I could have been a civil servant – Ali Nuhu

You are one of the pioneers of the recent synergy between Kannywood and Nollywood. What must have triggered this collaboration?You see even though the two industries operate at different levels, with the Kannywood movie industry heavily influenced by Bollywood movies and the Nollywood being more or less a replica of Hollywood type of movies, the […]

You are one of the pioneers of the recent synergy between Kannywood and Nollywood. What must have triggered this collaboration?
You see even though the two industries operate at different levels, with the Kannywood movie industry heavily influenced by Bollywood movies and the Nollywood being more or less a replica of Hollywood type of movies, the truth is that they are still Nigerian movies.
Our audiences are more or less the same and we operate more or less in the same market, so we thought why not harmonize the two in order to have a mega output? This is what we are doing and Nigerians are really appreciating our work.
How did you succeed in harmonizing the two despite the differences you have just mentioned?
First of all, as an actor, I believe in versatility. However, as commonly stated, there isn’t anything like impossible in movies and an actor has to be able to adapt to different situations and settings. In fact this is what qualifies one to be called a good actor. In the Kannywood industry, operators grow with the industry via trial and error; and that is why I always respect the Hausa movie industry because they have proven to all that what is worth doing is worth doing well.
Therefore, when you compare it to Nollywood where most of the artists are graduates of theatre arts, with some of them trained outside Nigeria, you will appreciate the fact that Kannywood is not doing badly at its own level.
Secondly, when it comes to movie making in Nigeria I feel there is a need to explore all virgin areas in the industry and collaboration between the two Nigerian movie industries is one of the areas we intend to explore. Agreed we do have our differences, but as I have said earlier there are no such issues like impossible in movies. As artists we have set a platform to conquer and we have been doing that effectively.
Initially it was Ali Nuhu in Nollywood and now it is Nollywood artists starring in Kannywood. Is it a reciprocal gesture?
I believe if you experiment you will be able to do things that no one has done before. That is the spirit behind our moves. We said let us try and invite our friends in the Nollywood to come and act in Kannywood, and we can say boldly that it was an experiment that has paid off handsomely.
It was a very huge success in the history of movie industry in Nigeria. I am proud to say that we have done our home work diligently and we have served the public with what they want. That is why we were able to break the barrier and get through to the public with ease. It is vividly clear that the average Nigerian audience wants to see the industries together, if not as a single entity then as entities with a symbiotic relationship.
You were recently appointed as a brand ambassador for an electronics company, and before then you were an ambassador for a telecommunications outfit. How have you been able to combine these with your acting career?
I must confess that it is not easy combining these things with acting. But with plans one will be able to do it, also you need to have a diary and then learn to schedule yourself according to your available time. Thank God most of the producers in the industry have a good understanding of our schedule and are ever ready to effect changes where necessary to avoid clashes; but honestly it is not easy really.
The most disturbing issue is that your family tends to suffer more because they will rarely see you when things sort of overwhelm you. You just have to sacrifice a lot to be able to make it, but it is all an issue of making hay while the sun shines.
From the inception of the Hausa movie industry it has been Ali Nuhu all the way. What is the secret?
There is nothing like secret behind it. It is by the leave of the Almighty Allah. He has destined that I will get to this stage in the industry. To be frank, when I started I never thought I will be popular in the Hausa movie industry. In fact I never thought I will take acting as a career, but as fate will have it here I am today. Initially, my father got me a job at one of the federal ministries, so I could have been a civil servant. But as fate would have it I opted to be an actor.
You are one of the few actors whose sons and daughters are into movies. Are they acting on their own volitions or out of your influence as their father?
My daughter and my son are into the movie industry because they wanted to be, not because I wanted them to be in it. For the boy Ahmad I noticed that he is more inclined into mimicking things he has seen on the screen and I guessed that is his passion, or so it seems. His sister is such a very reserved person; she likes her privacy more than her brother. However, both of them are still in school. And as upcoming artists a lot needs to be done to put them through the rudiments in order to make them excel and, if possible, develop a career in the movie industry.
Does their involvement in the movie industry affect their educational career?
In a way it does, but as a father and with the help of their mother we have been able to come up with a schedule for them. They only act when they were on holidays and I always discuss with them on their scripts. I have had reasons to screen out some scripts meant for them. However, I personally don’t force my kids to accept scripts during school sessions.
Similarly, they have the right to select or reject roles based on what they think suits their own passion. Moreover, as a father I can’t just fold my arms to see my kids jumping in and out of every movie for the simple fact that I want them to be movie stars. On several instances they reject roles for their own reasons. For instance, my son Ahmad had rejected a script for the simple fact that the story demanded that he will act a bad boy role; Fatima also rejected a role that I have approved for her for her own personal reasons and I never tried to force them.
Celebrities hardly have the chance to move about freely and your children have become celebrities at a very tender age.
Don’t you think this will affect their freedom of movement?
In that respect, my daughter Fatima is most affected because she is very quiet and shy, just like her mother. She doesn’t talk much. There was a day their mother took them to the trade fair to get some things for them, when other kids saw them they all gathered around them and she became so shy that her brother Ahmad, who is more outspoken, stood up for her and played the big brother thing to save his sister.
It also affects them in their school, especially when I go to pick them or to check on them. They are more comfortable when they visit family relations and other family friends. However, when they are on a long term break from schools I use to take them on vacation to countries of their choice because they need it.
You are fond of introducing new faces in the movie industry. Why do you so much trust in doing that?
(Laughs) My friend do you think we are going to live forever? I don’t think so; there are better talents out there that need to be given a chance to explore those talents. If we don’t allow them the opportunity to do so then we will die with the industry and that is the last thing I wanted to do.
Take for instance, Adam A. Zango, who happens to be one of my successful prodigies that I will always be proud of, started out as a music composer. Along the line I noticed some acting potentialities in him that should be put before the camera and not behind the camera. When he started as an actor he excelled within a very short period because he is so resourceful and so determined. Today I know I need not to mention to you how successful Adam is. If we didn’t discover his potentialities, he would have been elsewhere. Same thing applies to late Ahmad S. Nuhu and lots of other artists. We have to understand that the industry is not for one individual to handle.
Do you subscribe to the recent move to sanitize the industry?
I am always for sanitization of the industry 100% because, as fragile as the industry is, if things are not controlled they could get out of hand.
There were mixed reaction on the two year suspension handed to Nafisa Abdullahi who was found wanting. What do you have to say on that?
I deliberately kept silence on Nafisa’s issue, because throughout the case proceedings no one cared to let me into the whole issue. Nafisa is my prodigy but neither she nor the committee deemed it worthwhile to contact me on the matter. Therefore, I feel if I am not worth contacting and why should I worry?
Tell us about your recent nomination in the Nigerian Entertainment Award coming up in New York?
I was nominated for the first time into that award and I am looking forward to emerging victorious, God willing.
Best of luck Ali Nuhu
Thank you so much.