Legendary Nigerian filmmaker, Tunde Kelani, has revealed some of the hurdles he crossed before attaining fame. In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, the renowned filmmaker stated that while he was at a film school in London, he had to work as a cleaner.
Moreso, the cinematographer while taking a trip down memory lane spoke about how he had to squat with some of his brothers and trek long distances due to the passion he had for the job.
He said, “From day one I began to face challenges because I come from a poor home and all along, my hobbies were very expensive ones so I had to find the means. Most of the time, I sacrificed a lot and you cannot believe what I sacrificed.
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“When I became a film student in London, I could not afford to rent a house so some of my brothers took me in and I had to work. I worked as a cleaner for a whole year, I went to school in the morning and resumed work later. You have to sacrifice everything to get what you want in life but I am not regretting anything.”
While speaking on the sacrifices he made for his career, the legendary filmmaker noted that he also had to delay his marriage and raising a family.
“I had to give up on certain things. Delayed marriage, delayed making a family. I trekked a lot, especially during my primary school days. After primary school, I had to do a preparatory class at Abeokuta Grammar School and we lived in Iberekodo, about three kilometres from Reverend Kuti Memorial evening classes. I had to trek that distance every day,” Kelani said.
