Quick question. When was the last time you saw the face of either Aki or Pawpaw on Twitter? If you’re a regular user, probably at least once in the past two weeks. Even though their combined mainstream acting career ended a while ago, the two have emerged again in the past couple of months as the kings of comedy, this time in the form of hilarious memes (pictures and videos attached to posts) on social media. Less than two months ago, Rihanna’s company Fenty Beauty used an Osita Iheme scene from the film Stubborn Flies as a meme. The tweet has been liked more than 19,000 times.
Memes have been playing a major part in how millennials use social media for a few years now, but this newfound love for Aki and Pawpaw started early this year. The two are famously known as Aki and Pawpaw, but Aki’s real name is Chinedu Ikedezie and Osita Iheme played the role of Pawpaw. The two men are from Abia State, and they both schooled in Enugu State. The strange coincidence in their upbringing might be a part of the secret to the amazing chemistry they had while they were acting together. What do you think?
The two were acting individually long before they formed a duo in the Nigerian movie industry. Chinedu began his acting career as far back as 1998. The two decided to team up when they realized that they had each been playing similar roles on their own. Their first film together, Aki na Ukwo, was an instant hit in 2002. From that point on they starred in many films together, building their Nollywood fame and fan base with films like Tom and Jerry, Jadon, 2 Rats, Marcus D Millionaire, and Baby Police. They starred in more than 50 films together and took a long break around 2008 but in June 2018, Chinedu hinted that Nollywood fans might see another two movies starring both of them.
In 2007, the two men were given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the African Movie Awards, and in 2011 they were both made Members of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a great honor. The two have won several other awards individually during the span of their acting careers.
Chinedu Ikedezie strengthened his acting portfolio in 2004 with a Film Acting Certificate from the New York Film Academy, and has continued to develop his career as an actor in more mature and sophisticated roles. He currently plays the role of Efe Johnson in the Africa Magic show The Johnsons. He ventured into production recently when he co-produced Take the Spotlight, a Hollywood-Nollywood movie directed by Drew Madueke and shot in Dallas, USA. Chinedu has been happily married to Nneoma Ikedezie since 2011.
Osita Iheme is less active these days in front of the camera. He is a businessman, philanthropist and public motivational figure. He is passionate about philanthropy and is the founder of Inspired Movement Africa, a non-governmental organization he established to inspire and stimulate the minds of young Nigerians. Osita has even written a motivational book titled Inspired 101. He is a bachelor, and seems to prefer keeping his private life from the public eye, but there are rumors of a Ghanaian girlfriend.
References:
Africa Magic
Pulse NG
Pressreader
Daily Post NG
Featured Image Source: Africa Magic
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