Nollywood actress Monalisa Chinda who recently joined the league of talented females in talk shows said she has always thought about sharing a real live situations with people. Her show “You and I” with Monalisa sets to commence soon on TV screens will be aired on DSTV. Through her foundation “Arise Monalisa” the mother of one who has different Nollywood movie flicks to her credit has impacted lives. Speaking with Yinka Lawal, she explained how the journey began, her plans, among other issues.
Aside film productions and script acting, you just delved into talk shows, what prompted you?
There was need for me to share my experience with my fans, with friends and the general public who love to encourage real live situations. I started writing for the Sun newspaper (Saturday sun) in 2010 and it was for one year. I realised the feedback I got from the public was massive whenever I shared most of my experiences; there were lots of text messages and views coming and people were highly encouraged and touched.
Before then I had always nursed this idea which started ten years ago even though am just bringing that dreams and everything attached to realization now. The passion has always been there, that is why I went into acting and looked for every form of medium to impact and reach out.
What other interests do you have aside this?
I also have my foundation which caters for the less-privileged and the down-trodden, my foundation caters for people who are generally in need though not necessarily financial help but part of it. It also deals with inward-healing; people who have been through a lot, women who have had traumatic situations. Giving back is part of me as a person and I am sure lots of women who are in need of help benefits.
What are your professional plans?
To take this talk show to another level, to build my non-governmental organisation “Arise Monalisa Foundation” to continue my acting, I don’t want to throw that away.
I was actually going to ask if you would be dropping your acting career for this.
First of all, I am an actress but an actress with a difference, an actress who is totally very deep even though she is in the world of make believe, she still has very much of herself.
Some of your colleagues have delved into other passions different from acting in the past but couldn’t sustain it, for instance Trishai Asiegbe, how do you intend keeping this new venture?
What Trishia Asiegbe had was not a talk show; it was broadcasting for soccer. Yes, it is something different from acting. She had the programme for a long time for her just that marriage took a bit of her time, marriage made her adjust a bit, not that she is totally out of it. Marriage slows women down a bit but I think she has started again.
For me, I intend to sustain it, am not just doing it for doing sake, not just because am bored or stumbled on money. I am doing it because it has been my long time goal and passion, and when you do something with passion money doesn’t come as the first thing, it also means you are not doing it because you want to stay relevant but because you want to reach out to people.
Presently what are the challenges you are facing?
Funding. I didn’t realise it is this big and huge. Naturally when you are about to start something as huge as this you will be faced with lot of challenges and most times it is usually funding.
Sometimes I fight with my teams; I push them so hard because I am slave driver. I am too hard on my team but that is because of the drive I have got inside of me. After the first season, people will be more relaxed because I work with fast speed, I really don’t know where I get the kind of speed that I have.
What is the objective of the talk show “You and I”?
First, the programme is about real live issues, it deal with topics like wife battery, women, infidelity, house helps the victim, house help the unhelpful helps, celebrities and marriage (one and two), infidelity a game of life which is for the men, infidelity the unspeakable which is for the women. And we would also be treating other topical issues such as transportation, poverty of the mind, financial poverty and some other stories. The show is full and well packed.
On a lighter note, we also have trending topics too called candid lens; it focuses on what is trending in popular culture, it also focuses on leadership series; people who have achieved a lot and touched the lives of citizen. We have comedy, in recent times comedy has evolved; it is the number one entertainment in Nigeria. Also there is a youth series where we will talk about young individual who contribute to the lives of people and to the growth of the country, the likes of Chude Chideonwo
You and I with Monalisa is an innovative television production that employs the tools of drama to illuminate and probe everyday issues of our existence while proffering lasting solutions to them. Each episode of the upcoming show will kick start with a play let, followed by discussion of social issues by the guest. You and I with Monalisa which is being produced in partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission will be aired on African Magic
What advice would you give women?
Not to relent, women are more high placed, women are being encouraged to take up public office, to bring the sanity and drive they have at home out there to sensitize the public.
