Dagrin the True Story Set for Premiere

Dagrin the True Story Set for Premiere


The biopic on Dagrin is set to premiere this summer as many of his thousands of fans shared his memories on April 22 the second anniversary of the shocking death of the phenomenal Yoruba hip hop rapper whose real name was Olaitan Olaonipekun. Dagrin lost his life in a ghastly auto crash on April 22, 2010. The movie directed by Joshua Ojo tells the true rags to riches story of Dagrin with his younger sister playing a leading role. Dagrin: The True Story is definitely a must see movie.

“It took me eight months to complete the research and another six months for the filming, because I believe so much in doing a great job and you cannot make a film on such a phenomenal young artiste without doing a thorough homework,” said Ojo.

“The whole idea of the movie is to show what Dagrin went through before his fame.”

Ojo said he spent quality time interviewing Dagrin’s mother, sister, relations, friends and associates who were closest to him until his untimely death.

“I used an actor who really looks like Dagrin and other actors who look like the real characters in his life.”


Joshua, the producer/director of the movie.

The young filmmaker, a graduate of the University of Ibadan who studied theatre arts also did a directing course at the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) and at the famous New York Film Academy. He has directed and produced a couple of movies and other projects for clients before he decided to make a biopic on Dagrin.

The movie was shot in Lagos, Ibadan in Oyo State, Osun State, and Ijebu in Ogun State and in London.

“It was a very challenging experience and at the end of the production we were so happy, but soon discovered that ninety percent of the original film had been eaten up by a virus in the editing system that we used. It would not have been an issue for me if I used an H.D /D.V camera. But it was shot with the latest camera, a 7D. And you know how it works. It uses card and not tapes. The whole thing got wiped out. Meaning, we had to go back to the locations to start all over again! It was not an easy task for me starting all over again, getting more funds to move the cast and crew. It was not an easy thing at all. Well, we shot every thing again, except the London part and some of the Ibadan scenes where we couldn’t get enough crowds and some of the scenes of the accident, because the guy playing Dagrin also had an accident on location. And we had to wait for three weeks for his face to heal. It was hell for the cast and crew until we were done."


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

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