2022 had been a forgettable year for Kannywood, with piracy almost grounding the activities of the practitioners.
So bad were the activities of the pirates that Kannywood producers had stopped churning films in the last three years and now turning to YouTube.
Irrespective of these shortcomings, Kannywood in 2022 had its fair share of scandals, viral moments and controversies that kept northern Nigeria entertained.
Here are the top 12 events that shaped the Hausa film industry in 2022
1 – Alleged Marriage Scam: Civil servant sues Kannywood star Hadiza Gabon
A civil servant and resident of Gusau, Zamfara State, Bala Musa, sued famous Kannywood actress Hadiza Gabon for allegedly reneging on her promise to marry him.
Mr Musa made a case against the actress for defrauding him of N396,000.
He also told the court that he had been in a relationship with the actress and alleged that she promised to marry him. Gabon denied the allegation through her lawyer in court.
2 – Alleged Defamation: Kannywood singer, Zarewa, apologises to MOPPAN actresses in new song
Kannywood singer Sarfilu Zarewa apologised to actresses in the Hausa film industry for accusing them of not staying in their marriages.
Kaduna-based Zarewa is an up-and-coming Hausa singer best known for the hit ‘Ƴar Lukuta’, meaning ‘fat girl’.
The State Security Service had arrested the singer in Kaduna following a complaint from the Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) accusing him of lampooning Kannywood actresses in his new song.
In the song, Zarewa said: ” Kannywood actresses do not stay in marriages because of lack of home training.”
The song didn’t go down well with Kannywood actresses, including the married, and they subsequently filed a complaint at the Kannywood movie regulations body, MOPAN.
3 – No Kannywood producer ever paid me more than N5000 – Ladin Cima
Ladin Cima, a famous Kannywood actress known for her motherly roles in Hausa films, revealed that she has never been paid above N5000 since she began her acting career fifty years ago.
She said: “I am in the Kannywood, but it will surprise you that all my time in the movie industry, I never earned beyond N5000 naira. It is always N5000 and below. I did not have enough to save and do anything tangible for myself all these years because of how poorly we got paid. Let me tell you, even before this interview, I was at a movie location, and after my recording, I was paid N2000 naira only.”
However, some actors, including Ali Nuhu and Falalu Dorayi, debunked the allegation, saying they paid the actress more than she alleged. Many others, including singer Nazir Ahmed, responded in defence of the actress, saying all she said was the truth.
4 – “I did nothing wrong; my film is not about sex” – Wanted film director replies to Kano censorship board
In February, the Kano State Film Censorship Board declared Aminu Mukhtar, a famous Kannywood filmmaker, wanted to produce a film titled ‘Makaranta’, meaning ‘School’, in the English Language.
The board claimed the film promotes immorality.
But Mr Mukhtar, popularly known as Aminu Nasara, said that he is not worried by the censorship board’s decision to declare him wanted.
“My film is not only about sex education, it captures other things such as female genital mutilation, and it aims to create awareness about things happening, not only in our communities but also in schools, as the name of the film portrays.”
5 – 70 per cent of Nigerian ladies have nude videos on their phones – Kannywood actress, Safara’u
A famous Kannywood actress and singer, Safiya Yusuf, popularly called Safara’u, revealed shocking statistics about Nigerian women in an Interview in September.
The Kannywood star, whose leaked nude videos led to her suspension in 2020, said 70 per cent of Nigerian ladies also keep pornographic videos on their phones.
She said: “About 70 per cent of ladies nowadays have nude videos on their phones. It is done for fun, not on social media, and many ladies do that. I can’t specifically say the person who released the video, but I know it must be among my friends and associates who took my phone because I used to give them my phone.”
6 – Kannywood actor, Kabiru Nakwango, debunked death rumours
Kannywood star actor, Kabiru Nakwango, denied death rumours that trended on social media this year.
Nakwango, a famous Kannywood actor who plays fatherly roles in Hausa films, was rumoured to be dead in August.
Denying the rumour in a video seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the ace actor said he was alive and healthy.
In the video shot on his farm, Nakwango held a hoe while answering a phone call.b
7 – ‘Izzar So’ is Kannywood’s most extensive YouTube drama series – Producer
That ‘Izzar So’, the Kannywood love-themed drama series, emerged as the most-watched Hausa movie on the internet in 2022.
It streams on YouTube and has become a household name in northern Nigeria and beyond.
It is hosted on the Bakori TV YouTube channel, which has over 953,000 subscribers.
On average, an episode of the series garners as much as 400,000 views 24 hours after release.
8- Ganduje Video: Court ordered flogging of Kannywood TikTok skit makers
In November, a magistrate court in Kano ordered the flogging of two Kannywood TikTok skit makers, Mubarak Muhammad (Uniquepikin) and Nazifi Muhammad.
They were remanded in prison custody for weeks for allegedly defaming the character of the governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje, in one of their comedy skits.
The ruling delivered by the magistrate, Aminu Gambari, ordered that the two boys be flogged with 20 lashes of the cane each, among other conditions.
9 – Celebrity Weddings
Ruqayya Dawayya married Ismail Afakallahu
Kannywood’s famous actress Ruqayya Dawayya married Ismaila Afakallahu, the Kano state chairman of the film censors board. The wedding, one of its kind, took place in Kano in November.
It was a wedding of the best. Being a famous actress, every celebrity in the industry graced the occasion.
10 – NBC banned Gwanjas Song, ‘war.’
The Nigerian National Broadcasting Commission(NBC) banned Warr, a song by famous Kannywood actor and singer Ado Gwanja, from being aired on radio and television stations.
The ban took place in September.
The commission said the restriction is a consequence of the indecent lyrics and the display of visual contents believed to have transgressed its laws.
11 – Altercation: Nafeesat Abdullahi parted ways with Nazir Ahmed
Actress Nafeesat Abdullahi announced that she would no longer act in the popular Kannywood series aired on DSTV, Labarina, in January 2022.
READ ALSO: Kannywood actor debunks death rumours
Nafeesat was one of the lead actresses in the movie. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that it was because of an altercation between her and the film’s producer, Nazir Ahmed.
The movie was halted for seven months before it resumed. Fati Washa replaced Nafeesat in the cinema, acting in the same role she played.
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