Ghanaian actress, Kisa Gbekle, has challenged her colleague actors who claim to have made their money only from acting, to speak out.
Kisa says she finds it disturbing that her colleagues refuse to speak on the true situation of the movie industry as Kofi Adjorlolo did.
According to Kisa, the refusal of her colleagues to do this, is what makes most girls believe it is all rosy out there and hence will do anything to get into the industry.
Speaking in an interview with Graphic Showbiz , Kisa Gbekle said:
“Look, producers do not pay and what Uncle Kofi said is the entire truth. The best you can get is money for fuel and even that, it is not everyone who gets it. Some of these producers such as Abdul Salam Mumuni have people they made such as Jackie Appiah, Yvonne Nelson, etc so they see him as a father figure and when he needs them, he just calls.
“With someone like that, if he calls you to act, he is giving you an opportunity and so you cannot charge. How much can you charge him? The reason is simple, if you try to be stubborn, he will only call any of his ‘daughters’ and they will act for him, that is the industry we find ourselves in.
“Most of the ladies you see with lots of followers on social media and who take photos that they are always on set, make nothing. Not even a single lady can come out and say I made it through movies, if there is anyone like that, she should look me in the face and tell me that.”
She went to clarify the fact that, one’s branding did not exactly matter in the industry.
“Whether you brand or not, there is no money. The ladies who show off are investing to look expensive because it comes with other benefits.
“Sometimes, because they look expensive, a guy approaches them thinking they are really all that so they support the ladies. Apart from that, there is nothing.”
Kisa Gbekle went on to add that her male counterparts are having a harder time in the industry than the females do.
“As for the guys, I feel sad for them, their situation is worse. Apart from a few of them such as John Dumelo and Majid Michel who get paid because they have been made already, the young ones who are my age mates are suffering.
“Take a look at me for instance, I came into the movie industry as a producer with my first movie in which I acted. I spent a lot and got nothing in return, you will spend GH¢40,000 or GH¢50,000 on a production and you will get nothing in return so I stopped. In all ways, the industry is not paying,” she revealed.
According to her, the industry could be saved if new measures are implemented.
She said: “We need to create a big online platform such as Iroko TV like they have in Nigeria. These platforms can buy movies and then producers can make money, shoot movies and pay actors. Most of the TV stations here will not buy a movie for even GH¢15,000 to show.
“Another platform we can look at is Netflix but as for them, they deal with a particular standard so if our movies can match up, why not, they will buy and we can make money,” she added.
She revealed that, due to the unpaying nature of the acting job, sh e was no longer pursuing that.
“For now, because it is not paying, I have found another love.
“However, there are people who contributed to my career such as Pascal Amanfo, Abdul Salam Mumuni etc who when they call me, I will act but it is not something I would want to do on a full-time basis,” she stated.
“For now, I have a registered football academy where I scout for players for teams which is so far doing well. It was a love my brother had and I decided to partner him and take it to the next level,” she said.
Kisa Gbekle also used the chance to thank her fans for the support since she started her television show, Business of Entertainment. “The show has been great and I am looking at expanding it and taking it to other African countries and eventually across the world,” she concluded.
