Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, a Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker, has said he doesn’t support marriage between persons in the movie industry because of the demanding nature of the industry.
In an interview with Saturday Beats, he said, “To me, everything falls under destiny. If one is destined to marry in the industry, it’s fine. Otherwise, I do not approve of it simply because it does not work. A wife has to give everything to her home and she cannot be on the road all the time with her husband. Who will take care of the house if the two partners are bigwigs in the movie industry? For the man, he would have a lot of female admirers, and the same goes for the woman. Eventually, this can break their home. That’s why I don’t approve of it.
“I like discussion, especially with females. Let people think what they want but I know what I’m gaining from them. Both old and young women are knowledgeable and it helps me when I want to write my stories. I always build my stories around women. Women are usually at the receiving end and I like to weave stories about their plight. I am not around them because I want something else from them. I am still young and I’m a content man. I have peace of mind. I don’t let things bother me and nothing shakes me. I only pray and leave all my worries at the feet of God. I’m also not a party goer; except the hosts are people close to me. I always spend at most one hour at any party I attend. I neither drink nor go to joints to take pepper soup. I like to watch the news and listen to music a lot.”
Also speaking about his over 40-year relationship with Jide Kosoko, Oga Bello said, “Jide Kosoko and I are like one family. We share and discuss things. If there’s any problem, he tells me and vice versa. Even with Yinka Quadri. It’s a blatant lie to say that there are no good friends in the movie industry. We have been together for over 40 years and it’ll remain like that. Our children are also in this profession. We don’t want them to be one another’s enemies. In every industry, there will be quacks. Some people come into the industry without knowing the rudiments of the profession. When you come in like that, you cannot do it right.”
The thespian also noted that he missed the discipline that existed in the industry before. He added, “What I miss about the old movie industry is discipline. There is no longer discipline in the industry like before. In the good old days, we kept to time. Now people stroll to movie sets any time, though they make exceptions for veterans like me. I think it should not be like that. But, I must say that we have more talents in the movie industry. The industry is improving on a daily basis in terms of equipment, quality of movies and research.”