by Ruth Ajani
The movie’s narrative seems to be culled straight from the pages of fairy tales, or better yet, Yoruba folklore where the classic story of “Beauty and the Beast” takes a co.
The film, ‘Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds’ set out with grand ambitions but ultimately fell short of its mark, failing to live up to its potential.
Let’s unpack what ‘Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds’ brings:
Here, however, the beauty is the male (in this case, the king), while a woman of mysterious origins is the beast.‘Ajakaju: Beast of Two Worlds’ is about King Towobola (Odunlade Adekola), surrounded by diabolic women, from his wives to his mother (Sola Sobowale). Faced with the threat of abdicating the throne for not having a male heir, he brought home a strange woman who spelt more trouble for him.
Even the king’s mother, (Iya Oba),has warned the three pregnant wives to ensure they give the king an heir.To bring joy to the king, Oyenihun (one of the king’s wives) meets her mother, who gives her a concussion with severe instructions that the mixture must not be touched. However, Oyenihun fails to keep this instruction.The king’s wife tried all sorts of magic to make him happy and bear him a son, but this was almost impossible, and the sons were far coming, as they all bore daughters.
Adaralewa was able to conceive and bear the King a son, but immediately after giving birth, she threw the child into the fire. This upset the king, but he forgave her and gave her a second chance. She conceived and bore the king another son, but again, when she delivered her child, she threw him into the water.Outraged, the king unveiled Adaralewa’s secret: she was an Antelope beast! And as secrets unfurled, the palace held darker truths than the king ever imagined.