Anikulapo | Zikoko!

Kunle Afolayan’s new six-part TV show picked up where the feature film left off. And while it’s a captivating show with an okay storyline, it left us with more questions than answers.

First of all, why was Saro different from the other ghosts?

It’s understandable that Saro’s cloth tore before he died. But he got to heaven’s gate, and out of all the ghosts, he was the only one who didn’t apply Nixoderm on his face?

What was with the one female member of the Oyomesi?

She barely said five lines in the entire show. She’s a chief, for God’s sake.

Why did Saro’s murder victims help him?

Instead of forcibly dragging Saro to hell with them, they instead launched a palmwine business and made Saro the CEO? Did they have debts to pay and needed an alive hustler to gather money for them? Their help just doesn’t make sense.

Why did the mystical being give Arolake wealth?

The mystical being just woke her up and gave her money. No bargain. No tit for tat. Just straight benevolence? Doesn’t sound very mystical of them.

The queen’s nephew just so happened to be The Flash?

If the spy wasn’t The Flash, tell me how his speed matched Akin’s who was on horseback?

Why did Arolake see the Alaafin again?

Not only did Arolake have a second chance at life, she became liquidly wealthy and she finally found a good lover in Akin. But she still returned to the palace where she was just the king’s pleasure toy and unloved by the other queens? Do you love trauma, dear Arolake?

What was the use of Arolake’s one million guards?

People kept slipping through to see her. Bashorun is a warrior, an expert in things like that, but what about the queen’s nephew? How come no one saw him till he reached the window?

Kuranga consummated in his in-laws’ house?

He’s of royal blood. He came to marry a bride from another royal family. Isn’t he supposed to take his bride back to his kingdom? What in the no-culture was going on?

Why did Bashorun die so easily?

One would’ve thought the fight would take longer, as per “strong and mighty”. Man was just a regular-ass warrior.

Why did Awarun warm up to Arolake?

Awarun’s coziness to Arolake at the end of the series is baffling. Aside from the fact that Awarun (Saro’s first lover) knew Arolake was the queen Saro ditched her for in the movie, she also knew their elopement was why Saro ended up becoming her son-in-law. So, one big family, from where to where?

Why didn’t any of them age?

Years after years since they kicked Saro out of Oyo, and Omowunmi, the Oyo princess looked exactly the same? The Alaafin of Oyo didn’t get a wrinkle? His back didn’t bend? Also, how come Arolake looked years younger in the series when she looked like an old woman at the end of the previous movie?

You can also learn how to Find Arolake’s Money Bag and Defeat Poverty

Tomide Marv

March 6, 2024

Pop

Anikulapo, Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre, Funny
Kunle Afolayan’s six-part series, Anikulapo: Rise of The Spectre, dropped on Friday, March 1, 2024, and there’s been a “power-must-change-hands” situation. Remember how Saro (Kunle Remi) made a fortune from raising people from the dead in the feature film? This time around, his jaded ex, Arolake (Bimbo Ademoye) calls the shots with her magical money bag.

While the chances of finding a bag like that are slim, we can’t help but make an effort to help you find it.

First, you must relocate

You’re wrong on multiple levels if you’re reading this article from the comfort of your home in a city. Call your parents, ask for directions to your village and hit the road.

Bus, what?

Perish the idea of Abeokuta by bus or Benin by flight. You’ll love a lirru trek-a-thon because it’s the only way to increase your chances of running into a batshit crazy mythical creature from another world.

You must enter evil forest

It might not look like it, but Arolake knew what she was doing when she chose to enter the connecting forests that led to her destination. You, start with Sambisa.

And spend the night there

It’s not enough to enter the forest. You must also spend the night there. In case you’re wondering why this is necessary, we have one question. Have you ever seen mythical beings in the daytime? Exactly. They roll in the dead of the night.

Make sure you’re a chores expert

Remember how Arolake ran chores for the otherworldly creature, no questions asked? This should be you if you want to get rewarded with a magical money-minting bag.

Get TF out

Once the mission has been accomplished, run as fast as your legs would allow because god forbid you run into a spirit that unalives you for daring to invade their world.

