Crossing the T’s: On Ummah Shehu’s Arewa 24 Interview

The hottest topic in Kannywood’s media last week is Aminu Sharif Momoh’s Interview with actress Ummah Shehu on Arewa24’s Kundin Kannywood. Kundin Kannywood is a weekly program by the Hausa channel which is being hosted by actor Aminu Sharif every Wednesday. Momoh, who is infamous for putting Kannywood actors and actresses on the hot seat and ask some really tricky but unnecessary questions,asked the actress the name of the woman that breastfed prophet Muhammad (SAW). She tried to dodge the question by telling him not to do this to her but Momoh insisted anyway. Her response obviously showed that she didn’t know the name of the woman, which caused a media frenzy,and why not? These are the basic things we’ve been taught since primary one in Islamiyya,so it is expected of every Muslim to know them.

As usual people on social media reacted with mixed emotions; while some people believe that his question is still valid and on point because things like this will help keep the actress and her colleagues on their toes; others (including me) think it’s irrelevant, unnecessary and completely out of context. I mean Ummah Shehu isn’t famous because she’s some kind of an Islamic Scholar, memorized the Qur’an or Hadith. She’s famous because she’s an actress. That’s her field and that’s why she’s been invited for the interview. So, it’s only fair and of course, professional if he limits his questions there.

In Her Defence:

Not knowing the name of the woman that breastfed the prophet (SAW) isn’t the same thing as not knowing the seven obligations of ablution. It is equally not the same as not been able to recite Suratu Fatiha. Similarly the question apparently caught Ummah off guard which could happen to any of us especially while on air. You’ll find out that you know it but when you have the pressure of answering a question quickly with camera on you or a live audience listening in, it can be much more challenging and can fluster even the most confident people. And if Momoh did it intentional just to ambush her, as some people believe, I’d only say he has exposed the entire Kannywood industry as I’m sure there are many like her and I look forward to watching his Live Chat with Bello Muhammad Bello.

In his Defense:

It’s hard to blame him on mistakes like this because he is an actor not a journalist. Secondly, he was probably being honest and trying to appease his viewers because we all want to hear the off-screen lives of our favourite actors and questions like that, if asked rightly, are what make interviews enjoyable.

Arewa24’s insensitivity:

After all that has happened, Arewa24 did another video, clearly stating how their YouTube visitors increased after the video went viral. Like seriously? Someone’s reputation is on the line because of your employee’s mistake and you can’t even apologize? I find this utterly insensitive. They were trying to say that both parties benefitted because her Instagram followership also increased by 4.7 percent. I am still trying to understand how that will help reduce the number of insults she gets daily which forced her to protect her Instagram account some days ago. How about Arewa24 help us find the percentage of those that unfollowed her and that of her fans that felt disappointed with this monumental embarrassment.

What I think:

Whatever way you look at it, it was an embarrassing episode for Ummah Shehu and I think Arewa24 should apologize to her. I also think she should have told Momoh -straightforward that she will not answer the question or any other one on religion. On the other hand, had Momoh not insisted, we would hardly notice. However I don’t need to remind Ummah Shehu to go and find out the name of the woman that breastfed the prophet and more, because I’m sure hundreds of people have told her by now. Though I need to remind Momoh to rethink his methods, read more on Journalism, perhaps even get a certificate on it and revisit its ethics. Some of his questions are really unnecessary. For instance, I watched an episode of Kundin Kannywood where he asked another actress about the stand of Islam on a wig (she wears). And if it interest him, I have reached a very fine and competent journalist about this and I found out ( by coincidence though) that this journalist is a follower of his program and he told me that not only his interview with Shehu, there are lapses in his approach and he needs to differentiate between two scenarios: while he’s on a movie set and while hosting an interview.

Hafsah Lalo is a writer hailed from Jos, Plateau State. Currently a student of Information Technology at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. You can follow her on twitter: @Grtsunnist

The Biggest Dilemma of a Northern Actress

Last week, a follower on Twitter told actress Hadiza Gabon that she should get married after the actress posted a beautiful picture of herself. And why not? She is 28 years old, attractive, well-fed and will look good on somebody’s arms, right? Well, he was blasted- a reaction that was particularly surprising – considering how she is often tagged as patient, considerate and mildly explosive. But then that sort of says something about the world of a northern actress- the world where typical, standard issues like marriage can be, in the absence of a better word, complicated.

