Ali Nuhu, a versatile and talented actor as
well as the LEADERSHIP Artiste of the Year
2014 Award recipient, in this interview with
SOLOMON NDA-ISAIAH and ANTHONY ADA
ABRAHAM , speaks on the movie industry
and why he is never been involved in any
social media altercation with any
colleagues

How does it feel clinching the LEADERSHIP
Artiste of the Year award?

I am grateful to Allah and the
organisation for this award. I must
confess I’m very excited about receiving
this award, due to the fact that this is
the first time an entertainer from
northern Nigeria is getting this award.

What was the reaction like when you
decided to expand your horizon beyond
Kannywood by venturing into the
mainstream movie industry, Nollywoood?

Initially when I started out, there were
complains here and there because people
didn’t know what to expect. Also, even
when the movies started coming out
there were some negative comments
over kissing scenes, for example,
because of the diverse cultures and
traditions that we have. But then the first
thing I took into consideration was that I
am a Muslim and Islamic actions are
judged according to intentions.

This is a profession, we are only acting;
it is not like it is the real thing. It’s make
believe, so anybody who thinks we are
the going extra mile in the kissing or
bedroom scenes should understand that
there are people there and certainly
nothing can happen. Secondly when it
comes to the choice of roles I do, I am
very sensitive because I take some
things into consideration. I don’t go to
the extreme but then at the same time I
don’t just play every role that is offered
to me. I try to control that and what I
want my fans to understand is that for
an actor, you are supposed to act in
whatever language that you can speak or
you can communicate in. If you are given
a role to play in whatever language you
should branch out and do that because
this is what shows that you are a
versatile actor. For most of my fans they
were able to understand these things and
on my own part I was able to control
some things so that they don’t go out of
hand.

In one of your movies, you acted as an
Igbo King; how challenging was that role?

I have done a lot of roles acting as either
as an Igbo prince or Benin Prince. As an
actor if you are given a script and want
to deliver properly, what is expected is
that you carry out research here and
there; be sure of what you are taking,
get someone who is from that tribe so
the person puts you through. You could
even learn some words that you chip in
while you are delivering your lines so you
can convince the people watching that
yes this person is really Igbo; that is
what I normally do.

For Nollywood, when I came in, a lot of
the actors, producers and directors were
very friendly towards me. They really
embraced me and made things easier for
me. They put me through whatever I am
doing and that is why you see me
interpret these roles like that.

What do you think needs to be put in
place to improve the Nigerian movie
industry?

Talking about the movie industry
generally in Nigeria, I think a lot of things
have to be put in place in the entire
industry-that includes Nollywood and
Kannywood. A good marketing structure is
one of the things needed. When these
good marketing structures are put in
place, I am very sure these movies will
make more money and when they make
more money you won’t have to tell a
filmmaker to do a good job; the person
on his or her own will do so. If you look
at when the industry started out, it was
like a trial and error thing but with time,
we now have graduates from various
fields of film making in Nigeria. This
means people have accepted this as a
profession and they are ready to go for
it. All we need is capital. You wouldn’t
need the government or an organisation
to loan you money to do quality movie.
All that is required is when you have a
good marketing structure, the movies will
surely turn in money and when they turn
in money you will be able to make your
craft better.

For a while now, the censorship board has
been banning some local movies, yet,
recently there has been an influx of
Indian-Hausa films which contain some
scenes usually considered offensive by
the censorship board, what’s your take on
this?

Talking about these Indian movies that
are dubbed in Hausa, I wouldn’t really
say they affect us directly. As for the
Kano State censorship board, there is a
new executive secretary who I think is
going to make things better. It is a thing
of worry that our own movies come and
you don’t pass them because a lady is
wearing a jean trouser, but when an
Indian movie is brought that is dubbed in
Hausa and a lady wears a bikini in a
scene and it passes, it is a thing of
worry.

When you talk they will tell you they are
Indians, that that is their tradition. That
is not Indian tradition; tell them to do
Indian tradition and bring to you, that is
what I think should happen. It is really a
problem when it comes to that, it is like
you are not encouraging your own
people.

For instance if a100 movies are produced
and then you decide to cut 50 movies
then the industry begins to face a
problem because people go out of work.
Secondly when these Indian movies are
dubbed and are sent into the market,
people buy them and the rate at which
they buy them affects the quantity of the
own home made movies. Are you
promoting your own or are you trying to
demote your own?

What is your advice?

Ask these people to get permits from the
owners of these jobs because I know
what it takes to get the rightful
ownership of a movie, sound dub and
release it. If they do the right thing, you
won’t get more than ten or five of such
films in a year released into the market.
There is a proliferation of nudity in
Nigerian movies. Even in movie posters,
you see various forms of exposure. They
are available everywhere and children are
exposed to them.

Quality movies don’t portray such things,
but you see, the industry is dissected in
its own way. When you watch such kind
of movies, look at the faces in the
movies, they are not the faces you want
to see in movies. What I will advise the
national film and video censorship board
to do is to really take that into
consideration because take it or leave it,
movies influence what the society does.
The way people dress, they emulate what
actors wear in movies and they say they
want to copy from them. Even little kids
will tell you I have seen this person
praying in this film so I want to pray.

source: www.leadership.ng/entertainment/468422/why-you-wont-find-me-in-any-social-media-war-ali-nuhu

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