Keep your mouth shut

Arolake’s undoing in the original film was telling Saro about the pouch that resurrected dead people. Even she has wisened up, so don’t be like past her.

And defeat poverty

This magical pouch never runs of out money. What more do you need to rise above the inflation threatening to unalive Nigerians, other than an endless supply of spiritual money?

You should read this next: 8 Ways You Can Use Saro’s Powers to Solve Your Problems

Adeyinka Odutuyo

March 4, 2024

Pop

Anikulapo, Nigeria, Nollywood
It’s been over nine months since we last heard from Saro and Arolake, but that’s about to change and we’re mad excited.

Filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, finally wrapped up filming on the set of a four-part Netflix series, which takes a deeper dive into the Anikulapo-verse as we’ve come to know it. Afolayan has been generous with the behind-the-scenes content and we’re grateful. While we await the official release, here’s all we’ve gleaned from the director’s social media pages.

First, a recap of where we left Saro and Arolake

Afolayan left us with a wicked cliffhanger where we see a beat-up Saro who seemed to have escaped the wrath of the Ojumo people, after failing to bring the crown prince back to life. Recall that his malicious treatment of Arolake and insistence on marrying the princess of Ojumo Kingdom in exchange for bringing the prince back to life, caused her (Arolake) to leave.

But before leaving Saro, she empties the content of the pouch she took from the mythical Akala bird. On the mountaintop, the Akala bird returns and a seemingly unconscious Saro is jerked to life. What do we know so far?

An extended cast

Anikulapo The Series is poised to be bigger and packed with more action hence the reason for a more star-studded cast. Some of the new faces include:

Gabriel Afolayan

Titi Kuti

Funky Mallam

Owobo Ogunde

Jide Kosoko

Lateef Adedimeji

Layi Wasabi

Returning cast members

Some old cast members also make a return to the series, including Arolake (Bimbo Ademoye) and Saro (Kunle Remi).

Bimbo Ademoye (Arolake)

Kunle Remi (Saro)

Aisha Lawal (Olori Sunkanmi)

Sola Sobowale (Awarun)

Eyiyemi Afolayan (Princess Omowunmi)

A new lover for Arolake?

Remember that Arolake left Saro in Ojumo village after she couldn’t take his mistreatment anymore. Well, it looks like she’s going to find love again in the series, and her lucky man is Gabriel Afolayan. This picture looks like Kunle giving some directions for a couple’s scene.

Princess Omowunmi finds love?

In the movie, Princess Omowunmi fell in love with Saro from the moment he first visited the palace. But Saro only had his eyes on the king’s youngest wife, Olori Arolake. A jealous Omowunmi discovered Saro and Arolake’s affair and their plan to elope from the village. She ruined the plan by telling her mother, who reported the matter to the king.

It seems Princess Omowunmi might have her own lover (Lateef Adedimeji) in the series.

We have our fingers crossed as the Anikulapo series now moves to post-production before an official release date is announced.

Adeyinka Odutuyo

July 25, 2023

Pop

Anikulapo, Nigerians, Nollywood movies
Have you ever watched a movie, seen the supposed villain and thought to yourself, “Damn, I sort of agree with this person”? Yes, I’ve been there too.

Sure, some of these “villains” do crazy shit like rituals here and there, but what happened to looking at things from everyone’s point of view? As someone who’s watched an unhealthy amount of them since birth, I decided to show you the real villain in some of your fave Nollywood films.

Aníkúlápó

Yes, I said it. While Saro (Kunle Remi) might be the living embodiment of a Yoruba demon, he lived the Abuja sweet boy life as a sugar baby and fashion designer before Queen Arolake (Bimbo Ademoye) came and blew everything up. Remember Arolake was the one who suggested they run away together. The moral of the story: avoid married women and know peace.

The Wedding Party

Getting robbed and having your ex show up at your wedding is one thing, but running out of amala on what’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life? Haba. All the drama in Kemi Adetiba’s The Wedding Party could’ve been avoided if Dozie (Banky W) and Dunni (Adesua Etomi)’s parents didn’t plan an elaborate party to outdo one another. Nigerians need to look into smaller weddings by the beach or something.

