Movie Title: The Two Aishas
Running time: 2 hours
Producer: Shareefah Andu
Cast: Rahama Sadau, Maryam Booth, Pat Utomi, Akeem Ogara and Shushu Abubakar
Release Date: April 24, 2023
We are barely halfway through this year, and Nollywood is constantly delivering premium and entertaining content almost every week. While some of these movies have won our hearts through their vital concepts, another feature that makes them stand out is their portrayal.
Finally, it’s great to see Nigerian film producers stepping up their game and recognizing that our society is not just made up of certain tribal and religious groups, but instead a wide range of people who deserve to be represented on the big screens. It’s time to celebrate and showcase the beauty and richness of Nigeria’s diversity through film.
In an attempt to improve the cinematic representation of Muslims, Arabel Productions recently released The Two Aishas, a family drama that explores the hostility that often comes with friendship and makes you feel nostalgic for early-century home videos. 2000s, like Beyonce and Rihanna and Blood Sisters. , both focused on beef between two friends or sisters.
The tea
The Two Aishas revolves around two best friends, Aisha Yusuf (Mariam Booth) and Aisha Jibril (Rahama Sadau). Both ladies have been knitted tight-fitting sweaters since childhood. However, the feud rears its ugly head when Aisha Jibril’s husband Jamal (Paul Utomi) is replaced by Aisha Yusuf’s husband Ibrahim (Akeem Ogara) to be lieutenant governor in a gubernatorial election.
Due to jealousy and betrayal, Jamal assumes that Ibrahim is the one responsible for revealing his tax evasion secret, so he pits Aisha Jibril against her best friend. The battle between the two couples escalates when Ibrahim is accused of pushing Aisha Jibril at a book launch event.
Efforts to settle the couples’ dispute are futile for their friends and mentors. When it seems that the friendships between both families will go down in history, Halimah (Shushu Abubakar), a friend, sends a letter to both Aishas, informing them of the terminal illness. This causes both ladies to put their differences aside and support their ailing friend.
The good
As mentioned above, The Two Aishas provides some much-needed screen rendering. Going on an emotional journey with the Muslim characters was fun and exciting.
The film moves away from the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim characters by adding depth and complexity to each character. For example, we saw that beyond being a devout Muslim, Aisha Jibiril is an ambitious woman.
The choice to name the film “Two Aishas” is great, and the performances of the eponymous-titled actresses make it even brighter.
Rahama Sadau and Mariam Booth should be protected national treasures at all costs. The way they embodied the characters was a powerful reminder of why they are one of the best in Kannywood.
Elements of the film, from the cinematography to the location, may score average, but this doesn’t take away from the glamorous wardrobe that dominated the screens. With the various looks worn on set, it won’t be surprising if the two Aishas become a guide to “slaying in modest Islamic attire.”
The bad
Despite offering us representation, the two Aishas were caught up in various flaws. For once, it would have made sense for the plot of a Nollywood movie to drag on while The Aisha rushed many events. It would have been great to see many matches between the two Aishas.
The scriptwriter could have included more dramatic events to create a proper fight between the ladies. This keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, wondering if it’s possible to bring the two parties together.
A scene from Two Aishas
Many of the dialogues could have been more active. They felt like a bunch of fluff words, making them unsuitable for certain scenes.
Once again, what is Nollywood’s obsession with unflattering background music when a character is speaking? Very distracting, especially in The Two Aishas.
final verdict
7/10. The Two Aisha portrays friendship from a different angle, one that we rarely see on the big screens. So, it’s a breath of fresh air, which makes it watchable.
The Two Aishas is showing in theaters near you.
