Tanwa Savage, a Geshin Salvador-directed film, follows the travails of Jola Savage (Uzor Arukwe) who is married to Zainab (Linda Osifo). They are childless and Jola desperately wants children.
Under mounting pressure from his father (Segun Arinze), he cheats on his wife with Tosin (Bimbo Ademoye) and Ngozi (Nkechi Blessing) and somehow manages to get all three women pregnant at the same time. They all live under the same roof and so began the tussle between the three women to gain Jola’s affection.
The film is hilarious for the most part, though it does get quite grim towards the end. Zainab is dignified and contained. Ngozi is loud and Tosin is just a bit hysterical but together, they play off each other very well. They seem to be the perfect foil to Jola’s seemingly stoic character. They often crack through his apathetic exterior to elicit some hysterical reactions that add to the overarching humour in the film.
While the plot seems a bit dated, a la Nollywood of the turn of the century or late 90s, it still manages to infuse a bit of modernity. There is also an inordinate use of flashbacks to, most likely, plug plot holes, which wasn’t quite effective in glossing over some inadequacies.
While the movie has its flaws, the acting in and of itself is good. Segun Arinze, as usual, is a force to be reckoned with onscreen and though Timini Egbuson has been typecast by Nollywood as a lover boy, it is a role that he shines in. There are some believable and funny moments in what looks like a modern interpretation of Fuji House of Commotion, with a great intro.
If you are a fan of nostalgic Nollywood movies, Tanwa Savage is a good and fun watch.
Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