One of the many questions that has baffled many biologists and experts is: why are there two genders? Why not one, three or more? And while there is no compelling explanation, our ancestors thought divine design must have created man and woman to have distinct roles in the family and the society at large. Throughout centuries, men have protected and provided for their families, by virtue of their strength, aggression and external orientation. Women, on the other hand, by virtue of their biology and tender nature, have bared children, cooked and looked after the house.

That to them was divine scheme. They had a point. If men and women had similar roles, why were there man and woman in the first place? Why not a single gender since reproduction must not be inevitably sexual. After all, God is capable of everything; Having two genders can’t be a prerequisite of reproduction on his part, God does as he wills. Hence, wisdom behind having man and woman must be, to them, for them to have different roles. From the very onset therefore, a career woman has been seen by many as a threat to divine design.

Economy. Economy, they say is the basis of everything. The first and the second world war had women taking the responsibilities of men in the workplace. These events brought about a significant involvement of women in the workplace and flexibility in the role of man and woman. Recent years show the line between male and female roles becoming blurred. Males are now taking a more active part in homemaking and child rearing and females are thriving in the business and career world.

This, plus the conflict between science and the church are turning points in the history of the world as they marked the beginning of the so-called modern era. The west saw Technology as the only edge they had over the rest of the world and Technology is based on Science, and Science is based on Materialism. Materialism dictates that Morality is but human creation and imagination. Science now brings prosperity and religion is irrelevant. Women had to tear the veil to work in factories, after all, so science dictates, there is no halal or haram, no right or wrong, they are just product of imagination.

This so world modernisation has permeated the world, for the world has to dance according to the conquerors’ tunes, right?
This westernisation has brought so many changes in north. Yet, a typical northerner still respects his religion and cultures and acts within the confines of religion and societal restraints. If you were to summarise all the thinking of typical northerners about what a good life is, you may come to this: A good life balances career with religious and societal values.

Islam for example has instructed women to ‘draw their outer garment’ close around themselves. This is a core and uncompromising feature of Islam. Being a professional actress means you have to expose parts of your body. Your name has to be synonymous with words such as hot, sexy, attractive. To achieve fame and prosperity, you have to take a crazy picture every now and then and post on Instagram. You have to touch the opposite sex, otherwise you will remain a local champion. You have to do things that are outrightly against religion and society even by the interpretations and commentaries of the most liberal clerics and social commentators.

Despite what they do to achieve such fame, the actresses know that, unlike in other cultures and religions, getting married in the north is like going into retirement. They have to avoid the topic with vague answers in interviews which literally means you have to stay virgin if you have to stay in business. Once you are gone, you are gone. Fati KK, Fati Muhd, Rukayya Dawayya and Hauwa Katanga are the living proof that the road back to acting after divorce is a hard one.

This attempt to fit in. This struggle of being what you are not. This balance between career, society and religion is the biggest dilemma, for me, of a northern actress.

By: Anas Abdullahi

Email: a9united@gmail.com

Twitter: @a9united1

Crossing the T’s: On Rahama Sadau’s Feud with Ali Nuhu

The entertainment industry is construed to be synonymous with scandals. Everything an actor does will not go amiss by the public eye and a small mistake committed by them might turn out to be a disaster on their careers. Scandals on the side cannot be entirely condemned because there are as many benefits as there are disadvantages. For this reason, some of these actors do it intentionally for the publicity stunts while others do it unintentional.

No one does controversies in Kannywood better than Rahama Sadau these days. Few days ago, I’ve written about Kannywood actresses in this column where I mentioned how scandals and controversies catapulted the actress to the pinnacle of her career. And she’s involved in another one again, when on Saturday, Ali Nuhu’s ‘boys’ showered the actress with abuses on their Instagram pages accusing her of betraying Ali Nuhu despite the fact that he’s her mentor and has been with her right from the pit of her career.

Rumours has been going around that the actress is lately not in good terms with Ali Nuhu because he didn’t cast her in FKD’s next hit movie, Abota. When I turned to Sadau for comment, she told me that this is all a baseless rumour that’s been spread across by mischievous elements just to tarnish her image. She seemed so surprise that I would even care to ask her about it even though I know her loyalty has always been with him. “Come on, Hafsat you too believe in these kinds of rumors? There’s nothing like not in good terms with Ali Nuhu. How is that even possible? Ahh!”