Egg of Life

The fact that an entire village thought it was cool to send seven teenage girls into the evil forest in search of one boiled egg to save their prince is still wild to me. Seven lives for one? It’s giving misogyny. It’s giving the silencing of female voices. All of you in that village will crumble.

Living in Bondage: Breaking Free

I’m sorry, but you can’t join a cult where they’re wearing red robes and sacrificing people and then be shocked when they ask you to bring the head of someone you love. What did Nnamdi Okeke (Swanky JKA) from Living in Bondage: Breaking Free think the cult would ask for? Beyoncé’s Renaissance visuals? Be fucking for real, sir. We can’t blame the cult leader (Ramsey Nouah) when Nnamdi used his hand to register like it was JAMB.

Glamour Girls (The Remake)

Someone needs to beg Charles Okpaleke to free Old Nollywood. The remakes of Nneka the Pretty Serpent and Aki and Paw Paw stressed me, but Glamour Girl is the straw that has broken my 30+ back. Charles, enough is enough.

RECOMMENDED: Nollywood Keeps Doing Remakes, So We Ranked Them From Best to Worst

Isoken

Osaze (Joseph Benjamin) might’ve been so controlling that he pushed Isoken (Dakore Akande) into the arms of a coloniser. But let’s face it, Mummy Isoken (Tina Mba) was the real villain of this story. Is it a crime to be a single woman (and a successful one at that) in Lagos? You’d think Isoken needed a man to enter heaven with how her mother was on her neck to get married. Sorry ma, but like The Pussycat Dolls said:

Blood Sister

Did Esther (Genevieve Nnaji) kill her sister, Gloria (Omotola Jalade Ekeinde), to marry her husband (Tony Umez)? Yes. But the last time I checked, she didn’t force the man. In other Nollywood films, the female character has to rely on juju to trap a man’s destiny. But Kenneth, in true Tony Umez fashion, willingly sashays into his sister-in-law’s panties. A shameless man, for real.

Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story

Ahanna (Stan Nze) starts a robbery gang, steals from a rich ass-man then abandons his gang to start a new life in a different city. And I’m supposed to see Ali Mahmood (Nobert Young) as the villain? No, this doesn’t sit right with my inner spirit. Ahanna was the bad guy in this film. His ex (Osas Ighodaro) should’ve shot him instead of his wife.

Man of God

Man of God‘s Samuel Obalolu is a scammer who starts a church to steal people’s money and cheat on his wife in a way that pleases God. But let’s not forget his father was also a pastor who verbally and physically abused him as a child. The fact that Samuel’s return to his abuser is framed as a prodigal son going back home still keeps me up at night. Ewww.

Chief Daddy 2

Do I even have to elaborate? EbonyLife has apologised for this film, so they know they were the problem, not Laila (Rahama Sadau).

Games Women Play

I grew up thinking Candice (Genevieve Nnaji) was the villain of this film for betting that her friend (Omotola Jalade Ekeinde) couldn’t seduce her man (Desmond Elliot). Still, just like in real life, Desmond Elliot is the villain here. Only a man who wants to be snatched can be snatched, and that’s facts. If Desmond Elliot’s Temisan loved Candice, no amount of seduction would’ve worked on him. Men will always disgrace you, sha.

ALSO READ: How to Avoid Being Used For Rituals, According to Nollywood

Conrad Johnson-Omodiagbe

March 13, 2023

Movies & TV, Pop

Anikulapo, Glamour girls, Nollywood, Pop, the wedding party
Everyone is talking about Kunle Afolayan’s latest Netflix fim, Aníkúlápó and its lead character, Saro, a man who could raise people from the dead. While being able to stroll into a cemetary to summon folks like Michael Jackson in Thriller sounds cool, we can’t help but think of some more pressing Nigerian problems that could benefit from a little revival here and there.

Raise your account from the dead

This is the first thing you’ll do the moment Akalo, the mystical bird, gives you the power of resurrection. No time to waste, just an immediate japa from poverty to Dangote-level wealth. The funniest part is you probably won’t tell anybody the source of your wealth before they pour sand inside your Ijebu garri.

