Encomium
‘I have lost millions of naira’ – He cries
ONE of the best moments of star actor, Saidi Balogun should be now. The time he is supposed to be enjoying the fruits of his hard labour, smiling to the banks on a daily basis, on account of the profit expected of his multi-million naira movie, You or I, which was released a couple of days back. But now, that hope has been dashed, as the hugely financed and publicized flick has been pirated.
Balogun, ENCOMIUM Weekly was informed by an industry source, has lost millions of naira to the perpetrators of the evil act, who released the fake copies of You or I DVD prior to the day it was formally out. A copy, we learnt goes for just N150 instead of the standard price of N500.
The ugly development, the source said, has thrown the talented role interpreter cum film maker off balance financially at the moment. Even, the marketer of the movie, Alhaji Kazeem Adeoti of Adikaz Film Productions is not spared.
However, we were told that a couple of people have been arrested in few areas in Lagos State, including Iyana Ipaja, Oshodi, Oworonsoki, amongst others. And those arrested are now said to be in the police net.
“Saidi Balogun is not happy at the moment. He is in serious debt over the piracy of his newly released movie, You or I. I learnt the pirated copies are now all over the place in Lagos and its environs. With just N150, one can grab a fake copy. But the original one which is in plastic goes for N500. But the dubbed copies are on the streets now with fake logos on them. I learnt that he has arrested some people over the matter but I don’t know about his further action.
“It’s sad and painful because he has spent a lot of money on the movie and equally expecting much profit. Now, they have wasted all his efforts. I think the government needs to take a decisive measure of punishment that can curb the menace once and for all. We can’t afford to continue like this. It is unfair.”
ENCOMIUM Weekly reached out to Balogun on Saturday, August 9, 2014, on the issue and he lamented, calling on the general public to ignore the fake DVDs of You or I being sold by the road sides and some kiosks right now as the buyers of such DVDs will end up regretting their action as the value for their money won’t be enjoyed.
“My friend, it’s true. You or I has been pirated. I am in serious debt now. The marketer of the movie, Adikaz and I are confused at the moment because we’re yet to come to terms on how the evil deal was done despite being very careful. Those pirates have wrecked their havoc again. It’s painful, very sad. I am not happy at the moment. All my labour and resources have wasted. Those criminals have started again, reaping where and what they didn’t sow.
Asked to recall how much was spent on the movie, he said, “As you and I know, You or I has been the most expensive of all my movies. This is a movie shot in different parts of the world, including US, UK, South Africa, Nigeria, among others. Not only that, all the costs except myself are white. You can imagine how much that has gone into it.
“Now, some criminals went ahead and fetched into what they didn’t know about. It’s sad. That’s why the government should make a law that will put a stop to all these problems. I would only advise the public, especially my fans to ignore the fake products being sold right now as they won’t enjoy the money, no matter how little they think they’re paying to get a copy of the movie. You or I is not a 50-minute movie as being paraded on the streets by all these touts, it’s a movie that shows for 2 hours 5 minutes. And ours is in plastic, not in nylon. So, the difference is clear. People should just open their eyes from being scammed by all these dubious characters killing the industry.”
Asked to shed light on the next line of action concerning the incident, he reacted, “We have succeeded in arresting two people so far while we’re still haunting for more. And I believe we will get some more as we progress. We arrested one person each in Oworonsoki and Iyana Ipaja. They are in police custody right now. I assure you, more arrests will be made soon, and all the culprits will be brought to book.”
– TADE ASIFAT
