My dream is to go international – Aisha Umar Muhammad

Weekend Magazine: As a Chemistry student, what influenced your decision to become an actress? Aisha Umar Muhammad: Actually, I can say it is just interest and the passion I have for the movie business. It has been my dream to be an actress for ages now. But as at then if you would have asked […]

Weekend Magazine: As a Chemistry student, what influenced your decision to become an actress?
Aisha Umar Muhammad: Actually, I can say it is just interest and the passion I have for the movie business. It has been my dream to be an actress for ages now. But as at then if you would have asked me how I would be an actress, the answer you would have definitely got would have been ‘I don’t know.’ Initially I thought my dream was only a childish wish, but as I grew up I grew up with that dream as it refused to vanish and that was why when the opportunity of becoming an actress presented itself to me I didn’t hesitate to take it.

WM: How did your parents react to your decision of becoming an actress?
Muhammad: They know their daughter and what their daughter can do. I have not encountered any disapproval from them. When I told them my decision they only expressed their fear that my studies may be affected or along the line may I decide to quite school and concentrate on the movie industry. I explained to them that nothing bad would happen to my studies and also promised them that I will complete my studies and they gave me their blessings and here I am today in the movie industry and still in school. However, I have scheduled myself in a manner that the two separate parts of my life wouldn’t be affected by the other. If the demand in the school becomes higher I will suspend movie activities and concentrate on my schooling that way I have succeeded in avoiding a clash. I love acting but my studies are important as well.

WM: How did you feel on your first movie set?
Muhammad: Sincerely, I felt naïve and nervous on my first movie set, it was like ‘Oh God help me to actualise my dream.’ It was like I couldn’t do it at the initial stage but gradually with the director’s motivation and encouraging words I was able to make it through. Ever since that first encounter I became used to all the rudiments of acting or playing a role different from actual self.

WM: Have you played any lead role so far?
Muhammad: From what people kept telling me, I came to understand that I am lucky, because barely a year in the industry I have featured in movies like ‘Mijin Aro,’ ‘Mashi,’ ‘Bakin Alkalami,’ ‘Zullumi’ and ‘Tafaru Ta Kare’ and a few others. Fortunately, I was the lead actress in ‘Mashi’ and ‘Zullumi,’ it was really a positive sign to me that in Kannywood the sky is my limit, and I thank God for what he has done to me.

WM: What is your wish as an actress?
Muhammad: My wish in the industry is to be an international artiste who will earn recognition and respect worldwide. My initial dream was to be an actress and now that I have achieved that, I want to use acting in promoting my culture as a Hausa/Fulani and my religion as a Muslim. Acting is indeed a very vital point of making positive change and I am determined to make some in many lives through acting.

WM: Would you act in a Nollywood movie if given the chance?
Muhammad:  Sure, why not? In as much as the role given to me doesn’t contradict my cultural and religious values. You see, there is sanity and insanity in what one does and it is left for one to decide which direction to take. We all have interests to protect and it is every artiste’s role to be a good ambassador of the people he represents.

WM: Is Aisha into any serious relationship?
Muhammad: For now I am not.

WM: What is your take on marriage?
Muhammad: Of course, I am going to get married when the time comes and my prayer has always been for an understanding man, a God-fearing and hard-working man. It is also apparent that the moment I got married, I will stop acting; that’s for sure.

WM:What was your childhood like?
Muhammad: Just like any other. I am just like any other ordinary girl, simple and friendly. I was born in 1982 in Kano State and I did my primary, secondary and tertiary studies all in Kano. Virtually, I am what you may call a full-blown Kano girl, though my father is from Adamawa State while my mother is from Kano. Presently, I am a level 400 Chemistry undergraduate student at KUST, and also I am a Hausa movie actress with about six movies in less than one year.