'Òlòtūré': Meet Sharon Ooja, Segun Arinze, Omoli Oboli and rest of the cast of Netflix's Nigerian crime drama
"In Lagos, a journalist goes undercover as a prostitute to expose human trafficking. What she finds is a world of exploited women and ruthless violence," reveals the official synopsis of Netflix's upcoming addition to its slate of international crime thrillers, titled 'Òlòtūré' after its daredevil protagonist.
What the streaming platform gets really, horribly wrong when it comes to teen romcom originals, Netflix makes up for it with its ever-expanding collection of stories from elsewhere on the planet — each with a tale so meaty and hard-hitting that it's absolutely unputdownable. 'Òlòtūré' sounds just as convincing, with nuanced portrayals of dynamics between the undercover journalist and her mentors at work — or so hints the trailer. Here's a list of who's who from the movie.
Sharon Ooja
As the titular journalist, Ooja is vivacious. The character is described as someone who has more bravery than sense. However, don't let the character archetype deceive you into not giving the film a fair shot. The 29-year-old Ooja is unmissable in the trailer as well, which speaks volumes for her capacity as an artiste, just the way her steady nominations for national awards in the field for the last three years attest to her credibility.
Segun Arinze
The Nigerian actor and singer plays the role of Theo in the film. The character is Òlòtūré's boss or an immediate superior, who makes remarks about her thoughtless, but brave persona when it comes to working. He is the one who sends Òlòtūré to the lion's den to dig out the nitty-gritty of international sex trafficking rings and therefore feels largely responsible for her safety. Arinze, who has some 20 titles to his credit, is also an acting coach working with the prestigious African international film festival in training the next generation of talents in the field.
Omoli Oboli
As Alero, Oboli can be seen as the grooming in-charge for the trafficking ring Òlòtūré invades. The Nigerian actress, scriptwriter, film director, producer and digital filmmaker is a New York Film Academy alumni and is known for writing screenplays for 'The Figurine' (2009), 'Anchor Baby' (2010), 'Fatal Imagination', 'Being Mrs Elliott', 'The First Lady' and 'Wives on Strike' (2016). Oboli has also starred and directed the 2018 comedy film, 'Moms at War'.
Blossom Chukwujekwu
Having made his professional acting debut in just 2009, the Nigerian actor went on to win the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in 2015. He plays the role of Emeka who seems to be a pimp - or one of the big guys at prostitution ring, who also get addressed to as the literal mafia.
The cast of 'Òlòtūré' also includes Beverly Osuas as Peju, Ada Ameh appears as Titi, Omowumi Dada as Linda, Adebukola Oladipupo as Beauty, Ikechukwu Onunaku as Chuks, Kemi Lala Akindoju as Blessing, Omawumi as Sandra and Sambasa Nzeribe as Victor.
'Òlòtūré' premieres globally on Friday, October 2, on Netflix.