She told me that she equally know about it that day after a colleague called and told her to log on Instagram and see what’s going on. She described it as a planned attack on her person by people who are not happy with her successes.

We could still recall that Sadau is still not officially back on stage which could be a reason she’s not been casted in the film or simply because she doesn’t have a role to play in it. Somebody like Ali Nuhu casting Rahma in a film while there’s a ban on her would bring more shame and disrespect to the industry; which is already infamous for lacking strong authoritative bodies.

Hafsah Lalo is a writer hailed from Jos, Plateau State. She is Currently a student of Information Technology at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. You can follow her on twitter: @Grtsunnist

Crossing the T’s: On Road to Stardom, Being at the Top and Staying There.

Whenever we find ourselves in the midst of people we have the same movie taste with, we like to talk about movies, our favorite actors, why we love them as well as compare them with our friends’ favorites too, in many fronts. Amongst Kannywood viewers, we talk about whose stardom will make whose stardom wanes, etc For instance, many people believe that if Ahmad S. Nuhu were alive Adam Zango will not be this famous because S. Nuhu might have completely over shadowed him.

Talking about the female actors, we had Zainab Indomie in the past few years as a household name for Kannywood fans. The actress managed to steal the hearts of the audience with her performances which were groundbreaking in delivery, her impeccable looks, charm, and her ability to express any kind of emotion. She featured in movies that would probably never be forgotten such as Ga duhu ga Haske. We all adored her and enjoyed watching her display her talents…

Until Nafisa Abdullahi made a grand entrance into the world of stardom immediately after featuring in FKD’s Sai watarana. Bold, passionate and master of her emotions; no living Kannywood actress has astonished the viewers over the past six years as much as Nafisa Abdullah. Her path to stardom was also the beginning of the end for Zainab Indomie. It’s not as if we couldn’t have more than one star at the same time. We could, there has always been Jamila Nagudu, though that’s a story for another day because she is the female version of Ali Nuhu. All other actresses will come and go while she undebatably remain the overall best actress in Kannywood.

Aside from Jamila Nagudu, there will always be another actress who would top the list, and at a point in time, Nafisa Abdullahi was on top of that list. She could display the perfect combination of intellect, strength, vulnerability and even ‘badassing’. As a die hard fan of Zainab Indomie, I always say it’s because of Nafisa that we hardly see the face of our star on the screen then because she features in virtually every hit movie then.

Nobody gets to the top and stay there forever. The sizzling siren made her debut and and within a year, she had already made a mark. If you tell me that Rahma Sadau defined her career not with exceptional performances but with scandals, media presence, breaking barriers etc etc, I wouldn’t argue with you.

Talking about media presence, it is arguably the biggest tool actors use to make sure they stay at the top. Rahama for example knows the importance of media, how it operates and how to interact with people especially her fans. She knows what it takes to be a star, how to get to the top and stay there. She’s simply a master of the game. She came to the industry with an unprecedented uniqueness which is the number one thing that drew the attention of audience to her, including those that are ashamed of being called Kannywood fans. She carries herself the way her Nollywood, Bollywood and even Hollywood counterparts do. She have managers run her affairs from on set, she reads, watch movies and TV shows, she tweets more for example, about Big Brother Nigeria, football, etc alongside her fans and all those little things people relate to, is what brings media influence. If you ask me to pick five best actresses in Kannywood based on on performance, I will definitely not pick Rahama but if you just ask me to pick top five without being specific, don’t be surprised if you find her name as number one on my list.

It’s important to point out that, especially how she’s been busy on twitter recently, Hadiza Gabon epitomizes good acting and media presence. People actually relates to how tolerable she is on twitter and fans interact with her more easily.

That brings me to my main discussion. New talent has been discovered by Ali Nuhu -who is infamous for transforming even those not born with acting talents into the best actors. This new talent is Maryam Yahya, who started with an FKD movie which is a surer path to stardom than any other path in the industry.So, there were discussions, projections already by Kannywood followers that soon she’ll be a force in the industry and that Sadau’s fans are beginning to see her as a threat.

