Whether it’s her longing character in ‘Last Judgment’ or her latest anticipated film, ‘Ohun Mofe’ which also stars Odunlade Adekola and Foluke Daramola, Abosede Bello’s powerful appeal resides in that quality so rare in Nollywood: predictable relatability.
The beloved Iya Oko Bonvita (as she’s popularly known) —and eminently bankable— Bello Mitiyatu Abosede as she was christened, soars to new heights in the Yorrywood’s (yea, every place has got to have its wood, it’s in the constitution) hotly anticipated drama, Ohun Mofe
Bello (or just stick to Iya oko bonvita) always tends to circle back to a single, squishy word: relatability. Consciously or not, Bose Bello tends to remind people of someone they know—a best friend, a forgetful roommate, or a favorite cousin – and especially a feisty mother-in-law (wives, I got your back on this one.) Audiences get behind her, connect to her, and root for her because they recognize the person she is.
It sounds so simple, and yet it is not. It is a golden quality.
And yet it is something of an imprecise science to divine why audiences love her so. There are Bello’s acting chops, long underrated, finally receiving their critical due with her effervescent performance in Tojubole.
There’s also Bello’s self-deprecating comedic gift—the one who never quite got the hang of using Twitter. This ability to laugh at herself exists in real life
She’s incredibly funny, but the butt of almost all her jokes is herself. When she’s not getting awards for her outstanding portrayals in a film, she’s getting plaques somewhere else – even being recognized by Lagos Culinary Academy for her selfless efforts in promoting technical and hands-on education.
Sometimes it’s little things, being a source of encouragement for her community even as they look at her as a movie star whom everybody knows, but none of that matters. It doesn’t matter to Abosede Bello.
Everything she is grateful for at that moment is right there among them. It sounds perfect, it sounds close to normal. It sounds like a life.
