IBRAHIM RAMALAN records the reactions of Kannywood producers and directors over the recent infiltration of Indian movies translated into the Hausa language into the industry which they believe is silently killing the Hausa movie industry. In unison, stakeholders believe that the act is being hamstrung by piracy and dishonest traders.
Kannywood Trends understands that marketers of the said products engage the services of Hausa linguists who understand Hindi to translate and lip-synch dialogues in the movies such that both the audio and video are perfectly synchronised with the actions that produce them. They also ensure that the movements of a speaker’s lips match the sound of his speech.
It is given that Kannywood was originally inspired by the Indian Cinema typography (Bollywood), hence the production and styling of Kannywood movies in this same fashion. Also, songs in such Hausa movies are fashioned after Bollywood. Thus, Kannywood blossomed and, for over two decades, has remained loved by Hausa-speaking communities across the country and in the Diaspora. But with the advent of the Indo-Hausa genre, activities of Kannywood – which accounts for a whopping N150m annually and employs thousands – are gradually being brought to a standstill. Ironically, even after so many sales, some producers hardly make any profits.
To make end meets, some producers now resort to producing jingles for corporates bodies and television drama series for local television stations.
Accusing fingers have been pointed at the censorship and copyright bodies for being too laid back and for their long silence over the circulation and exhibition of such movies.
Marketers, producers, actors cross swords
Meanwhile, mixed reactions have continued to trail this recent development, as marketers, producers and actors have varying opinions.
Alhaji Rilwanu Smart (Marketer)
“As far as I am concerned this is one of the good things that have happened to marketers. I therefore support the sales and circulation of the Indo-Hausa DVD movies. It may interest you to know that a copy of translated Indian movie is cheaper than the normal Hausa DVD in the market. So people can now use this opportunity to patronise us.
“Earlier, we had called on the producers to reduce the price of their products, so as to beat pirates, but they refused. I remembered something like this happened in Nollywood when the producers detected that the activities of pirates were hurting their businesses. The first thing they did was to compete with them in prices, by reducing the price of their movies. In fact, they sell the same price with the pirates in a bid to push them out of business. By so doing, they were able to cub the menace in Nollywood.
“I am, therefore, calling on the Kannywood stakeholders to come to terms and seek ways of improving their products so as to beat the pirates at their own game. The circulation of foreign films in Nigeria started hundred years back, when certain American and Chinese films in VHS form were dubbed and exhibited throughout the country. If you recall, none obtained the appropriate rights of the producers. The authorities were fully aware, but none of them raised the alarm; they are no crying foul, because Hindi movies are being translated and synchronised to the Hausa language,” Smart said.
Nura Magaji (Chairman, Film Image/Chairman Anti-piracy Committee)
“As a matter of urgency, producers of Hausa movies need to come to terms with marketers. We have been having series of round-table discussions where issues were deliberated and digested, but nothing practical was done. We all know there’s a problem, but, first, they should consider compromising on the prices of Hausa DVD copies, so that the encroachment of the Hausa-India can be checked.”
Falalu Dorayi (Producer/Director)
“The advancement of Hausa-Indian movies into the market has succeeded in killing our business. Kannywood creates job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of the society’s teeming youths and accounts for about N50m tax to the federal government annually; yet, they don’t protect the interest of the business. The parastatals and regulatory bodies in charge of film matters don’t do their work effectively. If not, why do they allow the in-flow of foreign films into our markets?
“The most annoying thing is that the content of the movies are not in line with our customs. Most times, the dialogues are discourteous, nasty and disgusting and, sadly, our children have access to these movies. What is the censor’s commission doing to correct these insensitivities?
“Funny enough, some marketers make silly excuses that producers should compromise on the prices of their movies. This is greed! Do they know the cost of production and post-production? Well, I will remind them that we have a working capital; we pay our production crew, actors, set designers and all others on board. We know how much we spend from the pre-production to the level of exhibition, so as to ensure that we do our best to produce quality products. They shouldn’t dictate to us. The reason they find piracy cheap is because they don’t own it (the original idea). It is called robbery!”
Ismail Na’Abba Afakallah (Producer/Stakeholder)
“The encroachment of the Hausa-India movies into our markets has succeeded in sending so many producers packing. Most of them are out of business now and we can’t afford to let it continue. In our capacity as stakeholders, we held several fora, deliberated on the matter and have, conclusively, come up with some guidelines which we are going to forward to the appropriate quarters, but first to the censor bodies.
“Some of the guidelines include:
1. Censorship boards should make sure any person(s) interested in translating Hindi movies into the Hausa language should obtain the consent of the producer. He must submit an original letter of acceptance by the producer.
2. The letter must be accompanied by an endorsement from the Indian High Commission in Nigeria stating that the producer (from Bollywood) duly approves that his movies be translated by the marketer.
3. They should also censor the movie in accordance with the guidelines for censoring Hausa movies. Therefore, all manners of callousness, vulgar statements [must] be edited out of the movies.
“We believe this will go a long way in discouraging the pirates.
Sabi’u M. Gidaje (Actor/Producer)
“This is a clear act of piracy and the copyrights commission is exhibiting nonchalance in containing the menace. Another problem about the Hausa-India flicks is that most of the translations do not appeal to our audience, because they confuse them a lot. I call on the authorities to come to our rescue.”
Hauwa Maina (Actress/Producer)
“I am totally against it. If the pirates want to produce Hindi movies, why don’t they go to India and shoot, or go on joint productions rather than [engage in] this nonsense?
“Our marketers have succeeded in killing Kannywood. People should know that Hausa movies were originally inspired by the Indian films. Back then, teeming Hausa communities see Kannywood movies as a recipe for what they need. But now, it is as if the marketers are taking them back to where they were coming from, making our Hausa movies irrelevant.
“This is clear act of sabotage and the censor board is only watching them, giving them cover.”
