THE PORTRAIT OF A NOLLYWOOD SCREEN GODDESS

Bukola Lasisi

If you have ever seen Sola Sobowale in a movie, you already know she is nothing short of iconic. She is a woman with a flair for dramatic entrances and there is no way to contain Sola Sobowale on her talent. She is one of the most acclaimed and much-loved actors of our time.

Ageless and beautiful, she is one of the few actors in Nigeria graced with the dexterous ability to swirl a dull screen role to an enthralling act. Whether she is playing the role of an overbearing mother-in-law, an aggressive mum or a hyper & emotionally unbalanced wife, Sola Sobowale is highly addictive and will leave you thrilled.

Aunty Sola as she is fondly called by younger colleagues carries a natural glamour, a soul-woman warmth, she’s down to earth and, has a nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic

She is talented. She has perfected her craft so well that her acting has an effortless quality that allows the audience to totally immerse themselves in the myriad of characters she plays.

She is stylish. Even though in her late fifties, she moves with the fashion trend and stays abreast of current styles. From native attires to casual wears and corporate clothes, Sola Sobowale knows how to rock them all.

Her smile is contagious. Although she wears a stern face in movies, which portrays her serious and no nonsense side, her smile warms every heart.

Her simplicity and humility are second to none and have attracted, to her pleasure, a huge fan club of over a million youths. Aunty Sola is clearly one of the efficacious queen mothers of Nollywood. 

Sola Sobowale’s strength as an actress lies in her ability to act both Yoruba and English language movies effortlessly. In fact, she is described freely as a cross over actress and this multilingual acting ability has served her well.

We thought we had seen it all when she acted in Wale Adenuga’s Super Story where she played the role of Toyin Tomato. Little did we know that there was more coming. She was super Awesome in that role.

She went on to do other remarkable movies but she recently wowed her audience with her role in King of Boys: The return of the King directed by Kemi Adetiba. The epic delivery of her lines, her energetic display of character cannot be over emphasised. Sola Sobowale keeps raising the bar with her acting. The mere flutter of her eyelids and her withering stare was enough to reduce her enemies to ash. I don’t know how she did it but she made Eniola Salami a larger-than-life character. Ever since KOB2 hit the screens, fans have been hopelessly devoted to Sola Sobowale. She immortalized the part of the king. Have you ever seen a benevolent and pantomime villain? That’s Oba in KOB.

Elizabeth Olusola Sobowale is a Nigerian film actress, screenwriter, director and producer. She is also an influencer, ambassador, and a mother. Born on 26th December, 1965 in Ondo State, Nigeria, to the family of the late Mr and Mrs Joseph and Esther Olagookun, both disciplinarians who were well-grounded in teaching profession. Her father was a principal and her mother headmistress.

While it would bring Sola’s father happiness to follow his path and become an academic, her mother on the other hand wanted her to be a nurse, but she was bold and versatile enough to combine both, only on screens. Little Sola was completely not interested in either of their choices. She argued that teachers were not well compensated. So, when the idea of venturing into the make-believe world seeped into their ears, Sola’s parents were quick to disapprove the idea at the speed of light.

However, with the intervention of her brother-in-law; multi-award-winning Nigerian musician, and actor, Pa Tunji Oyelana who corrected her parents’ impression about actors, and showed readiness to guide her through her career path, Sola’s parents changed their stance.

She got admitted as a secretary in training at Sight and Sound in Ibadan, after which she enrolled in the University of Ibadan’s Department of Music but later switched to Theatre Arts. That was the beginning of her acting career.

With over two decades in the thespian art, and appearances in over 200 movies, Sola started acting professionally as a member of the Awada Kerikeri Group under the leadership of Adebayo Salami where she starred in the movie ‘Asewo to re Mecca.’ From Iya Alamala in Sura the Tailor, the rested Village Headmaster, to Lola Fani Kayode’s Mirror in The Sun and a couple of stage productions including Femi Osofisan’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again, it has been an upward projection for her.

Sola Sobowale has played several roles that have been her most famous. She first captivated peoples heart as Toyin Tomato in Wale Adenuga’s hit TV series ‘SuperStory: Oh Father, Oh Daughter’. She played the role of Toyin, a manipulative and calculative woman, who destroyed the home of Suara. Her interpretation of the role got Sobowale a recognition all over the country. She went on to feature in some Yoruba films but none matched the fame Toyin Tomato gave her. Sobowale was widely referred to as Toyin Tomato until recent. The 2001 production, which became an instant hit, was the first in a series of Wale Adenuga’s TV shows.

Then again, balancing career and family was quite enormous for her at some point, not willing to sacrifice one for the other, she took a long break from acting to concentrate on her family. Even when she dropped out of the scene, her name never left the lips of her fans who deeply missed her presence in movies. She relocated to the United Kingdom to give the best of education to her five children. According to sola, ‘I wanted to give the best to my children. I love UNILAG, and UI. Those are the school I love the most but the schools go on. I just really wanted the best for my children. Coming from well-educated parents, I know the value of education. So I had to fly them out and had to be there for them as well.’

