Top Ghanaian actor Van Vicker and CEO of Venus Film Abdul Salam clashed before a number of entertainment reporters, in an attempt to clear the air on whether or not they had scores to settle.
Van last worked with Salam in 2008 on the hit movie ‘Princess Tyra’.
Van has since been working in Nigeria, with the few Ghanaian movies he appeared in being his own produced movies.
Reports say both Salam and Van, after they last worked together, swore never to work with each other again.
Last Wednesday, during an interview with the media after the launch of the 2011 movie awards, NEWS-ONE’s Francis Addo asked Van if indeed he had sworn not to work with Salam again.
But the actor decided to call Salam, who was standing nearby to answer the question.
However, Salam’s reaction did not go down well with the actor after the producer created the impression that Van ‘had grown wings’ and did not have time to shoot for him anymore. Salam bragged that he did not depend on Van or any other actor to sell his movies.
“Nobody can sell my movies. Not only Van, my name alone sells my movies. I don’t depend on artistes when it comes to me because I know a good story sells itself. So I don’t depend on artistes and say this artiste will sell my movie. No! If without Van I can’t sell my movie, then I don’t exist. If you look at my movies they are up to standard and any new face I bring into the industry it still works out for that person. I still need Van though; I didn’t say I don’t need him.
“I am always ready to work with Van when he is ready. Van can never swear that he will not work with me. If he did, even God will judge him.”
“Anytime he is available for me”, he noted, “I will use him because anytime I call Van, he is traveling. I have several meetings with him, he tells me no give, me prior notice. And you know sometimes how this system works. I get a story like one week and the following week I’m going on location. But when I call Van, he is not available. I have to look at other artistes that are available. The only confusion between us now is that Van is a big man now and he is not available to for me.”
Van on his part created the impression that Salam had not been professional in dealing with him.
“I will totally disagree with what Salam said that I am big man. I mean we’ve grown and we’ve matured in the industry and I mean like he said with or without me, he will sell his movies. That is absolutely true. In the same light, I will say Salam too is a big man but the point I want to make is, if I have matured the same way he has and, I think, for me it is a matter of time to say Van I want you in a movie, and Van said he is not available; and also it is about ok I really want to work with this guy, so I will really restructure my plans to work with him. On the other hand, if you can’t wait, you can go ahead and shoot. That makes sense from the business point of view. I am not against that. But I just believe that we all build a relationship as we grow and move in the industry. That is why we have a lot of people, producers, directors, artistes and others who try to work as a group. If they believe the group’s makes a movie and it is a hit, so based on that kind of relationship we have to maintain…”
“But what brought about what you want to call a division, so to speak, which is not,” Van stated, “is because I have been traveling a few times. But then I also want to say that there are times that I do have meetings with Salam and we agree to shoot a movie and then Salam disappears.”
When asked if both of them were going to settle their time problems, Van said, “I can’t stop traveling. I believe I am doing so many things other things, not movies alone. But I want to believe if Salam and I can reach an agreement…I have a lot of problems but if we want to work, then we should come to a compromise,” he added.
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