Umma Shehu is an award-winning Kannywood actress who is barely a year-old in the industry has become a household name within the Hausa film viewing community. Last year, she won the City People Magazine’s award for Best Upcoming Actress and Best Supporting Actress of the same magazine this year. In this interview with ALIYU ASKIRA, Umma says she is friendly, cool, easy-going and not arrogant as perceived by some
Could you briefly tell us about yourself and how you got into Kannywood?
Well, I am Fulani by tribe, from Kaduna state. To be honest with you my age, I won’t talk about my age for personal reasons but I got married in 2003 after finishing secondary school. 5 years after, the marriage broke up with one kid who is now 10 years old. I lost my father 2 years ago but my mother is still alive.
How I joined Kannywood, well Tijjani Asase brought me into the industry. He featured me in a film called ‘Hauwan Dare’. It was accidental because Fati Yola who was one of those billed to feature in the film was absent, I was asked to replace her and I played the role perfectly well. Since then, I have been getting offers from producers. So far, I played the lead role in ‘Sa in Sa’. I featured in ‘Auren Jekan Nayika’, and several other films that are as successful in markets. I won 2 awards from the Lagos-based City People magazine and I am also always smiling to the bank, though I had ups and downs before I became a star. Honestly, before I joined Kannywood, I never watched Hausa films. What I mostly watched were Indian films because I love their costume, songs and the way they display love in their films, but as faith might have it, got myself in Kannywood.
Reports and rumours have had it that you broke up your marriage to enable you join Kannywood. What is the truth about it?
Well, like I told you earlier I will not talk about my age, so also why my marriage crashed. I consider these as personal to me, but it is not true that my marriage crashed because I wanted to be an actress. As a Muslim, my ultimate desire is to be in my husband’s house, to bear children, to be opportune to worship God and generally, to make success of my marriage so that my parents and other members of my family would be proud of me. So tell whoever is alleging that or is spreading the rumor to shut up. What happened to me was a destiny.
In real life, are you as arrogant and pompous as often portrayed in films?
Hmm, the way I dress, behave and act in films is based on the director’s instructions; I don’t create what is not in the script given to me. Please tell my fans that Ummah Shehu is friendly, cool, easy-going and not arrogant. For those who are afraid to approach me for a relationship or marriage, please feel free, I am very much available. But what I hate in my life is lies, once you come to me and I discover that you are fake, I will hate you and I will never like you again. That is why I am still taking my time to decide who to marry. I married before and it crashed so I want if I marry to make success of it.
You are relatively new into the industry but you seem to have got a lot of accolades and in terms of material things, where are you placed?
I am only one-year-old in Kannywood but thank God financially I am not complaining. My desire in life is to take good care of my mother, my ten-year-old daughter and other members of my family. I told you my father died about two years ago and my mother has not re–married so as a good daughter who is doing well financially, it is my duty to take care of them. And the fact that I don’t have a car does not mean I can’t afford it. It is not my priority for now but very soon you will see me riding a car of my choice. I still have a long way to go in Kannywood.
Who are your favourites among Kannywood actors and actresses and why?
Well, they are many. The industry is growing rapidly, we have fine actors and actresses that are doing well like Ali Nuhu, Adam Zango, Sadiq Ahmad, Sadiq Sani Sadiq, Tijjani Asase, I also admire the acting skills of Nafisa Abdullahi, Rahama Sadau, Halima Atete, Jamila Nagudu, Aisha Aliyu, Ummah Shehu, that is my humble self and host of others.
What is your opinion on the controversial film village project that was to be located in Kano and now reportedly moved to Lagos State?
As far as Ummah Shehu is concerned, the film village project was meant to assist film practitioners in the country, especially those in the North, to acquire more skills in film production and techniques. At the same time it will create more than l0,000 jobs according to those who design the project. But our Ulamas, for one reason or the other, kicked against the project. We are not surprised however because even before now, some of them consider film business to be bid’ah. To them, acting profession is Haram but since they know Islamic religion greater than Umma Shehu, I have no quarrel with their position over the project. Don’t forget some of them see us as cheap and jobless people. As such, one would not be surprised if they kick against beautiful project like the film village.
In fact, even the society has this bad perception about us that whenever one wants to marry a lady from Kannywood, people would start shouting alleging that we don’t stay in marriage because we are used to money, freedom and other luxuries of life. So these are some of the problems we are facing. But honestly, film village or no film village, we will continue with acting profession until when God destined that we will stop. That is my stand.