This is really surprising. And although these kinds of premature predictions and knee-jerk reactions are bound to happen, it is hard not to be amazed. We’ve only seen Maryam Yahaya mostly on video songs so far and you can see she has done really well for herself as very few actresses don’t get intimated acting alongside Ali Nuhu. She doesn’t get overshadowed and you could feel her presence in the songs.

As discussed, the road to stardom is a long and hard one. Do we really think Maryam is a ‘giant killer’? That remain to be seen. As for beating any other actress or particularly Rahma Sadau, it’s worth to remember she came into Kannywood while Sadau has already gone international, already featured in Nollywood films, lunched and dined in Beverly Hills with Akon, met some Bollywood producers in India, talked with Priyanka and Davido on twitter. She will definitely not stay at the top forever, her stardom will also wane just like other top talents before her, perhaps sooner than we expected but career wise, she’s currently the most improved and most focused in the industry. Maryam Yahaya will not push her away, but if she is determined who knows.

Hafsah Lalo is a writer hailed from Jos, Plateau State. She is Currently a student of Information Technology at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. You can follow her on twitter: @Grtsunnist

Crossing the T’s – On Rahama Meeting Priyanka Chopra

Hero worship is something almost everyone does especially in this era of social media,  where we can directly connect and interact with our idols on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. 

We all have that one person we aspire to be like or hope to meet someday. That person could be a footballer, an actor, a musician, a professional athlete or a space scientist. Naturally, we will be so much interested in their lives that we avidly follow and read every news about them because we believe they have made it in a worldview and we are enthralled by it. For instance, one could rightly say that Sadau has taken Priyanka as a huge inspiration which makes her tirelessly chase her dreams and by extension, a standout amongst  her fellow actresses.

Anyone who knows Rahama Sadau knows that she’s a diehard supporter of Bollywood’s Priyanka Chopra. Anyone who ever followed her on any of her media pages knows that too and the similarities in their screen characters are unmistakable. Sadau is popularly known as as Priya among her friends and colleagues while some of her fans call her Kannywood’s Priyanka Chopra. In fact we could all recall that at a point in time, Rahama Sadau wrote ‘PC Maniac’ on her Twitter bio.

It’s no longer news that Sadau recently got a superb response from her role model after mentioning her on Twitter. The response has gotten a lot of media attention especially because it’s a common knowledge that Sadau has been a Priyanka Chopra fanatic for as long as we know her. This reminded me of something that Sadau said on the set of Mati da Lado and that’s what prompted writing this piece.

Somewhere in May 2014 on the set of Mati da Lado, we were sitting down inside Sadau’s car when a lot of her fans came and surrounded the car hoping to get a glimpse of the famous actress. The door of the car was slightly ajar because we needed some fresh air but they were blocking it. Rahama was jokingly complaining about not liking the way people are looking at her, others asking her to pose for them and all. Producer Tahir I Tahir was there so he told her that it’s all because of her fame, that someone who isn’t famous won’t get that kind of attention.

She smiled and shook her head knowing his statement can’t be truer. She replied him saying “I also have an idol whom I admire very much. Whenever I’m opportune to see her, no matter the security, I will find my way and go close to her so I can touch her.” Tahir I Tahir seemed surprised and asked her who is that her idol and she told him it’s Priyanka Chopra.

I have always known that meeting Priyanka Chopra is one of Rahama Sadau’s ultimate life goals. She has bonded with friends from different countries over the love of their favorite celebrity. I could vividly recall one that called her from Indonesia in my presence and they talked as though they’ve been friends for ages. When I saw the Chopra’s response to her, I was extremely happy for her though I can’t imagine her happiness at the moment. 

I’m sure she will be overwhelmed by different kinds of emotions from disbelief to ecstasy to obsession. Now that it has began from Twitter, who knows whether Sadau will soon be called for an auditioning this time in New Delhi.

