Azeezat Shorunmu, the Nollywood star, has revealed how her vocal cords were permanently damaged while on a movie set.
In an interview on Oyinmomo TV, Shorunmu explained that the injury happened on set when she was forced to scream under extreme emotional strain.
The incident, according to her, occurred while shooting the movie Apase, during a tragic period when actress Mummy Surutu lost her child on the very morning filming was set to begin.
She said, despite the circumstances, production had to continue because payments had already been made.
Shorunmu recalled how she had to push through the emotional weight of the situation, and during an intense shouting scene, her voice gave out.
“Everyone who knows me well in the industry knows that this is not my real voice. At a time we were shooting the movie ‘Apase’, it was the time something happened, she said.
Mummy Surutu lost her child on the morning we were to start shooting. And we had already paid her. I did not know what else to do. It was when I was shouting that I lost my voice.
My voice was blocked all through that movie production. Normally, a blocked throat lasts for a short period. Four months passed, and it did not open, but it became worse. That was when I knew that it was painful to be dumb. Especially the frustration of wanting to express oneself, but you cannot.
The actress said in her bid for a solution, she tried various remedies, including spiritual interventions like anointing oil, but nothing worked.
She added that when her voice eventually returned, it was no longer the same, but instead, it was a distinct, raspy tone that became her new signature sound.
They used different things for me, including anointing oil. By the time the vocal cord was through, it did not come out as my voice again. It became this tiny and cracked voice,” she said.
This new voice has opened my personality to the people. People correctly guess I am the one speaking anywhere I go, even if I cover my face.
I do not know if God actually gave me a voice that the world can recognise, considering the little movies I have appeared in.
Beyond acting, Shorunmu is also a scriptwriter and producer, with credits including ‘Return of Kesari, President Kuti, Ajayi Alaska, and Alani Ogo.
