Five-Star reception for evergreen actress Bimbo Akintola in Abuja

The reception for star actress Bimbo Akintola and the recently appointed Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr. Shaibu Husseini, at the Tennis Section, IBB International Golf Course and Country Club in Abuja was at the instance of the ace Entertainment and Human Resources Consultant, Kemi Otegbade. Kemi, author of Bump on Your Route, a book that was inspired by practical experiences in the different types of businesses she has ventured in, took advantage of Akintola’s brief visit to Abuja, to stage a reception that turned out a five-star event and it was grand in all respect.

There was much to drink and eat and trust the amiable Kemi to pull in a quality audience. The VIP section of the Tennis area was filled with top members of the tennis and golf sections comprising serving and retired diplomats, top public servants, Military top brass-serving and retired and captains of industry.

They all came to meet face to face with the screen star, who has been lighting up the silver screen since she took the decision to venture into the motion picture space as an actress about three decades ago.

As guest took their seats, they voice their admiration for Bimbo’s beatific acquittal of screen roles right from her debut outing in Out of Bounds, The Mourning After, ’93 Days, and the more recent, Black Book, by Editi Effiong.

One of the guests, a retired diplomat, engaged this reporter with a talk on his impression of how Akintola’s acquitted the role of the heroine, Ameyo Adadevoh, in the internationally acclaimed movie on Ebola virus by Steve Gukas, titled, ’93 Days. The Diplomat affirmed that Akintola’s performance in the movie was a reason the movie was hailed in the acting department.

Said the diplomat: “Bimbo bumped herself snugly into the character and gave a surreal performance. Her delivery was powerful. It was top notch. And she has remained consistent since I watched her in that movie.”

There were more reviews of the performance of the star actress when the roundtable commenced. The consensus was that Akintola has not only remained dependable as an actress but she has exhibited competence as an actress all the way here.

An actress of many credits who is one of the few Nollywood screen actors that can be described as ‘timeless’, Bimbo’s Nollywood story is not difficult to tell. Her story began in the 90s.

Recall the beautiful damsel that erupted like a volcano and etched herself in the memory of many playing Tutu in that groundbreaking movie, Out of Bound. Well, that damsel is Abiola Bukola Aina Onoyigbe Mary-Ann Akintola, who with that outing, which was her first real feel of the screen acting turf, earned her a place on the list of acting show biz personality with commendable depth.

Today, the seductive Tutu in Out of Bounds and star of critically acclaimed flicks like Owo Blow, The Gardener, Armadas, Diamond Ring, Eje Mi, Temi ni Toto, Keeping Faith and several television soaps such as Family Ties and Mind Bending, has risen to now be referred to as an actress in the professional class and one of the most sought-after actresses in the Nigerian movie industry dubbed ‘Nollywood’.

To a father who is a renowned Islamic Scholar and a mum who is an entrepreneur, Bimbo, third child in a family of six, studied theatre arts and majored in acting at the University of Ibadan. But it was back at Maryland Covent Private School, Lagos that the interest to act grew for Bimbo who has phobia for dogs and who likes company and loves reading and singing.

As pupils, Bimbo and her mates were used as ready actors for the school end of year drama event. The interest as she revealed grew and it caught on there so much so that when she got into Command Day Secondary School, Lagos, she found acting more like what food and sleep is to man.

But it was as a theatre arts student that her passion for acting peaked. The recipient of a number of industry awards including the REEL Award Best Actress of the Year (1999), recalled how she engaged the raised platform at the arts theatre in Ibadan and how she took part in a couple of skits on radio and television back then at the Oyo State Broadcasting Service.

Soft spoken, reserved, focused and unpretentiously friendly, Bimbo who revealed that she ‘picks her friends from the heart’ admits that she may have featured in well over a 100 movies and television production both in English and Yoruba.

Her involvement as an actress in a couple of Yoruba movies is the reason she is described as a cross over artiste. But of these movies, Bimbo who prefers listening to any music that is ‘pleasant to the ears’ picks her outing in Out of Bounds and her outing in ’93 Days, The Mourning After and the more recent, Black Book, as her most memorable movies yet.

Any regrets? And Bimbo who is easily attracted to ‘honest, very plain, easy, nice and people with integrity quickly replies: “No regrets at all. I have enjoyed every bit of my stay and time in the industry. I personally don’t regret anything and I hardly harbour regrets because I learn so much from my mistakes. So, I am happy here after all this is all I wanted to do. I mean acting and being an entertainer.”