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‘If I am 30, I will celebrate big’ – Rukky Sanda

ON Thursday, August 23, 2012, Nollywood star, Rukky Sanda celebrated her birthday at her residence in Surulere, Lagos.  The occasion she used to appreciate God by reaching out to the motherless babies and also had fun to the fullest with a couple of friends and family members.  Also, the Lagos State born thespian, in conjunction with her friend and colleague, Tonto Dikeh put smiles on the face of a cancer patient from University of Lagos, by giving her N1 million as a relief package.

ENCOMIUM Weekly visited the pretty actress cum film maker in her Surulere, Lagos residence on Tuesday, August 28, 2012, where she spoke on these and much more…

 

What is the latest concerning your movies which you promised to release before this year runs out?  We mean Love Lorn and The Search?

They are ready but the problem is just to release them.  But I wouldn’t remember if I actually promised they will be released at any particular date.

The last time we talked on the movies, you said three months, but that period is over and they are yet to see the light of the day. 

Okay, I won’t put any date again. I don’t want to be quoted anymore on the day the movies will be released.  But they are coming out very soon. I have completed work on them. It’s just for me to release them.  At times, you need approval and if you don’t get it on time, it delays the process of release.

Or you’re just being economical with the truth because it maybe because of lack of finance, poor logistics and all that as some complain?

No, it doesn’t have to do with anything like finance or logistics.  The films are ready. I didn’t experience any financial constraint or any logistic problems. It’s just the timing, everything has a process. I can’t just throw out my movies like that. I need to play everything properly. Just like I told you, there are some rights you need to get out before you release movies on VCD or DVD.  So, I need to get all these rights because I consider the movies as my life projects.

Are they coming out in VCD or DVD?

The first batch is going to be released on DVD because the market is very unfavourable right now.  That’s why I have been keeping the films.  But now, I have to release them. I don’t want a situation that my jobs will be piling up and funds tied down.

The market situation at the moment doesn’t put smiles on the faces of movie producers, is that same factor not going to affect you as well?

You’re right, it’s because of the piracy level in the industry generally.  It has really killed the morals of many producers.  But we are trying to work out strategies and ways to get our movies released and make money.  But I can’t disclose all the strategies on the pages of newspapers or magazines.  They are strictly confidential.  Just like I said, the first batch is coming out on DVD, I don’t know if I am going to release any of my movies on VCD.

But what most people do is to premiere their movie first, before releasing it.  Why not go in that direction as well?

There is nothing wrong in premiering.  I may, but it’s not in my plan for now.  You can understand that everything requires fund and I won’t put my money into a movie and also my money for the premiere.  It’s sensible to spend extra to do a premiere of a movie you have spent so much on.  I don’t think that should be the purpose of a premiere.  Left to me, the reason you premiere your movie is just to create awareness and raise fund.  You should be able to make at least a reasonable percentage of what you spent on the movie. If it’s going to work out, I will plan for it later, but not now. When I even had it in mind, I was looking at September, 2012, but with the venue on my mind, we couldn’t get any favourable date.  And the other venue we got a date, it fell on a Thursday and that’s not the best for any movie premiere.  So, if I can’t get the date I have in mind, there is no point worrying myself again.  The venue is actually the main issue and if I had to wait till that’s sorted out, it means I will be releasing the movies later in the year which to me, won’t be sensible.  I don’t need to waste time anymore.  The premiere will just be a way of releasing the movies and I will just have what I can simply describe as press preview.

Some people are saying what you do mostly is writing movie scripts and exporting them, how true is that?

(Laughs) I pray so.  Exporting them to where? I don’t work for people, I write all my movies for myself and for my own production outfit. So, that’s not true.  Writing, for me, is really stressful.  So, if I am putting all the efforts in writing movies, I would rather do it for myself and not for anybody at all for one cheap fee.  Nobody can pay me enough doing that.

Let’s go to another issue.  On Thursday, August 23, 2012, we learnt you clocked 30 and you celebrated it somewhere in Lekki, Lgos, with a couple of friends…

First, who told you I am 30? I am not 30 yet.  When I clock 30, I am going to have an elaborate celebration.

Okay, how was the day?

It was okay. It wasn’t a big party.  I actually wanted to make it big but what I needed for the party was not available as at the appropriate time.  There was no enough time for me to organize it and I am not the kind of person that shifts like that.  If I didn’t do my party the day it’s meant to be done, I would rather not do it again.  That’s why it was low key and with few of my friends and family members.

Where was the venue in Lekki?

No, I didn’t have any party in Lekki. I had my party here in my house.  Everything started early in the morning.

How did it go that day?

It was fun all through the day.  We all enjoyed ourselves.

But we learnt you went to motherless babies home to donate cash and gifts, how true was that?

I didn’t go there, I only sent gifts to them.

It’s like that has been the practice in the industry now, that is reaching out to motherless babies or the less privileged when any of you is celebrating birthday, why?

We believe they need it and I believe they should be given.  It’s not as if it’s an everyday thing.  But just once in a while, one needs to reach out to the needy not necessary when you’re celebrating your birthday.  It’s like giving back to the society that made you. I don’t need to wait till I celebrate my birthday or do it through an NGO. I do it when I can afford it.

But you said you didn’t celebrate 30, then what’s the significance of the celebration when it wasn’t a landmark age?

The significance of celebrating my birthday is just to thank God that I added another year. I am alive, hale and hearty.  Also, to thank Him for rewarding my career bountifully.  I celebrate my birthday every year.

Why did you make it an annual event?

Since I was a child, I have been celebrating my birthday. I always stage parties.  It’s like if I don’t stage a party, something else will happen.  I have many video tapes of my previous birthday.  So, it’s just an annual thing for me.  When I am 30, I will stage a very big party.  So, people should just stop counting my age for me.

You have been in the industry for eight years, would you say you’re living your dream?

I will live my dream.  I enjoy what I am doing right now.  I said I will live my dream in the sense that when I get to that end, I would have put in all I wanted to invest in my career.  It’s then, I would say I will be living my dream but I am still working, working very hard to realize that dream.  I can’t say I have landed yet.

Do you have any bad habit that you want to change?

I don’t think I have any bad habit but nobody is perfect.  I only pray that God makes me a better person in my imperfect ways.  I am a human being and human beings are not perfect.  It is only God that’s perfect.

Recently, we learnt you donated about N1 million to a breast cancer patient, how true is that?

I didn’t donate N1 million to any organization.  The donation was not done by me alone, it was Tonto Dikeh and myself that donated the money. It was meant for a girl that had cancer of the shoulder. She was a University of Lagos Law student.  It was Tonto that initiated it, I didn’t know anything about it at all.  She felt concerned about the girl’s problem and she has an NGO, I don’t have anything like that. But when she told me about it, I had to support the idea because she has a good heart.

That means you and Tonto are very good friends?

Yes, she is my very good friend.

Are you not worried about the controversies around her?

All those things don’t bother me.  Which controversy, you mean all the rubbish people are saying?  Tonto is an awesome person.  She doesn’t need to explain herself to anybody, she owes nobody any apology.  I don’t owe anybody any explanation for whatever I choose to do.  Let me tell you, regardless of what you do, people will always want to criticize you.

 

 

  • This story was first published in ENCOMIUM Weekly on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
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