Actress and filmmaker Jaiye Kuti has expressed her frustration over the growing trend of actors turning into content creators and dancers to market their movies.
In a post on Instagram, Kuti opened up about the emotional strain this trend places on filmmakers.
She recalled how she felt compelled to dance online to promote her movie, despite having made significant financial investments in its production.
The actress empathised with her colleagues, pointing to actor Odunlade Adekola as an example of stars resorting to dancing as a marketing tool.
She also noted that many actors are now creating skits in a bid to draw attention to their films.
Kuti urged viewers to support the industry by engaging with its evolving online promotional efforts, stressing the need for appreciation and encouragement from audiences.
She said in part: “I have seen an ongoing discussion online concerning Executive Producers/Producers dancing to their movies.
“Do you know that some Executive Producers go as far as selling what they have to make a good movie? It is getting tiring and emotional for me
“When I made my movie, which was on Prime Video, I didn’t need to dance, and I made my money, which even earned interest.
“I spent money on my second movie with my partner, yet I still had to go to the street to dance to create publicity for the movie.
“It is bad, and I feel for me and the rest of us. There was a time when Odunlade was dancing, and I wanted to cry.
“After spending so much on publications, radio tours, billboards, and others, we’d still be required to come out and dance; it is bad. Actors have turned to skit makers just because they want to sell their movies. Viewers, you need to help us”.
Kuti also praised Funke Akindele’s dancing abilities, acknowledging that not everyone can dance like her.
She emphasised that everyone has their unique strengths and talents and that a good film will ultimately speak for itself.
“Not everybody can dance like Funke Akindele. God made everybody beautiful and imbued all of us in different ways. Everybody has a place in art.
“It is not everybody that have that strength of Funke Akindele. Funke Akindele is a natural dancer. But please, when the film is good, you will know”, she said.
This sentiment echoes Jemima Osunde’s recent condemnation of actors becoming dancers by default to promote their films.
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