Hafsah Lalo is a writer hailed from Jos, Plateau State. She is Currently a student of Information Technology at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. You can follow her on twitter: @Grtsunnist

Movie Review – Husna Ko Huzna

Director: Falalu A. Dorayi
Producer: Tahir I. Tahir
Story: M.M. Haruna
Language: Hausa
Year: 2017
Company: M.M. Haruna Film Production, Kano

Introduction
The film, Husna ko Huzna, comes with quite a number of novelties. Notably, it was not hurriedly produced as were many films in Kannywood film industry. I can remember being told of its pre-production and production phases almost a year ago. The post production, too, took unconventional period before it’s finished. This is replete in the handling of the special effects (SFx) used in the film. The advertorial is yet another well-planned thing, for every now and then, listeners of different radio stations in Kano, and probably beyond, were informed about the film. The voiceover adds a freebie to the prospective viewers that the film was carefully subtitled in Standard English unlike other films. Many viewers would not expect anything short of this as the executive producer cum screenwriter, M.M. Haruna, is a well-known English teacher in Kano.

Plot Summary
(Warning: this section contains spoilers)
The semi-horror, fantasy is an old wine in a new bottle; it repackages a usual love-triangle story. Husna (Jamila Nagudu) and Abdul (Adam A. Zango) are set to wed, while a certain kolanut and groundnut hawking lady, Huzna (Fati Washa), tries everything possible to stop that from happening as she deeply loves Abdul. She does everything, follows him everywhere but he, time after time, rebuffs her. There was a time his friend and his other friends beat her up to deter her from bothering her heartthrob.

It eventually appears that Huzna is a genie. Her schemes nearly break the duo’s relationship midway in the film. It takes Husna’s mother, and their friends’ assistance and insistence for them to patch up. Tired of the drama, one day Husna steals a deadly chemical from their school laboratory and pours it on Huzna’s face, not knowing that she is not human. However, Huzna turns up at their house the next day to avenge the attack. After several plea, Huzna ‘murders’ her rival by possessing her soul.

After several failed attempts to woo Abdul, Huzna is goaded into violent action; she kills a guy who attempts to offer her a ride, and then Abdul’s friend who beat her earlier. Now in Husna’s form, Huzna arranges with some fellow genies to bring her to the former’s house. They cooked up a story that she is not dead when they buried her. Husna’s parents grudgingly accept their ‘reincarnated’ daughter. Soon afterwards, nonetheless, her nocturnal, bizarre behaviours give her away. They eventually discover her real identity. She kills the mother for that and nearly killed the father, too, but for the appearance of a more powerful genie.

Huzna is actually betrothed to the genie for the past 600 years; she however chooses to marry a human. He therefore takes her away. She soon returns to finish Husna’s father. An Islamic cleric exorcises the nurse she possesses to execute her mission at a hospital he’s receiving treatment. Her engaged genie reappears. He begs the cleric to stop, and that he is also a Muslim and respects the Noble Qur’an. He brings back Husna alive who was never killed in the first place and forcibly takes Huzna away.

Husna and Abdul are finally married. The newly wed couple are preparing to eat when they yet again discover Huzna’s kolanut and other assorted wares on their dining table. They are surprised and shocked to see that. The film ends with a caption thus: “the struggle begins…”

Critique
The special effect artist of the film did quite well. By and large, and in accordance with the Kannywood ‘standard’, the work deserves commendation. The transmogrification of Huzna to Husna or vice versa is so swift and superb; the acid scene, and the way Huzna stretches her hand and alters her eyeballs when attacking her prey, among other scenes, are equally well crafted. Generally, the finishing leaves little to be desired in a film industry infamous for its dearth of professionals and producing poor to average films like Kannywood.
As it is with any art work, Husna ko Huzna is not as impeccable as one might think. The biggest blooper in the film is the M.M. Haruna English Academy scene. The whole scene could, and of course should, be either completely avoided or shown differently. Now, it is unnecessarily lengthy, too detailed, and its idolization by the actors adds less than little or no substance to neither the plot development nor the centre in the real world. The thumb rule is: one must not feature in their sponsored movie, or covertly advertise their product therein.

Again, the last caption doesn’t hold up, for the struggle has begun since the very first scene of the film. The struggle rather continues. That is perhaps what the filmmakers have on mind. The reappearance of Huzna’s stuff in their peaceful, well-furnished house marks a beginning of yet another struggle, while everyone thought that it had ended with the stern warning by the cleric and her eviction from the human world by the senior, more powerful husband-to-be genie.