Over a decade after playing Toyin Tomato, after her children graduated from their different tertiary institutions, she plotted a comeback to Nollywood. But no previous coup de théâtre prepared the world for the arrival of the queen. She returned to spotlight in the magnificent manner possible and none of her fans was prepared for the delight she brought with her.

Not many are able to leave Nollywood for a long time and then return as if they never left in the first place. However, the story was different for aunty Sola. She was unmistakable by her fans when she appeared in ‘The Wedding Party’, where she played the role of Mrs. Tinuade Coker. Sobowale perfectly interpreted the role of a Yoruba bride’s mum. An irrepressible mother of the bride, Adunni (Adesua Etomi), who stands up to the mother of the groom, the snob Uju Onwuka (Iretiola Doyle). Beyond the flawless, unmatched acting, it was a career-defining moment for the veteran thespian. Sobowale grabbed headlines again with her brilliant interpretation of the role in the film that went on to become the highest-grossing Nollywood film.

While we were still recovering from her excellent performance, the vibrant actress left us gasping for breath in Kemi Adetiba’s movie, ‘King of Boys’. She took up the lead role of Alhaja Eniola Salami, a businesswoman and philanthropist yet a mean, cold and brutal woman. Sola outdid herself in that movie, keeping us glues to our seats with a delivery that was nothing short of phenomenal and breath taking. Currently, Sola Sobowale holds the title of the ‘King of Boys’, a sobriquet she derived from the film.

The humble, charming and amiable actress of innumerable stage has a long list of movies she appeared in and produced. They include but not limited to:

• Diamond Ring, 1998
• Oduduwa, 2000
• Lagidigba, 2000
• Outcast, 2001
• Omo Inu Oku, 2001
• Kosorogun, 2002
• Unforgettable, 2003
• Tim ba’taiye Wa, 2003
• The Outsider, 2003
• Emotional Tears, 2003
• Oyato, 2003
• Ayomida (2003)
• Okanlomo, 2003
• Jawo nbe, 2003
• Hope of Glory, 2004
• Love From Above, 2004
• Dangerous Twins, 2004
• Total Disgrace, 2005
• 11:45…  Too late, 2005
• Opin Irin Ajo, 2005
• The Last Night, 2005
• The Price of Love: Life is Beautiful,2005
• Nibolojasi, 2006
• A Can of Worms 1&2, 2008
• Disoriented Generation, 2009
• Ohun Oko Somida, 2010
• Family on Fire, 2011
• The Wedding Party 1&2 2017
• Wives on Strikes: The Revolution, 2017
• Christmas is Coming, 2017
• Omambala, 2018
• King of Boys 1&2 2018/2020
• Seven And A Half Dates, 2018
• Gold Statue, 2019
• The Enemy I know, 2019

 

Producer

• Ayomida(2003)
• Ayomida 2(2003)
• Ohun Oko Somida(2010)

Sola Sobowale’s career has been a testament to, as it were, array: a regal, orderly parade from hit to hit, milestone to milestone, strength to strength. She is one of the most-sought after actresses in Nigeria and has several endorsement deals. The award winning actress is an ambassador to Globacom, Mouka Foams, BSTAN Homes, Fairfield, Unity bank, amongst others.

Talking about fulfilment, Sola Sobowale says she is not yet fulfilled. ‘I still have a baby that I am carrying in my womb and until that baby is born, I cannot be fulfilled. It is something for the aged ones. I can’t say too much now but keep your fingers crossed’

Aunty Shola is a true renaissance woman who can and has done it all. She has a robust career and an admirable family. The veteran actress is married to Oladotun Sobowale and together, they are blessed with children. The actual number of aunty Sola’s children has been a thing of debate. Some sources claim she has four while some claim she has five children. However, she has got children including twin girls and a daughter who is a blogger and a chef.

Talking about her retirement plan, aunty Sola is still fully in the business and plans to be relevant for a long time therefore, she will continue raising and smashing the bar, even if it means overstepping crazy borders to fully prepare for that character. ‘I will still play the role of a 90-year-old woman. There is space for everyone so I’m not going anywhere because I will live very long’.

She is a recipient of many industry awards which include but not limited to

• Best Actress in Comedy, African Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, 2017
• Actress of the Year, Allure Awards, 2018
• Best Actress in a Leading Role ‘King of Boys’, Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), 2019
• Lifetime Achievement Award, New Vision International Film Festival, 2019
• Actress of the Year, New Telegraph Award
• Hall of Fame, Naija FM Comedy Awards

 

I bet we can all agree that Sola Sobowale will always remain a TV delight.

Picture credits- Internet and @solasobowale on IG