When Love happens…
Henceforth, whenever you see a lady in need of a
man, please, give her quality attention. If you
cannot fill the void in her heart, ensure you don’t
do anything that will widen it – like the so called players do.
The reason is obvious, only that not many people
really understand how painful and killing the
experience is to the lady. When she is ripe for
marriage and the right man is not forthcoming,
the lady is tempted to see the world as a cruel
one.
This is the story of 28-year-old Moduroti Bankole-
Smith, a Lagos-based event planner who is
seriously looking forward to a day someone will plan
her own wedding event too. Her elite parents know
her strong desires. So, they are ready to support
her and even help to explore possibilities on her
behalf. In the process, Mo – as she is fondly called
in the film – runs into several guys,
most of whom do not meet her taste.
Well, her choice is not outrageous, though. Once
the guy is not like randy characters (in the film)
like OC. Ukeje and Desmond Elliot or braggart Femi
Branaid, she is ready to play ball.
Unfortunately, however, the right man would
simply not come. The producer and director – Seyi
Babatope, Kene Mparu and Moses Babatope – as
well as the script writers – Diche Enunwa, Temitope
Bolade and Seyi Babatope – score an intriguing
point when Mo finds a good husband in a folk
(Gideon Okeke), with whom she has always lived.
This is the trick in When Love Happens , and it is a
factor that many singles out there may consider
more than a fairy tale. As those who have passed
through the single-and-searching/marriage route
would attest, usually the right partner is where
many people think he or she is not.
It is a film that many people are likely to applaud,
but it seems to have its root in quality scripting. In
Nigeria, one of the banes of the movie industry is
the inability of practitioners to conceive and
develop good stories and translate such into good
screenplays. Indeed, in many instances, the
producers and actors do not have enlightened
scripts to work with.
One of the lessons from the
movie, therefore, is that Nigerian film makers
should first invest in quality scripts before they
head for locations.
Because it tells everyone’s story in a very realistic
way, many viewers will find it interesting. It is
romantic in every department – with all the kisses
waiting for those who expect sensual escapes in
films. The dialogue flows through the vein of the
screen, just as Opia, though new in mainstream acting, proves that she has place in
Nollywood.
Some may query Babatope for not having saved
some of the details – and so make the film more
compact – the fact is that the risk he took in
featuring Opia as the heroine is worth it at the
end of the day. That he surrounds her with
established figures that also include Bukky Wright,
Wale Ojo and comedienne Helen Paul, with a
sprinkling of other ‘freshers’ like Beverly Naya and
Ocheka Godis, also lighten up her talent in the
film. At the end, Babatope may also have scored What happens when love makes an unexpected
arrival?
A scene from the movie…
When love happens is a high art and glossy
romantic comedy about the lives of 3 twenty
something professionals in a modern technology
connected Lagos and the hilarious and often
bizarre adventures in finding romance.
That’s the premise behind “When Love Happens “!
The Director, Seyi Babatope says “ This film is a
part representation of the richness and diversity in
our industry, When Love happens speaks to the
tenderness and warmth of our culture for a
widening audience base and a different cinematic
experience to be expected from Nigeria ”veteran Tunde Kelani is thus
famous – discovering new talents.
And he is damn humble but frank about her mission
with the film: to present a film that will make
Nigeria proud anywhere it is seen in the world.
