The lead actor of Malayalam film Sudani from Nigeria has alleged racial discrimination. African actor Samuel Abiola Robinson has claimed that the producers of the film discriminated against him. Samuel took to Facebook and posted about the alleged racism he faced in the industry.
In his first post, he revealed that he was paid way less than his Indian contemporaries. The post read, “The producers offered me far less money than Indian actors who are not half as popular, experienced or accomplished as I am.” He further added, “I only became better enlightened after meeting several young actors and discussing payment with them. I am of the opinion that this happened purely because of my skin colour and the assumption that all Africans are poor and don’t know the value of money.”
On his next Twitter post, Samuel disclosed his pay for the film and claimed that newcomers in Malayalam films are paid Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. He wrote,”I was not paid 5 Lakh Indian rupees. I was paid much less than this as stated in the video. I am too ashamed to state the actual amount but I needed to clarify this.”
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I was not paid 5 Lakh indian rupees. I was paid much less than this as stated in the video. I am to ashamed to state the actual amount but i needed to clarify this.
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😔
— Samuel A Robinson (@SamuelRobinsonX) March 31, 2018
Robinson believes he has been cheated, as he was promised to pay more if the film was a success. After opening up about his situation, surprisingly he drew criticism from netizens. Samuel hit back to that with his second Facebook post as he wrote, “I was paid far less than the Malayalam newcomers are normally paid, this is factual. I accepted this amount less than my usual quote in Nigeria because I was under the impression that it was a very small budget independent movie.”
On 29 March, he took to Twitter to inform that he is leaving for Nigeria, the tweet read, “I am on my way back to my country Nigeria. I leave a piece of my soul in Kerala, it is as if I have become half Indian. I will be back.”
I am on my way back to my country Nigeria. I leave a piece of my soul in Kerala, it is as if I have become half Indian. I will be back. pic.twitter.com/7jXiiGfuaU
— Samuel A Robinson (@SamuelRobinsonX) March 29, 2018
Samuel Abiola Robinson featured as a football player in Sudani from Nigeria, directed by Zakariya Mohammed, the film released on 23 March.
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