Become a tech bro

Every three market days, some tech company comes on Aki and PawPaw’s internet to inform us they’ve raised millions of dollars in funding, and everyone starts running helter-skelter looking for tech jobs. But with Saro’s powers, you won’t have to apply for a tech job. You could just raise your own dollars yourself and replace the likes of Odunayo Eweniyi and Timi Ajiboye as the happening tech bro.

Raise the naira from the trenches

Remember when it was ₦150 to $1 and we were complaining and asking for ₦1 to $1? Omo, this is a serious case of “had I known” because the way the naira has fallen into the trenches over the past few years can give someone high BP. What’s the point of reviving your bank account if the naira is still swimming in disgrace? Better wake our national currency so that life can go back to normal for everybody.

Raise the national grid every time it collapses

Aren’t you tired of hearing that the national grid has collapsed every three Eke market days? You’ll be out here making plans and the next thing you know, the national grid will faint and leave you without power until further notice. Enough is enough. The national grid collapsing wouldn’t be a problem if you had Saro’s powers. Think about it.

We also wrote: These 7 Nigerian Legends Would Totally Slap as Superheroes

Invest in bread

If there’s one thing Nigerians must eat, it’s bread. The best thing to do the moment you realise you have Saro’s resurrection powers is to buy the first bakery you see. No jokes. Who needs ovens or yeast when you could look at flour and command it to rise just like that? Less manpower, less equipment, but plenty of profits. Do the maths, dear.

Raise your boring love life from the dead

This is for single people struggling to find romance in this tough rainy season. Imagine having the power to summon your love life from the great beyond and not using it? Just be careful so that love and romance will not land you in hot trouble like Saro sha.

Raise your bumbum

Yes, Victony and Burna Boy both told us that bumbum comes in different sizes, but there’s nothing wrong about wanting a bigger bumbum to intimidate your enemies and the internet. The power of resurrection means raising things up, so if you can raise a dead body up, why can’t you raise your bumbum too? Common sense.

Raise Nigeria from the ghetto

We don’t even have to do too much explaining when it comes to this one. The proof is in the akamu. If your Saro powers don’t work here, you can join us in putting Nigeria inside raw rice. Hopefully, we can restore our country’s factory settings together.

Kunle Afolayan’s Anikulapo is currently streaming on Netflix.

You can also read: How to Make a Badass Nollywood Action Film, According to “Brotherhood” Scriptwriter, Abdul Tijani-Ahmed

Conrad Johnson-Omodiagbe

November 4, 2022

Movies & TV, Pop

Anikulapo, netflix, Nollywood films
It’s hard to stand out and steal scenes playing opposite actresses like Adesua Etomi-Wellington and Bisola Aiyeola, but that’s precisely what Bimbo Ademoye did as the third sugar sister in Kayode Kasum’s 2019 comedic thriller, Sugar Rush.

Coming into 2020 as the film’s breakout star and the face of countless memes, Bimbo Ademoye has become an unstoppable force, transitioning from underrated YouTube and Iroko TV actress in films like, The Diary of a Crazy Nigerian Woman and One Long Day to a Netflix queen in Kunle Afolayan’s Aníkúlápó.

My introduction to Bimbo Ademoye came with 2017’s Back Up Wife with Seun Akindele. Her role reminded me of Funke Akindele’s star-making turn in the original Jenifa from 2008. While it was funny, I was also scared of these roles — the razz village girl who unintentionally makes herself the butt of every joke — as we’d seen it become a trope Funke Akindele still struggles to escape from years after Jenifa.

With new Nollywood constantly relying on comedic elements, whether they’re necessary or not, I’m not surprised Bimbo has successfully caught our attention. She was the funniest sister in Sugar Rush, the funny friend in Nneka the Pretty Serpent, and we can’t forget Ayinla from the legendary Tunde Kelani.

