‘Why Kannywood, Nollywood are partnering’

Weekend Magazine:Tell us a little about yourself?Aminu Muhammad: My name is Aminu Muhammad, but I am popularly called Aminu Saira in the Hausa movie industry. I was born in Kano, at Gwammaja in Dala Local Government Area to be precise. I did my primary and school education   as well as my tertiary studies all in […]

Weekend Magazine:Tell us a little about yourself?
Aminu Muhammad: My name is Aminu Muhammad, but I am popularly called Aminu Saira in the Hausa movie industry. I was born in Kano, at Gwammaja in Dala Local Government Area to be precise. I did my primary and school education   as well as my tertiary studies all in Kano State.My upbringing did not differ from that of a normal Hausa man. At a tender age I started learning how to read the Qur’an before proceeding. I grew up under the strict guidance of my parents and relatives. After my educational quest, I joined the Hausa movie industry where I have over 500 movies to my credit, and thank God this is where we are today.
How did you get the name Saira?
Many people have been asking me about the name Saira; some thought it is my daughter’s name, while some were saying it is my wife’s name. There were many other guesses as far as the name is concerned. However, the name Saira is an acronym meant to simplify what would have been a long name or names that is all. So, as you can see, it is not my daughter’s name, neither is it my wife’s name. I adopted it to give a simple but unique identity for myself, what I represent and what I do.
What attracted to the movie industry?
Actually, I see myself as a reformist, so to say. The zeal to contribute in shaping the lives of members of the Hausa community via educating them, not only on worldly things, but also on how to understand their good culture and religion, made me to join the industry. I do not believe in violence or baseless confrontations. And I believe that through movies one can promote his culture, religion and belief without denting other’s culture and beliefs. Through movies, complicated issues can be broken down into simple stories that viewers can relate to. Through movies, conflicts can be resolved and through movies, policies can be analysed for wider understanding. So when I look at all these, it dawned on me that yes I can impact positively on the lives of others and also achieve my dreams as a reformist. With the help of Allah, this is what we have been doing all along.
Were you able to achieve your mission in the industry?
You see I am not that kind of person who blows his trumpet. Therefore I am not in position to judge myself. I have made my mission known to the public. Whether I have achieved that or not   is left for the public to say based on the information at their disposal. But I know I have a mission and only a man who does not understand his mission will continue following an illusion and forget to focus on reality.
Hausa movies directed by Aminu Saira are regarded as a hit, what is the secret?
Actually, there is no any hidden secret in what I do. If you subject your work to absolute scrutiny by experts in the movie industry, consult experts on things you are not clear with, ask questions where you have doubt, have the zeal to accept corrections and observations made on your work and conduct research;   what you will have at the end is a good work which will probably be a hit. And this is what we have been doing to see that the Hausa movie industry has reached a stage where it can compete with any other movie industry in the world.
However, in this jet age we have been agitating for knowledge updating on issues related to movie production. I have attended about nine courses on movie productions. And these courses were not centred on only one aspect of movie production, no! They are centred on different aspects of the whole processes.
With the urge of seeing the Hausa movie industry attaining a greater height, I have to ensure that I have updated my knowledge on the whole processes. Possibly that is why my fans believe that I have an edge over others, but I don’t believe that.
After the success recorded in the movie ‘Dan Marayan Zak’i, did you make any attempt to produce another of its kind?
Of course, we did a lot of movies after ‘Dan Marayan Zaki’, we have movies like ‘La Mirage’, ‘Dakin Amarya’, ‘Ashabul Khahafi’, ‘Daga Ni Sai Ke’ and many more of such.
You are seen as the one championing positive revolution in the Kannywood. What is prompting you to take that challenge?
I   love  challenges and   making good out of everything. I came into the industry amidst a lot of challenges and fortunately for me I was able to scale through most of those challenges to my present status. It has always been my dream to make a positive change in the Hausa movie industry to the extent of making it acceptable to all without reservation. That has been my driving force; and I believe I have not arrived at the final bus stop. The industry has a lot to catch up with in the business, but that will not make us relent in our efforts to project our talent to the larger world; we have made development of the industry to be our priority.
Recently the industry has made an attempt to unify all factions in the business. What do you have to say on that?
I have been saying this for long, secret of success in every profession that involves different people with different minds starts with having a check and balance mechanism. This begins by converging on a unifying factor that will at least reduce the leakages between these different minds. Unity is what we lack, and recent attempts in the industry under a unified umbrella seem to be at the verge of giving us that.
Another issue is that we have to accept the fact that we are role models to many, our actions and attitudes are being watched. Therefore being under a unified body will ensure conformity to accepted ways of behaviour within the industry.
What is your take on the recent punishment meted to some erring members in the industry?
You have said it yourself erring members, we have to understand that without rules and regulations life would have been meaningless. It is indeed a good gesture in the industry to have a mechanism that will guide our conducts. My fear here is that equality and justice should be applied in all cases; let it not be a situation where by, if for instance, Aminu Saira is found guilty of an offence and for the fact that he has friends in the association, a lesser punishment will be prescribed for him as against the harsh punishment prescribed to others. The leaders should be God fearing and allow justice to prevail in all their activities.
Recently Kannywood and Nollywood seem to have sparked a romance with movies jointly produced by the two. Do you think the industries can sustain the tempo?
If you are talking about the movie ‘Karangiya’ and ‘Oga Abuja’, where we featured John Okapo, Aki and Paw-Paw, I will say it is only a starter and we have not reached where we want to be. This type of collaboration is a sign of positive development in both industries, instead of working separately, criticizing each other, we are now working hand-in-hand complementing each other. And I believe with this development, both industries will be able to make good use of the benefits drerived from the alliance in uplifting the standard of Nigerian movie industries. Now in Kannywood we welcome people from Nollywood, we see them as partners in progress and also Nollywood has identified with us as an industry that should be recognised and respected. Indeed, the alliance between the two most strong movie industries in the nation is a sign that the Nigerian movie industry is going to be one of the best in the world.
You emerged as the best Kannywood movie director in the just concluded City People Entertainment Award. How do you feel about the award?
This is part of the development I was talking about, this award was the first attempt made by City People to include Kannywood in the range of movie industries to be awarded.
We really felt recognized and honoured that our sister industry has deemed it fit to recognize our work and also reward us with awards on that. Personally, I feel elated and appreciated. The award will no doubt be a booster to me. And I will continue to do more in lifting the industry to a higher level.
What projects are you  working on now?
With the disturbing issue of piracy, we have discovered that if things were allowed to continue in this manner, the industry will be a history in no time. Therefore we have decided to make a shift from the home video to cinema movies and series. We want to follow the international trend in the movie world and we have gone far in preparation to achieve our aim.
All things being equal sooner or later we are going to establish a satellite station that will be showcasing our movies.
Is Aminu Saira married?
Yes! I am married with children.