Wura is Nigeria’s ambitious interpretation of Mexican telenovela

Movie Title: Mr

Cast: Scarlet Gomez, Yomi Fash Lanso, Carol King, Ray Adeka, Iremide Adeoye, Ego Iheanacho, Martha Ehinome, and Lanre Adediwura.

Release date: January 23

director: Dimeji Ajibola, Adeola Osunkojo and Yemi Morafa

Runtime: Average 25 minutes per episode

If there is one thing Nollywood producers continue to teach us; it is not afraid to explore different film genres.

Last year gave us new ways to tell our stories with the likes of Brotherhood, the psychological drama Diiche, and several indigenous films, including the hit film Anikulapo.

With the release of Shantytown and Showmax’s latest original project, ‘Wura’, you can’t be more excited for what’s in store this year.

The first for Showmax, Wura, is a telenovela series that tells the story of an ambitious and ruthless CEO of the gold mining industry who will stop at nothing to protect his company and his loved ones.

The adaptation of the South African telenovela series, The River, Wura, offers different content value but fails in the art of interesting storytelling.

Tea (Plotline)

We are introduced to a flash-forward scene where we see a lady pouring gasoline over a tied-up lady before setting the whole building ablaze.

As the fire burns, we flashback to the previous year, where we are introduced to the lady who sets the building ablaze in the opening scene; her name is Wura (Scarlet Gomez).

Wura has a gold mine that collapsed due to lack of gold. This led to conflict between him and the workers due to differences in wages.

During the conflict with the worker, a spokesperson for him, Mr. Kuti, appeared. Although this action angered Wura, his temper soon faded after Pa Kuti appeared in the morning, announcing the discovery of a new gold mine.

Pa Kuti proposed that Wura raise the workers’ wages in exchange for the location of the gold mine.

Not long after, Wura hit Pa Kuti’s head with a stone, killing him. With this new development, Wura and his sister try to cover up the crime, but it becomes futile when some evidence goes missing.

Now at a crossroads, Wura is forced to let go of his ruthlessness as he faces two threats: the blackmailer and Tumininu, Pa Kuti’s daughter.

The Good

It is good to watch a series that does not take place in the city of Lagos. Finally, Nollywood producers got the memo that there are more than thirty cities and hundreds of communities where dramatic events can take place.

The setting, although simple, makes it relatable and, for some strange reason, hard not to watch. First, there is Pa Kuti’s house which helps to raise his image as an average worker, then Wura’s house is just amazing, and finally there is a mine. Producers optimize the space and create the illusion of a real mine.

The camera angles and lighting also compliment each scene and are professionally executed.

Kudos to the casting director who took the risk to cast new acting talent. It was like a breath of fresh air to see new faces. Scarlet Gomez excels as the ruthless leader and kind mother in her role as Wura.

The Bad

There is more that can be done with scripts. In the parlance of Gen-Z averages, dialogue and action “don’t deliver what they should.” They felt very bland and did not represent how such characters would speak.

Delivery is another problem in this film. When the actors look the part, the delivery could have been better. It’s just monotonous and lacks depth and emotion.

Watching this movie might make you question how day and night work. One time we watched Wura visit Pa Kuti’s family; the next scene is on the same day when they are performing the funeral after complaining about the lack of money. It just doesn’t add up.

Finally, there are many “show, don’t tell” moments. It’s clear that the writers rely on dialogue to advance the plot. If this was an attempt to make the episode shorter, it failed because too many scenes dragged. For example, in the party scene where Yomi Fash Lanso spends two minutes talking about how delicious the food is. Unnecessary.

The final verdict

6/10. Watch it. Wura has been done many times before, but the main character’s drive and ambition tend to draw you in.

Wura is now streaming on Showmax.