''Ayinla'' is a musical eponymous film based on the life of Ayinla Yusuf popularly known as

Ayinla Omowura Waidi Ayinla Yusuf Gbogbolowo better known as Ayinla Omowura (1933 – 6 May 1980) was a Nigerian Apala musician born in Itoko, Abeokuta in 1933. Biography Omowura was the son of Yusuff Gbogbolowo, a blacksmith, and Wuramotu Morenike. He did n ...

, an

Apala Apala (or akpala) is a music genre originally developed by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, during the country's history as a colony of the British Empire. It is a percussion-based style that originated in the late 1930s. The rhythms of apala grew ...

musician who was stabbed to death by his manager named Bayewu in a bar fight on 6 May 1980 at

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...

. The film premiered on 13 June 2021 in Lagos and was released to theatres on 18 June 2021. Directed by

Tunde Kelani Tunde Kelani (born 26 February 1948), popularly known as TK, is a Nigerian filmmaker. In a career spanning more than four decades, TK specialises in producing movies that promote Nigeria's rich cultural heritage and have a root in documentation ...

, the film was set in the 1970s and early 1980s and shot in Abeokuta,

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

Lateef Adedimeji 2022 best actor 2022 best of nollyhood awards Adetola Abdullateef Adedimeji (born 1 February 1984) is a Nigerian actor and filmmaker. He gained popularity with his first major role in Yewande Adekoya's 2013 movie titled ''Kudi Klepto'' and has ...

assumed the role of Ayinla, starring alongside

Omowumi Dada Omowunmi Dada (born 10 October 1989) is a Nigerian actress, best known for her role as ''Folake'' in the M-Net television series ''Jemeji''. She was also cast in the 2017 Yoruba language film ''Somewhere in the Dark'', which won the award for ...

Bimbo Manuel Bimbo Manuel (born 30 October 1958) is a Nigerian actor. He was nominated for Best actor in a supporting role at the 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards. Career Bimbo hails from Lagos State. After graduating from the University of Port Harcourt with ...

Ade Laoye Ade Laoye is a Nigerian-American actress. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University where she studied Theatre Arts. Ade Laoye first starred in ''Knocking on Heaven's Door'' by Emem Isong. Ade also featured in '' Lunchtime Heroes'' by ...

Kunle Afolayan Kunle Afolayan (born 30 September 1975) is a Nigerian actor, producer and director. He is widely credited for elevating the quality of Nollywood movies though larger budgets, shooting on 35mm, releasing in cinemas, and improving cliché Nollywo ...

Bimbo Ademoye Bimbo Ademoye (born 4 February 1991), is a Nigerian actress. She was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy/TV series at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in 2018, for her role in the film ''Backup Wife'' (2017). Early life and education ...

and

Mr Macaroni Adebowale "Debo" Adedayo (born 3 May 1993), known by his stage name Mr Macaroni, is a Nigerian actor, content creator and citizen activist. A trained thespian, his popularity grew from his comic skits on social media, where he plays the role o ...

. ''Ayinla'' is Kelani's first major film since his 2015 release of ''

Dazzling Mirage ''Dazzling Mirage'' is a 2014 Nigerian drama film, produced and directed by Tunde Kelani; it stars Kemi "Lala" Akindoju, Kunle Afolayan, Bimbo Manuel, Yomi Fash Lanso, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Seun Akindele. It also features special appearances fr ...

''. The budget for this feature film is officially given as ₦50 Million.

Synopsis

Ayinla is a quick-tempered and promiscuous Apala musician at the peak of his career. Ajala, a show promoter, offers to take Ayinla and his Apala group on tour in London, as their music has been in high demand in the city. While arrangements for the London trip are underway, Ayinla takes his manager, Bayewu's girlfriend, which leads to enmity between them. Ayinla decides to confront Bayewu in a bar, leading to an unintended brawl and Ayinla's untimely death.

Cast

as Ayinla *

as Jaye *

as Ajala *

as Bayewu

Production and release

''Ayinla'' was set shot on location in Abeokuta. It was produced by

Jadesola Osiberu Jadesola Osiberu is a Nigerian writer, director and producer and founder of Greoh Studios. She is known for ''Isoken'' (2017), '' Sugar Rush'' (2019), '' Brotherhood'' (2022) and ''Gangs of Lagos'', the first Nigerian original film set to stre ...

and the production was sponsored by

First Bank of Nigeria First Bank of Nigeria Limited is a Nigerian multinational bank and financial services company in Lagos, Nigeria. It is the premier bank in West Africa. The First Bank of Nigeria Limited operates as a parent company, with the subsidiaries 'FBN Ba ...

. The film premiered on 13 June 2021 in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

Reception

A reviewer scored the film 7 out of 10 saying "Conclusively, ''Ayinla'' proves to be worth the hype. That it succeeds is largely due to Adedimeji Lateef and director Tunde Kelani. No film is perfect but this one takes its place among the

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

greats in recent times. Commenting on the movie in a

Nigerian Tribune The ''Nigerian Tribune'' is an English-language newspaper published in Ibadan, Nigeria. It was established in 1949 by Obafemi Awolowo and is the oldest running private Nigerian newspaper. In the colonial era, the newspaper served as the mouthpie ...

review, Adekunle Sulaimon said "some scenes that Ayinla songs are being sung, Adedimeji’s voice was not at par with the music played and the feud between Bayewu and Ayinla was not adequately represented, a scene of their squabble is not enough to tell of the duo arch-rivalry despite how heated their enmity was spoken of in Abeokuta." He rated the movie 8 out of 10. Also, a review published on The Lagos Review, reiterated why the film was not exactly a biopic, "What the film lacks in biographical fidelity, it makes up for in performances, costuming, locations and props, etc. There is no controversy at all in describing Ayinla as a musical. Right from the first scene, the audience is immersed in the melodious baritone and drums that are characteristic of Omowura’s Apala music. This tempo is maintained through a significant part of the film. The implication of this is that there are no dull moments for the audience, at least until the melancholy of tragedy sets in." Vivian Nwajiaku of Afrocritik rated the film 6.4/10 and said "''Ayinla'' is undoubtedly an impressive film. What it lacks in plot, it makes up for with great acting. Indeed, in spite of its flaws, it places Nollywood on the right path and sets a precedent for future biopics".

Awards and nominations

References

External links

{{IMDb title, id=15150424 Films directed by Tunde Kelani 2021 films 2020s biographical films 2020s musical films Biographical films about musicians Nigerian films based on actual events Films set in the 1970s Films set in the 1980s Nigerian musical drama films Nigerian biographical films