Verdict
On the whole, Husan ko Huzna is not a bad piece of work. For most women, I guess, the seemingly original story is en edge-of-the-seat semi-horror, for its marital tug-of-war over a charming prince motif. The actors, all of them, have done very well, with the performance of Washa lady occupying the highest position. The film crew, particularly the director, followed by the camera team, have done a praiseworthy job as well. The angles are carefully selected and taken; the light fits, and so on and so forth. I therefore rate it 3.5/5.0. It could be higher but for the insipidness of love-triangle-story in Kannywood and the overt, avoidable advertorial of the executive producer’s enterprise.

Reviewed by:
Muhsin Ibrahim
Bayero University, Kano
muhsin2008@gmail.com

From www.muhsin. in

Ali Nuhu Premieres Mansoor in Style

​”Mun Kwashe Mun Kwashe, Mun Kwashe Mun Kwashe…” That’s what FKDians were shouting at the end of Mansoor show at the film House Cinema. They were not only shouting because the film was very good but also because the event Premiere of the film was a huge success. 

It was an extraordinary evening that everyone present will forever remember. It’s the first proper event premiere for a Kannywood movie since the inception of Kannywood Box Office. Mansoor Premiere didn’t disappoint. 

The turn out for  the event was huge. Hafizu Bello, Aminu Saira, Falalu Dorayi, Usman Mu’azu, Yakubu Muhammad, Rahma Sadau, Fati Muhammad, Shehu Kano, Ibrahim Birniwa, Nura M Inuwa….. Long story short, your favourite actor or actress was there. Kannywood was there. 

Clearly the maker of Mansoor knows about the importance of creating an event that will reach audience, garner the attention for his film. At the Premiere, besides the still photography of the people and personalities at the event, Ali Nuhu make sure that the BBC, AIT, NTA, Channels Tv and Kannywoodscene were all there at the event. 

Responding to media questions on the red carpet, Ali Nuhu said that he has better script coming up and Mansoor is just the beginning. 

Ali Nuhu adds “The essence of making these movies is to entertain people, educate them and make them aware of things that are happening in our society. I hope people will cooperate and watch the movie in the cinema. 

He also said that he decided to bring out something different in Mansoor because people say that most Kannywood stories are base on love, marriage and divorce. 

At the end people were talking about Ali Nuhu’s impressive directing of Mansoor. “We’ve had so many course about movie making in abroad. Most recently in the United States. People should be able to see what we’ve learned through our works.” He says. 

In the end, Ali Nuhu’s brand sponsors made sure that everyone who’s seated in the cinema went home with Cherio noodles and Blue Boat Champion milk. 

Ali Nuhu bust his guts in making Mansoor and after watching the movie, you can’t help but feel he deserves to celebrate the achievement he has completed in style. 

Movie Review – Mansoor

“Something different? Not a love story” was the director’s response when he was asked what surprise would audience expect from his latest movie Mansoor. 

His statement could stand a trial because Mansoor, for the most part, is an adventure of an enthusiastic young man in search of his identity. It is an adventure that is triggered by love, fueled by uncertainties and driven by desperation. This adventure leads to another emotional story so expertly told and presented one can’t but appreciate the director’s story telling.

No movie is without flaws, or at least few areas that could use improvements. The good thing with Mansoor is that every single facet is at worst, average. There are few story arcs that are recycled and though I can’t tell whether it is from the movie or the projector, the movie struggled to fit perfectly on the screen. As a result, the subtitle was hardly visible; the colour grading could have been better, the nights and days appeared almost identical.

However, Mansoor has so many strengths to counteract those weaknesses. The excellent production value is at display throughout the movie. Every detail has been attended to. From the sets, to the costumes, to the make up, to the locations.

The director has gotten most out of the actors. The dialogue is refreshing and the delivery, perfect. The scores could have been more frequent. The songs are exciting. The dance sequences are colorful and impeccably acted.

One thing that deserves special mention is the stylish direction. The shots are neat, elegant and stylish. The attention to detail is superb. The way he puts up the story is remarkable. It is said that the act of telling a story is better than the story itself. This statement has never been truer. From the way he mixes voice-over with footage, to the way he motions the camera, to the way he changes the mood and expressions of the actors; it is truly a remarkable piece of directing. 

Spending such a huge amounts on actors that are barely known by audience is a risky business few producers could take. Such boldness could be the reason why FKD has stood the test of time. Can others follow? Only time can tell. 

