don’t have that kind of energy anymore,” he said. The comments come after Akindele appeared to react to Afolayan’s earlier statements with a series of pointed posts on her Instagram story, urging creatives to avoid jealousy, focus on their individual paths, and develop alternative marketing strategies for their work.
