My big budget film will revolutionise Hausa films – Garba

Tell us a little about yourselfI am a trained marketer; I worked with one of the leading banks in Nigeria for some years before venturing into Hausa movie production. Though, while in the banking sector I was able to produce two movies namely Ciki da Alako and Dashen Dabino.My quest for redirecting the Hausa movie industry to […]

Tell us a little about yourself
I am a trained marketer; I worked with one of the leading banks in Nigeria for some years before venturing into Hausa movie production. Though, while in the banking sector I was able to produce two movies namely Ciki da Alako and Dashen Dabino.
My quest for redirecting the Hausa movie industry to focus more on representing the Hausa culture is the major reason why I ventured fully into the Hausa movie industry.

You could have chosen to be an actor or be fully involved in other aspects of movie production. Why production and marketing?
I am such a cultured individual; I always find it very difficult to accept the fact that Hausa movies have failed to portray the real culture of the Hausa people, but it is a fact that they have failed. As a banker I figured out that may be there are some issues that militate against them; that was why I gave it a try while still in the banking sector.
That was why I decided to venture into the industry as a producer and a marketer. If I decided to be an actor, my chances of bringing the change I intend to bring will not be strong and my whole effort will be thwarted.
I forgot to mention that I was introduced into the industry by a friend called Galadima, I could remember I was complaining on how Hausa movie producers were in the habit of wrongly portraying the Hausa man in terms of his cultural attitude, norms and values and cultural outfit. He told me that if really I am disturbed why not venture into the industry and create the changes that I wanted.  If you look at our movies like Kafar Ungulu and Mutum da Aljan you will see how we presented the Hausa man’s culture.
However, with my vast experience in marketing; I was able to penetrate movie markets in Niger Republic, Mali, Senegal and Sudan. That is why our movies are everywhere in these countries and we have also managed to make subtitles in French for easy understanding.

Did you face challenges to your new innovation in the movie industry?
Really, if you read development history, you will find out that with every new innovation, people find it very difficult to adapt to it due to the conservative nature of some individuals. However, in everything good there is someone, somewhere and somehow who must have started it.
That is why we are taking a new dimension, adapting it gradually. Another issue we are trying to do away with is the aspect of singing and dancing. We have succeeded in reducing the number of dance scenes in our movies and we hope to gradually remove it from our movies or adapt it to the kind of music befitting Hausa culture.

Can you let us into your latest production?
I am presently undertaking a movie production which I believe will be the first of its kind in terms of the cast, the locations and the financial commitment. The movie is titled ‘Hindu’, it is a story with a lot of intrigues based on strictly Hausa culture and values. It is a movie that we carefully want to take viewers back to over 100 years back, when there wasn’t much contact between the Hausas and the western world.
The story was drafted after series of researches on the life and culture of the Hausas. We have carefully selected the kind of clothes, settlement and even the language itself. In fact, the village we are going to use we are building it from scratch. We are building it to our own taste and to suit what the story spelt out, we have acquired costumes peculiar to the Hausa’s and also we have made all the necessary arrangement to make the scenario befitting what the Hausa man is known for.  
After our research, we found out that the only place that will suit our desire as a location to shoot most part of the movie is located in Niger state, Bidda to be précise. Therefore, we went there and all arrangements were concluded and as I speak to you now construction of the village is ongoing there.

These will really cost you a fortune judging from what you have just mentioned; what is the cost implication of this movie?
For now, we have budgeted over N20 million and you know how movies are, the amount could exceed what we have budgeted. However, we are committed to making this movie and God willing, we will not relent in this direction.
Similarly, we have over 350 casts in the movie comprising known faces, upcoming faces and new faces in the movie industry. We hope to introduce new faces through this movie and believe me, artistes will be interpreting roles that they have never played in their career as actors or actresses. Artist like Adam A. Zango, Jamila Nagudu, Hauwa Waraka, Tahir Fagge, Tijjani Faraga, Fati Washa among others will all star in the movie.

Are you collaborating with either government or its agencies in producing this movie?
No, we are single handedly producing this movie without any form of government support or its agencies. In fact we have not contacted them for any form of collaboration. What we believe is that after this production the outcome of it will really compel the government to wade in and support producers like us.

You made mention of penetrating some West African markets; how do you contend with act of piracy which has driven most of you out of business?
It is very sad to note that, piracy exist unchallenged in Nigeria. In other places, the moment you complete your registration with the appropriate authorities you are secured. Nobody will dare violate your copy right the moment they stamped what they called cache on your movies.
An incident occurred in Niger Republic when a TV station showed my movie without my consent and knowledge. I was in Kano when the authorities called me and invited me to Niger; I went there and I was told that the TV station had shown my movie without my consent and the authorities wanted to prosecute them and the management of the TV station wanted an out of court settlement which I agreed to. They paid me and also advertised one of my movies free of charge for one month.

Do you intend to show this movie in cinemas before releasing it into the market?
It actually depends on circumstances and time frame. I remember taking one of my movies ‘Ciki da Alako’ to America and I was amazed how Americans were rushing to get a copies of it because it shows the true culture of the people.
My plan is to secure a cinema in France and America that we will enter into an agreement with to show the movie in a cinema. Similarly, I will show the movie in cinemas in some of African countries but due to the insecurity bedeviling the Northern part of this country I am not going to show it in cinemas here.
 
 Fans of Hausa films have pointed out that there are flaws in most of the movie’s English sub-titles; what are you doing to see that yours doesn’t suffer the same fate?
The problem is that most of us do not take this business serious. How can you ask a secondary school student to do subtitles and expect to have a good result? It is impossible really. My intention on this movie is to have the best out of it, a professor in linguistic has offered to do the sub-title of the movie. As I have said earlier our movie carries sub-titles in French, Hausa and English.

When are you releasing this movie into the market?
I can’t say for now, because there are some business strategies that we have to get ready and also there are some technical touches that we will want to introduce into this movie. In a nutshell I can’t say precisely when it will be released.