Mansoor is wonderfully observed, stunningly shot and thanks to so many breakout performances, a must watch in Cinemas. 

Cast: Umar M Shareef, Maryam Yahaya, Ali Nuhu, Sadiq Ahmad, Abba El-Mustapha, Baballe Hayatu, and others. 

Screenplay: Jamil Nafseen. 

Producer: Naziru Dan Hajiya. 

Director: Ali Nuhu

Crossing the T’s: Relationships

No matter how hard celebrities try to keep their romance low key, they would always be under public scrutiny. While we don’t have the paparazzi to follow their every move in  Kannywood and Nigeria in general, there are gossip columns that bring these stories to the media. Why celebs shy away from  questions concerning their love lives even in an interview isn’t a mystery, understandable even. But I do believe that everything comes with a price and that of being famous is sacrificing one’s own privacy.

It isn’t any different in Kannywood. Some actresses are trying to keep their relationships under the wraps, others don’t really care. 

Actress Halima Atete, once in an interview
with Kannywoodscene, revealed that she is not one of those actors that hide their relationships. She even went further and mentioned his name. It’s no news that Maryam Booth dated Adam for quite sometime a long time ago. However, few people know that Rahma Sadau had a fling with Kannywood Heartthrob, Sadiq Sani Sadiq, and another one before joining the industry with Director Kamal S Alkali, one could have said that she’s one of those that manage to mask their romance.

Nafisa’s love life has always been the one the media’s focused on. Lots of people would be surprised to learn that Fati Washa also had a fling with Adam A Zango or that Ibrahim Shehu dated Hadiza Gabon and Jamila Nagudu before Nafi Abdullahi. Apparently, the age difference doesn’t mean anything to him as each of the three of them is at least, three years his senior.

Like any other relationship, these relationships may or may not work out. Although some of them  materialize into marriages, like that of TY Shaba and Samira Ahmad (albeit not for long) among others. Others just fizzle out with time- Adams Zango and Nafi Abdullahi’s long-term relationship is a prime example.

After the break ups or the divorce, the actors as well as the actresses have to deal with bizarre questions from the public and interviewers. Being constantly asked about your relationship status can be frustrating, but it’s simply part of the package of being a celebrity. 

Hafsah Lalo is a writer hailed from Jos, Plateau State. She is Currently a student of Information Technology at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. You can follow her on twitter: @Grtsunnist

Crossing the T’s: Talking Business

​Kannywood actresses, like actresses of other ‘woods’ often step outside the screen to create and (or) manage their business empires. There are so many reasons as to why actors engage in other businesses outside the film industry. 

These reasons include the fear of being blown away within the blink of an eye in showbiz. Kannywood actresses like Fati Muhammad and Rukayya Dawayya could have been probably forgotten if the had completely relied on the film business alone. One could say, these actresses and their likes obviously inspired the younger ones to follow their routes. 

Aside from her breathtaking ability to get right into the heart of a story, Nafisa Abdullahi is also a successful entrepreneur. Founder and CEO of Watch Tower Productions; actress Nafisa is a poultry farmer as well as an interior designer. She also runs a classy boutique in Kaduna and has a passion for photography which she is also trying to develop into a big business in no time.

As an actress, model, producer and an activist, Rahma Sadau uses her fame as a platform to promote her side businesses. She runs her own production company, SadauPictures and which they are about to release their maiden movie. Besides being a producer, the actress also runs a boutique and a beauty salon. 

Hadiza Gabon and Maryam Booth, among other actresses, are also involved in side business. Booth, recently had her company; MBooth’s Parlour and collections, which deals with both import and export of all types of cosmetics and make-up artists, etc registered with the Corporate Affairs Commissions. Hadiza Gabon, an activist and a philanthropist, doesn’t have a production house yet, but she just opened her own beauty salon. 

Being involved in business no matter how small, is always a plus to women in general. Actresses in particular, could have it as an alternative source of income and a distraction as well, whenever they decide to take a break from the spotlight, take a backseat to allow upcoming talents shine or when they’re married. After all, who wants to belong to the kitchen and the other room only, in the 21st century?  And you know what? These actresses don’t even have to pay for adverts. 

Hafsah Lalo is a writer hailed from Jos, Plateau State. She is Currently a student of Information Technology at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. You can follow her on twitter: @Grtsunnist