By Bolatito Adebayo
Funke Akindele thought loudly to herself, “I owned this audition time! I got the entire spotlight, and everyone gave me a thunderous clap. I am sure the role is mine”.
She was happy the future she dreamt of was here and didn’t mind that she had to walk the long-distance home because she didn’t have transport fare.
Unfortunately, when Funke went back her role had been given to someone else. Funke was dejected.
She wanted so much to be a star actress and at that moment she felt that the dream was far beyond her reach.
This wasn’t the first, second and not even seventh time she was disappointed, in fact, because of her many failed attempts at auditions it earned her a name, “queen” of auditions and “ Waka pass” role.
Each time she was rejected after an audition, Funke cried.
However, her mother never stopped encouraging her and often times she gave her transport fare to her many auditions.
Eventually, it appeared like fate smiled at her, Funke got the lead role in “I need to know”, a popular television series, nevertheless, this didn’t change her fortune. Right after that television series everything nosedived again. At a point in her career, she had to lobby, call people and knock at doors but all doors remained shut.
She was at the rock bottom and because she hardly got roles, she had just two or three pairs of shoes. Funke felt the world was up against her.
Interestingly, the tide turned for good and Funke Akindele’s big break came in 2008 when she appeared in Jenifa.
Years ago, Funke Akindele’s film “Omo Ghetto (The Saga)” was named Nollywood’s highest-grossing movie of all time, breaking a four-year record held by Kemi Adetiba’s 2016 comedy movie “The Wedding Party“.
She rose to fame for her role in the movie titled Jenifa this fetched her the nickname Jenifa.
Funke Akindele played the lead role in the show Jenifa’s Diary, for which she was named the Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 and 2017Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
Again, at the 2020 and 2022 AMVCA, she took home the same award, making it her fifth wins for the Best Actress in a Comedy category. Funke Akindele is the most nominated actress at the AMVCA and currently owns five AMVCA which makes her the actress with most win at the AMVCA.
Funke is second director to gross over a billion at the box office with movies like Your Excellency, Omo Ghetto: The Saga and most recent Battle on Buka Street.
In 2022, she was nominated by the People’s Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, as the running mate for the 2023 Lagos state governorship election but she lost the election.
However,Funke Akindele is one the rarest talent in Nigeria that has ever graced our screen.
So, no matter how dejected you are be expectant.
Be like Funke Akindele,tackle the challenge you are facing head-on.
Get back up and give it everything….
You will succeed!
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