From the first time she achieved fame in the motion picture scenario, the Kannywood super heroic actress, Jamila Umar Nagudu got her groove back, becoming the first Hausa actress to co-star one of Bollywood’s gallant players, the famous Johnny Lever. Nagudu was opportuned to work with the Indian superstar in the first-ever Hausa movie shot in the Mahatma-Gandhi territory.
Nagudu, who is also a GLO ambassador made this tremendous breakthrough by her enthusiasm in the Hausa movie industry. How did she feel acting with a popular actor from another country? “It is normal for an actor to co-star another in a movie. Although it was challenging, challenging in the sense that you have to showcase all your skills, talents and body language to make him understand your lines and also be very attentive to his role so as to blend, but I must say, it was fun. I loved it.”
The movie, ‘Kauyawa,’ which was produced by the renowned Alhaji Rabi’u Haruna, popularly known as Al-rahus, was shot in the heart of Bollywood to showcase more innovation in the industry. How did he do it? First and foremost, the producer said that movie business is so vibrant it has no official language, according to him, movies are a collection of ideas put together to impart certain messages by way of characterisation or gesticulation. “If you believe what I am saying, you will understand that film has no language.Before we started shooting home videos here in Nigeria, people were engaged in patronising foreign films. Films that they did not know the terms of language, but yet, we enjoyed the famous
Chinese and Indian films. In fact, Hausa movies brought the downfall of Indian and other foreign movies here in Nigeria. So in this business, a producer can shoot his film using any actor in the world, irrespective of creed and norms. We have been witnessing actors like Anthony Quinn and some of his contemporaries, who acted in so many Islamic movies. Are they Muslims or Arabs? The answer is no, they are trained and professional actors. It is only make-believe.” He explained that his actors did not have any difficulty relating with their counterparts from India. Since they are both stars from various degrees of civilisation, each of them displayed talents and blended together.
On why he decided to shoot a movie in faraway India, Al-Rahus said “I decided to fulfill the promise I made to my viewers that the third part of the movie will be shot in India. Not only that, I decided with my team to explore the giant Bollywood industry. You know, India is ranked No. 1 in the world of entertainment. Their industry, Bollywood is the largest movie producer in the world, followed by Nigeria. So, my going there is not just for the fun of it but to further explore or rather, rub shoulders and share ideas. I believe Nigeria or Kannywood will be the best in the world one day. That is part of our aspirations.” How many actors from Kannywood were involved in the Bolly-Kannywood affair? Answered Al-Rahus: “After completing all arrangements necessary for my trip, I only went with the two major characters of the film, Jamila Nagudu and the emerging Dan-Auta. All other actors plus production crew and equipment were obtained from them. Their actors were a waiting our arrival, courtesy of our host, who made all the necessary arrangements. We went there on schedule, shot the movie and happily came back home.”
The producer, in comparison, applauds Nigerian stakeholders and motion picture practitioners in their effort to making our industry second to none in the world. “I bet you, the major difference between our business here and theirs is marketing and exhibition. They have succeeded in mapping out so many ways of international marketing, which is the secret of their success. They have a well structured system that washed away piracy . But if you look at the Nigerian market, you’ll see that piracy is killing us, although the practitioners are going up and down, day in day out, but we are yet to curtail the scourge.
“I want to use this opportunity to call on stakeholders and my colleagues in this business to, as a matter of urgency, come out whole heartedly to fight the menace of piracy and in so doing, we will be able to curb this dangerous move by the pirates and allow ordinary hardworking artistes and practitioners enjoy and reap from their sweat.
When asked about her role in the movie, the ever smiling and gorgeous Jamila Nagudu said the story celebrates two renowned extroverts, who hail from the village but went into the city in search of greener pasture. “There are two funny characters in the movie, Subulli (Dan Auta) and Subulluwa played by my humble self. We are assertive people with myopic thoughts. That is how we excel in the city. The funniest part of the sub plot of the story is that we live wherever we go. This brings our families calamity as deception, betrayal and unfaithfulness becomes the order of the day. We then decided to go beyond our shores. This is one of the many problems that upend our convoluted lives exposing our curiosities, internal lives, motives and twisted emotions. It is fully comic packed.”
