YOU recently threw a thanksgiving birthday bash for the ordeal you went through while you were still in hospital…
I have granted so much interviews concerning that ordeal and I think that is my past now. I would really not like to dwell much on that; City People celebrated my birthday for me which I really appreciate but what I went through is in the past.
What have you been up to in recent times?
I have been preparing grounds for my new movie and in a couple of months I will be neck deep in shooting the film.
What's the title of the movie?
The movie is still in the works like I mentioned earlier, but I wouldn't like to disclose the movie title at this moment. When the movie is released, you'll be one of the first to know the title; for now I would like to keep the title under wraps.
At the time of your ordeal, did you get the needed support that you expected especially from people close to you?
My family stood by me throughout the period, but sometimes you expect to get so much from people but you don't get what you expect from them in return. My sickness started like malaria, I was having severe headache and I was a bit tensed and I was diagnosed with typhoid. But the sickness kept resurfacing and I was subjected to series of tests until they later told me I had liver problem. True, I was really ill; I was struggling to be alive and I wasn't happy, but I thank God that I am still alive, which, for me, is most important.
While you were bedridden did you miss acting?
Honestly, I did…I was tired of the hospital and I remember telling my mum that I couldn't wait to leave the hospital. I was also watching a lot of Nollywood movies in the hospital and I felt really left out. On the other hand, I felt I didn't miss too much at all after I was discharged from the hospital. I had already carved a niche for myself and that fact came to the fore when I was discharged after spending over 18 months in the hospital. People accepted me and showed love; I immediately felt I had not lost anything.
What was particularly going through your mind when you were bedridden?
Everyone around me then weren't happy because they thought I was not going to be okay eventually. But I knew I was not going to die. All the while I was sick I didn't look at the mirror and I didn't know what I was looking like. People came to see me and they were surprised at my state. But immediately I was discharged from the hospital, I compared pictures of when I was still in the hospital with when I was discharged, and I must tell you that the difference was really clear. The only way I could recognize myself was my voice; it was that bad. I used to shy away from people because I lost so much weight. I was a shadow of myself while I was ill and I thank God all of that is behind me now.
At that period, did life teach you any valuable lesson?
Obviously, I did learn a whole lot. At that time I was not aware of time or even the date. I was just on the sick bed for so long. A day before my birthday last year while still sick, it was my mum that reminded me that I would be a year older the next day. Life thought me a lot but you know we are humans and for me, I forget things easily. There are some people I am supposed to stay away from because they said so many negative things about me but when they see me now, they can't believe their eyes that I am back on my feet. I have learnt to listen to people when they talk because I used to argue a lot but tend not to argue that much again.
Were you ever scared that you were not going to act again?
It was when I was sick that I discovered that I was popular. People called me from different parts of the world wanting to know how I was faring and how they could help me. That was when I really knew that people were really watching my movies and they knew who Sikiratu Sindodo was. They didn't even know that my real name as Tayo Odueke. Maybe they know now but I knew I wasn't going to lose out at that point. When I was discharged from the hospital everybody wanted to see me.
Would the movie that you are working on be related to what you have been through?
Not at all because I wouldn't like to recall those moments anymore; it is on something different entirely and the script was cooked up before I fell ill.
One of the first events you attended after your ordeal was Malaika's birthday. How supportive was he while you were still in the hospital?
That's my baby now and I know that is why you are asking (general laughter). He was there for me all through…
So you expected him to be there?
Though I was shocked initially when I saw him but I didn't feel he was going to leave me because the love we shared was real and we had a serious relationship. The thought of him leaving me never crossed my mind and anytime he comes we talk at length and sometimes we argue because I am the naughty type. We only argue when he doesn't come on time. For 15 months while I was in the hospital he always came to see me. He is just a very good guy.
Did you ever harbor any fears about losing him while you were still sick?
Not at all…I wasn't thinking of anything emotional at the time but I could do with it because I was always going into shock and they were always administering drip and oxygen on me sometimes. I didn't even think he was going to leave me but he was there and he is still there.
Now that you seem to have gone through that illness, what are your projections?
I have so many ideas in my head; I would love to go into the fashion world because I love clothes. I have so many things on my mind and I am just praying that things pan out in good time.
What has fame offered you?
It has opened a few doors for me; it has taken me places that I wouldn't have ordinarily gone to. Fame has also brought me so much opportunity and access.
What has fame taken away from you?
I have lost my privacy and that is one thing that I cherish a whole lot…
While you were still sick there were rumours making the rounds that you had contracted HIV/AIDS. Did that rumour hurt you in any way?
It didn't hurt me in any way; HIV/AIDS is a disease being contracted by human beings and not animals. I didn't allow such rumours to affect me in any way; I saw so many people that were admitted for HIV/AIDS and I also saw people that died of the disease while I was still admitted in the hospital. If human beings do not have AIDS, then who will have it? I was not disturbed at all but the only thing that shocked me was rumour that I was dead. I had so many calls when that particular rumor was making the rounds and the three phones I had at the time didn't stop ringing. My mother got scared at a particular point in time and she was worried that people could peddle such rumours about me. But that was just the height of it…
With that rumor and most of the circumstances that you went through at the time, did your perception about people change?
Yes it did… People are not nice; life is so flexible but some people see it as rigid because you don't know who you offend sometimes. People feel I am proud but I am not. It is when they get to meet me that they discover that I am not. Some people judge you before they know you and people easily get angry these days. Life is not that complex but I have learnt to be more down-to-earth.
Will your affair with Malaika end up in marriage?
(Laughs) I can't say when that will happen, but when the time comes you will know.
Are you a controversial actress?
That is what they call me and I don't know why; I don't fight and I don't snatch people's boyfriends. I don't go beyond my boundary but people step on my toes sometimes.
What plans do you have in place to ensure that the movie you have in the pipeline is not pirated when it is eventually released?
I have not shot the movie yet and it is not easy to raise as much as N10million. You know I just recovered from that illness and I spent a whole lot of money to ensure that I get back on my feet. There is a known filmmaker as Ebun Oloyede who shot a movie worth N36million and the movie is not out yet. But he has taken measure to ensure that his movie is not pirated because the movie will be released in a day in Lagos, Ibadan, Cotonou and all over. CD's will all have a code; they'll all be locked and you will only get the code after purchasing the movie. That way piracy would be reduced to the barest minimum. That's what I want to do if I have the money.
Did you get into acting by chance?
I never knew I was going to end up acting; my mum wanted me to be a lawyer while my father wanted me to be a newscaster. But there was a day I was at home; I was still in the university then, when a friend of mine came and told me that there was an audition going on at Charles Novia's office at Adeniran Ogunsanya in Surulere. So I went there and I was auditioned for the role of a body guard and I was so skinny at the time. I was Segun Arinze's body guard in the movie and I was carrying a big gun. After that movie I started getting calls to come feature in movies and the rest like they say is history.
What was your first love like?
| Posted: at | |
dareper
bidlait
TRENDING GISTS 
Come Out And Confess Why You Kill Mohbad - Ghanaian Prophet Who Prophesied Junior Pope’s Death Calls Sam Larry
My Mother, Enemy Of Progres!Man Reveals How His Mother Ended His Plans To Travel Out Of Nigeria
I'm Yet To Be Contacted By NFF – Peseiro Breaks Silence On Super Eagles' Return
UPDATE: Security Operatives Launch Manhunt For 109 Fleeing Inmates Of Suleja Prison
How Police Inspector Aliyu Taofeek Sent Patrick Chinemerem to His Early Grave in Lagos
Popular Ghanaian Media Personality, Serwaa Amihere Finally Reacts To Her Leaked S3x Tape