However, while other performers grasp onto these funny elements like their lives depend on it, Bimbo seamlessly skates through like it’s nothing. Her jokes are timely, and her presence is so consuming that, half of the time, I worry for her back because it can’t be easy carrying an entire production from start to finish.

RECOMMENDED: How to Make a Badass Nollywood Action Film, According to “Brotherhood” Scriptwriter, Abdul Tijani-Ahmed

Comedy can often make characters one-dimensional, but Bimbo seems to have hacked the tropes she’s been given to present characters that feel real. Yes, her character is presented as a joke in films like Selina and Breaded Life. Still, instead of just laughing at them, you end up understanding their motivations and the fact that these could be real human beings, even though they’re exaggerated and fictional.

After making Citation — a film which failed to make the post sex for grades statement it was aiming for, and Swallow — popular only for it’s wigs, production design and Ijeoma Grace Agu’s revelatory performance, Kunle Afolayan finally redeemed himself in my eyes with his latest Netflix project, Aníkúlápó.

The Yoruba epic was released in September 2022, and quickly became one of the most talked about Nollywood films of the year. Aníkúlápó also served as another reminder that men will disgrace you, even in the 1900s.

Stealing the show once again as the seductive turned vengeful, Arolake, Bimbo eats into her role with a certain level of depth and nuance that, in my opinion, the script didn’t really deserve. You want her in the beginning of the film, pity her by the second act, and by the time the credits roll, she makes you understand that it pays to be wicked, sometimes sha.

If there’s one thing Aníkúlápó showed, it’s Bimbo doesn’t have to be funny to keep you locked in by her performance. Another film that hinted at this side of her was Daniel Ademinokan’s 2018 redemption drama, Gone. That was the first time I thought, “Omo, this babe is going to go all the way.”

It also doesn’t hurt that Bimbo actually has a personality off-screen. Her sense of humour and ability to turn what could’ve been boring sponsored ads into hilarious original skits has made her a social media darling with over two million followers. If you haven’t already, you really need to get into her instagram character, Iya Barakat.

With the announcement of Sugar Rush 2 and Amazon Prime’s Gangs of Lagos coming soon, it’s safe to say Bimbo has made that transition from underrated to Nollywood it-girl status. I know we love it when our faves are underrated, but the truth is, Bimbo has become everyone’s fave, and honestly, that’s fine. It means we had taste from the start.

As Nollywood continues to push itself with productions like Brotherhood and For Maria: Ebun Pataki, I’m super excited to see more of Bimbo Ademoye, and yes, as this tweet said, we’re still rooting for a Bimbo and Uzor Arukwe romcom.

ALSO READ: How Damilola Orimogunje and Meg Otanwa Made “For Maria”, a Nollywood Game Changer

Conrad Johnson-Omodiagbe

October 21, 2022

Pop

Anikulapo, Bimbo Ademoye, netflix, Nollywood

First of all, why was Saro different from the other ghosts?

What was with the one female member of the Oyomesi?

Why did Saro’s murder victims help him?

Why did the mystical being give Arolake wealth?

The queen’s nephew just so happened to be The Flash?

Why did Arolake see the Alaafin again?

What was the use of Arolake’s one million guards?

Kuranga consummated in his in-laws’ house?

Why did Bashorun die so easily?

Why did Awarun warm up to Arolake?

Why didn’t any of them age?

You can also learn how to Find Arolake’s Money Bag and Defeat Poverty

First, you must relocate

Bus, what?

You must enter evil forest

And spend the night there

Make sure you’re a chores expert

Get TF out

Keep your mouth shut

And defeat poverty

First, a recap of where we left Saro and Arolake

An extended cast

Returning cast members

A new lover for Arolake?

Princess Omowunmi finds love?

Aníkúlápó

The Wedding Party

Egg of Life

Living in Bondage: Breaking Free

Glamour Girls (The Remake)

Isoken

Blood Sister

Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story

Man of God

Chief Daddy 2

Games Women Play

Raise your account from the dead

Become a tech bro

Raise the naira from the trenches

Raise the national grid every time it collapses

Invest in bread

Raise your boring love life from the dead

Raise your bumbum

Raise Nigeria from the ghetto