The beauty of the Nigerian film industry is that there are many sub-industries that have grown over the years. The Yoruba film industry has provided us with a lot of bright actors; some of them are making giant moves and are establishing themselves away from the usual loyal fans that have enjoyed their works for the past few years. On the other spectrum, Kannywood stars are diving into the English speaking industry. It is an exceptional marketing strategy to feature starts from different industries. Most times, the concentration is on Lagos, but featuring Kannywood stars that are more prominent in Kano, Abuja and other parts of Northern Nigeria is a good boost for any filmmaker. By doing that, you will have people watching your film not just from Lagos and its environs but people from different parts of Nigeria will check it out.
We are celebrating this stars that are getting inclusive roles in the film industry, see the Kannywood stars making impact in English speaking productions:
1. Rahama Sadau:
A controversy created a star! Rahama was banned from the Hausa speaking substitute for Nollywood in 2015 after featuring in what was called an enticing music video. Her appearance caused quite the stir and she was banned from the industry. It was the controversy that propelled her to superstardom. She had already shot the complete season of “Sons of Caliphate” for Ebony Life TV before this controversy, what this did was to gain a few more followers for Rahama. Rahama has gone on to feature in “Ajuwaya” and next month, we will be watching her in “Hakunde”. She has also produced her Hausa feature titled “Rariya”, it was released in select states but she promises a wider release soon.
2. Ali Nuhu:
Ali Nuhu has always balanced featuring in English features with Hausa features. This year, it feels different. He is featuring in major films. Ali played a politician in “Ojukokoro” earlier in the year and next month, he will feature in “Banana Island Ghost”. He is enjoying a major career growth. We have watched him in many film trailers for the year and it can only be testament of much more to come.
3. Yakubu Mohammed:
We will be watching Yakubu feature in Genevieve Nnaji’s directorial debut. Yakubu will also be back on the second season of Sons of the Caliphate and Yakubu has been teasing many projects, we see him exploring many other options away from Nollywood. It is good to see.
4. Sani Mu’azu:
He has held several positions in the Hausa movie industry. He once acted as president of the industry but Sani is making a grand entrance, and featuring in major English productions on Africa Magic. And he would return for the second season of “Sons of the Caliphate” this month. For many reasons there is a lot to write about his performance in the series and we cannot wait to see him return to our screen. He has also shared a number of pictures hinting his work with major Nollywood stars. We are looking out!
Have you noticed any Kannywood star currently featuring in major Nollywood productions, please share and we will check the out!
