Kayode Kasum is not your typical romance director. Sure, love is at the heart of many of his films, but is he making classic romance films, or is he shaking things up? If there’s one thing that stands out about his work, it’s that he rarely sticks to just one genre. Instead, he blends romance with comedy, drama, and even fantasy, giving Nollywood love stories a fresh twist.
More importantly, his work reflects how Nollywood’s approach to romance has evolved whether in storytelling, casting, or aesthetics. So, does Kayode Kasum make pure romance films, or does he use love as a gateway to something bigger? Let’s take a look at some of his standout projects to see what his take on love really looks like.
Reel Love (2025) – Romance Meets Digital Culture
In Reel Love, Kasum takes romance into the world of social media, where love plays out in Instagram captions, DMs, and TikTok trends. The film critiques the performative nature of modern relationships, exploring how technology shapes love and connection in today’s world. With its playful yet sharp take on curated couple goals, Reel Love is the mirror held up to the digital age.
Tarella: Princess of the Nile (2025) – Fantasy Romance
A Cinderella story, but make it African. Tarella: Princess of the Nile is Kasum’s boldest attempt at blending romance with fantasy. Inspired by the ancient Egyptian tale of Rhodopis (one of the earliest versions of Cinderella) the film reimagines classic fairytale elements through an African lens. While it doesn’t fully embrace its historical roots, it pushes Nollywood romance into a new space, proving that love stories don’t always have to be set in urban Lagos or Abuja.
Something Like Gold (2023) – Romantic Drama with Personal Growth
Kayode Kasum doesn’t just serve romance on a silver platter. He mixes it into a bigger dish, refusing to settle into a single direction. Something Like Gold shifts between love, loss, and self-discovery, blending romance with comedy while exploring personal reinvention. It’s a film that doesn’t just ask if love is enough. It asks if love can survive when life forces change.
All Is Fair in Love – A Love Triangle of Romance and Rivalry
All Is Fair in Love brings a fresh spin to Nollywood romance by exploring love through the lens of competition and ambition. Set in Lagos’s fashion industry, the film follows best friends and business partners, Demi and Kanla, whose bond is tested when they both fall for the same woman, Mbali. What starts as harmless flirtation spirals into a high-stakes game of love, where friendship, ego, and professional ambitions collide. Rather than presenting a straightforward love story, Kayode Kasum injects rivalry and ambition, turning romance into an emotional battlefield.
The film plays with the tension between love and loyalty, proving that in love, as in life, nothing is ever truly fair.
Kambili: The Whole 30 Yards (2020) – Romantic Comedy with Social Commentary
At first glance, Kambili: The Whole 30 Yards seems like a lighthearted rom-com, but beneath the humour, it critiques societal expectations placed on women. The protagonist, desperate to marry before turning 30, embarks on a journey that challenges the notion that marriage is life’s ultimate goal. By blending comedy with cultural critique, the film delivers both entertainment and insight—a perfect example of Nollywood romance evolving beyond predictable narratives.
Ajosepo (2024) – Romantic Comedy Meets Family Drama
Ajosepo merges romance with family drama, using love as a lens to explore generational conflicts and community expectations. The film takes the chaos of Nigerian “pre-weddings” and turns it into a battleground for clashing traditions and modern ideals. By blending comedy, romance, and family dynamics, it highlights how relationships are often influenced by external pressures, making love as much a struggle as it is a joy.
Love, Lust & Other Things (2023) – Romance Meets Sexual and Financial Independence
This film blends romance with themes of desire, self-discovery, and autonomy. Following a recently divorced woman navigating love, sex, and financial independence, it challenges conventional Nollywood narratives that often shy away from such topics. Following a recently divorced woman navigating love, sex, and financial independence, Love, Lust & Other Things challenges conventional Nollywood narratives. Romance isn’t just about finding a partner here—it’s about rediscovering oneself after a major life change. In this narrative, Kasum delves into the fleeting dance between love and desire.
While the pacing may feel slow in places, the deliberate unfolding of the story allows the audience to connect deeply with the characters’ emotional journeys.
Love Is Yellow (2023) – Romance Meets Real-Life Hustle
Love Is Yellow intertwines romance with the struggles of urban life. The film follows characters juggling career ambitions, personal dreams, and Lagos’s daily chaos, making love just one of many challenges they face. By grounding romance in the realities of work, ambition, and societal pressure, the film offers a more realistic portrayal of love. One that isn’t always the main priority.
This Lady Called Life (2020) – Romance Meets Personal Ambition
While This Lady Called Life is often described as a love story, its strongest theme is personal growth. Aiye, a single mother with aspirations of becoming a renowned chef, navigates love alongside her professional ambitions. Romance plays a role, but the heart of the story is about resilience, self-love, and breaking societal expectations. In this film, love isn’t just about finding a partner, it’s about building a life worth loving.
What About Us? (2024) – Romance, Faith, and Marriage Struggles
Exploring the strains of modern marriage, What About Us? delves into themes of love, commitment, and communication. What About Us? blends romance with faith-based drama, exploring how love and relationships evolve over time. The film follows a couple navigating the complexities of marriage, faith, and personal growth, raising questions about commitment and individual fulfillment. By intertwining romance with existential dilemmas, the film presents a layered look at love beyond its honeymoon phase.
Kayode Kasum’s films prove that he is not just a romance filmmaker, he is a genre-blender. Whether it’s fantasy, comedy, or self-discovery, he uses romance as a foundation to explore deeper themes and unconventional storytelling. His approach moves Nollywood romance beyond formulaic love stories, introducing new tones and themes that reflect contemporary realities.
His work suggests that romance doesn’t have to be predictable. It can be suspenseful, thought-provoking, humorous, or even fantastical. While some films lean more successfully into genre fusion than others, his willingness to experiment signals a shift in how Nollywood approaches love stories.
If the future of Nollywood romance involves more genre-bending narratives, then Kasum is certainly at the forefront of that change.
What are your thoughts on Kayode Kasum’s approach to romance films? Do you have a favourite among his works? Share your views in the comments below!
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