The Sani Danja no-one knows, by wife Mansurah Isa
Mansurah Isa is the wife of famous Kannywood actor Sani Danja. Being a celebrity herself, she talks about how they handle fame, life with her husband, his relationship with their kids and what he is like at home, among other things. Daily Trust: How would you describe your husband? Mansurah Isa: I don’t know […]
Mansurah Isa is the wife of famous Kannywood actor Sani Danja. Being a celebrity herself, she talks about how they handle fame, life with her husband, his relationship with their kids and what he is like at home, among other things.
Daily Trust: How would you describe your husband?
Mansurah Isa: I don’t know where to start from. He is nice, and fun too. Whenever I am sad, he knows how to cheer me up. Sometimes, even when I am not in the mood for jokes, he has a way of getting me to join. He wants us to be happy, and wants the best for us all. He can use his last card to see a smile on our faces. He also always thinks years ahead, of what will happen to us and so on. Whenever he is around, it’s like a constant party.
DT: What trait of your husband would you say you find the most endearing?
Mansurah: Like I said, putting us first before him. He is very selfless and I love that about him.
DT: What kind of father is he?
Mansurah: I’d say he’s the best dad. Something happened recently where I asked him for some money and he refused to give me, that he doesn’t have any. He travelled at that time so the next day, he spoke to the children on the phone and they told him that their bikes were bad and wanted new ones. On his way back a week later, he called me and he bought one bike for our third son Sultan, saying he could only afford one and the reason he bought it was because of how cheap it was. When he got home he brought it out and told the kids it was for Sultan. So Khalifa then rushed back to the boot of the car and saw two more bicycles. He told them not to tell me, not knowing that I could hear and see everything from upstairs. A while later I took him to the airport and on my way back a receipt fell down and I saw the amount of money he bought the bicycles for. I immediately called him telling him that I had seen the receipt and how much he bought them for. He started explaining himself but I told him it is okay. What he did was for our kids, to make them happy. And I’m more than okay with it.
DT: How do you handle it when female fans walk up to him when you are together?
Mansurah: I’ve been experiencing this for years and I think I am used to it now because I can’t deny him his fans and secondly, I can’t stop his fans from loving him. Before I married him I knew who he was and even while we were dating, at locations while shooting a movie, female fans would come looking for him and I have to give him that chance to associate with them. I think that was one of the reasons why he fell for me. Seeing that I was unfazed by his female fans and how I always handled it.
Bottom line is I know he only loves me and the love he has for his fans is different. He appreciates them.
DT: Have male fans walked up to you while you were with him, and how did he handle it?
Mansurah: He is much more jealous than I am. I have tried to join a lot of projects but he always says “so that some other man will see you on TV?” And I always joke back saying ‘wasn’t it on TV you saw me too?’ But he tries to hide it when male fans walk up to me but if I laugh a bit he complains that I am laughing too much with them.
DT: How many times have you starred in a movie together and how was the experience?
Mansurah: We have co-starred in up to 30 movies. I think acting together in a way also brought us closer because we sometimes fought and we learnt more about each other.
DT: What pet name does he call you?
Mansurah: He has always called me by my name, but I have always called him Dan Soja.
DT: What is his favourite TV programme?
Mansurah: The news. He loves watching CNN. We fight a lot over this because I always want to watch my Indian shows and he always wants to see what’s happening on CNN.
DT: Is he a sports person?
Mansurah: No, sport does not interest him at all. The only thing that interests him is music and acting and nothing else. Even the acting, it is more of a burden for him, not that he particularly enjoys it. He prefers music and even hums in his sleep at times. Music is his life.
DT: What’s his favourite food?
Mansurah: He loves eating Tuwo and Miyar Kuka. In fact, any traditional food, he loves it. I love continental dishes, most especially Indian, and so do the kids so when he is not around we eat out a lot. But once he returns, we have to go back to eating Tuwo, and even Dan Wake.
DT: What profession/field do you think he would have excelled in?
Mansurah: I can’t imagine him doing anything else.
DT: How does he unwind?
Mansurah: He is constantly on the move and works hard, so once he comes home all he wants to do is rest and sleep. When he isn’t doing that, he makes time for the kids.
DT: What would you say is an aspect of his personality that people don’t know?
Mansurah: My husband is one heck of a comedian! He knows how to make people laugh. He also dislikes negativity. Also, he is a calm person but once he loses his temper, even a lion can’t compete with him.
DT: Being married to a celebrity and being a celebrity yourself, what is the best part?
Mansurah: I don’t see the best part of it. There are a lot of things we would like to do in our lives but we can’t, because we are public figures. But then if you look at it from another perspective, it is also a privilege because a lot of people want to be celebrities but it just comes.
Not being able to live the life that you want is the price you pay for being a celebrity. You have to be self-conscious of whatever you do because you don’t know who’s watching. Your mistakes can affect your family. But people forget that we bleed like everyone else. Being a celeb can be more of a curse than a blessing.