It pains how people download our films – Danja

Sani Musa Danja is an ace actor, producer and singer in the Kannywood film industry. He is also the co-owner of 2 Effects Music and Film Empire. Danja’s popularity seems to have nosedived over the years. However, rising in defense, in this interview with ALIYU ASKIRA in Kano, Danja opens up on his plans for this year, aff airs in the industry and secret to his 13-year-old marriage with an actress Mansura Isah.

You seemed to have gone underground for a while. Some are allegedly saying that you are broke that is why you go hiding. What is the truth about you?

It is true I have been away for some time now. But I only took time off to re-organize myself. I am broke? No! Remember I recently produced many films like ‘Kawayen Amarya’ and ‘Nine Ingantancece’. However, of recently, I am always in the south featuring in Nollywood films. I am also into Gospel singing. Some people believe that to act in Nollywood is Haram but that is not true, it is the perfection of those that don’t know what goes up in the Film Industry.

As a Muslim and a Northerner, there are some roles that I will not accept to play. I am married and have children that if I play some roles, it will definitely embarrass them. But I decided to act in Nollywood because I want to prove to our Southern brothers that there are good Actors in Kannywood that speak good English and can fi t well in their fi lms.

You said you took time off to re-organize yourself and strategize, what are we expecting from you? Many goodies! One, we have decided to come up with a website that will stop people from downloading our films illegally. It will also reduce cases of piracy. I am worried how piracy has taken a deep root in our industry today. In the website, one will have to pay only N50 to be able to have access to our new film. When you pay N500, you can also watch all films produced by 2 Effects Empire – old and new films.

These are the easiest ways to check illegal downloading. So what are you up to now? All along I have been strategizing and the year 2017 is the year I plan to return to Kannywood in full force.

Already, I have produced some films which I am planning to release very soon which include: ‘Kawayen Amarya’, ‘Khadijatul Iman’ which is named after my first daughter. She also featured in the fi lm as the lead actress. Then ‘Mai Laya mai Zamani’, ‘Ni da Dan’uwana’, and ‘Dan Sarkin Agadez’.

I will definitely be on the Number one spot again, when I release these films. I want people to watch Dan Sarkin Sani Musa Danja is an ace actor, producer and singer in the Kannywood fi lm industry. He is also the co-owner of 2 Effects Music and Film Empire. Danja’s popularity seems to have nosedived over the years.

However, rising in defense, in this interview with ALIYU ASKIRA in Kano, Danja opens up on his plans for this year, affairs in the industry and secret to his 13-year-old marriage with an actress Mansura Isah. Agadez, it is a very interesting fi lm that we spent a lot of money to produce.

Are you still friends with Yakubu Muhammad?

We are still friends. One thing I want you to understand is that both of us are now married and have children. So, we are busy looking for money to take care of our family. If you observe in the last 3 years, Yakubu has virtually relocated to Kano. Apart from singing, he is now very active in acting. You can see that we are still like twins. Both of us are doing fi ne also.

Some people never thought that your marriage with Mansura Isah would last up to today apparently because that is the norm in Kannywood. Could you tell us the secret of your marriage success? Even before I married Mansura Isah, we had a very good relationship and we understood each other very well. And when we got married, both of us promised to put people who are thinking that our marriage will not last to shame. Since our marriage, Mansura has completely dedicated herself to family life.

She is also into NGO work where she visits hospitals, orphanage homes and less privileged families to donate food items and clothing to them. So she is too busy to listen to gossip. Despite the fact that I am an actor, producer and what not, I don’t womanize and I have promised never to betray my wife.

That is why my marriage is still intact after 13 years. If you meet me in Lagos, I am still Sani Danja. If you meet me in Kano, I am still the same person. So, we have never abandoned our tradition or religion as being speculated by our people. After all, even within Muslim societies, there are bad people – we have prostitutes, homosexuals, lesbians and what have you.

People are saying that producers don’t want to give you fi lms these days because any time they feature you in a fi lm, they used to lose because your face hardly sell fi lms these days, why is it so? It is not true. I am still a hot cake in the Kannywood industry. It is also not true that I joined Nollywood because Ali Nuhu is acting in Nollywood. There is no crisis between me and Ali Nuhu. We are friends and we are operating like brothers.

By the way, my company and Yakubu Muhammad, the 2 Effect Empire is still very functional. I don’t wait for producers to give me films, because I have money to produce my own films. Like the films I told you earlier, ‘Khadijatul Iman’ and the rest were produced by 2 Effect Empire. I am a stakeholder in Kannywood, so as a senior producer, actor, and stakeholder; the industry needs me more than I need it.

People are saying that you don’t feature new actors and actresses whenever you are producing a new fi lm, what is your take on that? That is not true. Go and watch the film ‘Raga’ which was the fi lm that brought Adam A. Zango to lime light. I was in the fi lm but I allowed him to play the lead role so that he would grow and today, he has become a successful star. Anytime I produce a film, You will see that we use expensive costume, expensive hotels, expensive cars and A-grade actors and actresses, but I always insist on featuring new faces so that they can also grow.

I also don’t shoot very short films because I don’t want to spend money, all my films are very long and one will watch it to his or her satisfaction. Any plan for second wife? I am happily married to my wife. We have 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl. So what do I want rather than to pray for my children to grow and for me to give them best education – western and Islamic. Financially, I am doing fine, my wife is happy with me and I am happy with her. In fact even in Kannywood, I don’t have enemies; my only problem is that there is still lack of awareness in our society. People think that our lives in fi lm is the same as in real life, it is not true.

We have decent people in the industry and I intend to remain in the industry till the time God will say enough is enough. But I will change my acting styles this year because people are saying I used to over act or over react in films.

 

 

cOpinion

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