Story from Saleh INUWA, Kano
Fati D. Isa Asirka is a half Cameroonian, half Nigerian Kannywood actress and businesswoman. The 30-year-old has been in Kannywood for the past seven years and has always been given a position of supporting actress in most of the films she has appeared in except for one. She is not happy with how society perceives Hausa female actresses and actors.
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She has featured in films like Hindu, Indon Kauye, Hassana da Hussaina and Asirka, where she played the lead role, and several other films that were either released or yet to be released but Hindu, according to her, was the film that gave her a tough time.
They had to spend about 3 weeks in one village in Minna, Niger State in the film where she featured as one of Adam Zango’s three wives. Fati noted that they went through a tough time to produce Hindu because the directors and producers including the sponsors of the film have exactly what they want and they insisted on producing a successful and mature film.
On whether she would want to be Zango’s third wife in real life, she laughed and told our correspondent that he should spare her from trouble although, she noted, the ultimate ambition of any grown-up lady is to get a decent man to marry.
She only appeared as Zango’s third wife based on the script of the film, right now she is in a serious relationship and she is praying hard to settle down very soon.
Similarly, she explained that her coming into Kannywood was like a miracle, even before the Boko Haram crises when she was based in Maiguduri where she used to sell costumes and other software to Kannywood members at that time.
She never dreamt of being an actress, until one day, when her friend who was already supposed to appear in a film was later stopped from doing so by her fiancé and the film had to continue. This prompted the producer of the film to use Fati Isa’s picture on the film’s poster because she and her friend that was about to be married look alike. That is how she ended up in Kannywood.
When she wanted to make it a full-time career, she approached Aminu Bala and Sani Sule Katsina the Executive Chairman of Right Time Media. The two of them assisted her and now, acting is a full-time business.
She also added that, if a lady wants to join Kannywood and she proves to be desperate, people will take advantage of her or, if she insists that she must play a lead role in her first film, this will also go with a price. The simple fact is the way one presents himself before people or the society that he or she would be judged.
Also, disclosing that she cannot remember the first time she made her N1 Million, she was in the business of supplying banks, Kannywood stakeholders, other customers and Civil Servants accessories like shoes, bags, jewellery and the rest, before joining Kannywood so nobody will look at her and ask her to compromise her body before being given a role.
Her saddest moment was when she was called a prostitute by a Keke Napep driver. She and her friends were out one day and about to cross Zoo Road to Tradessy’s Studio for a photoshoot when one Keke Napep rider nearly hit them and when they complained to him, he looked at them and said look at these “Karwai”(prostitutes).
He went on to ask them “are you not Hausa film actresses? As far as I am concerned, you people are cheap prostitutes.”
Since then, whenever she remembers the incident, it pains her that acting is a decent profession like being a lawyer, journalist, banker, or businessman, so why the judgment?
“Our society should understand that what they see and what they think about us is just their imagination because, ours is to act out a script, collect your pay and go home. In most cases, what we try to portray to society is what is actually happening within our environment. It is just like the mirror; if you look at it, you will definitely see yourself.
There was this story of a monkey that went to the stream to drink water, when he saw his picture inside the water, he laughed and said people are saying he is ugly but the picture he seeing in the water is uglier than him not knowing that it was his own picture.
“What society should know is that actors and actresses only entertain people by exposing what some people are hiding in the society; as such, people should stop referring to them as prostitutes,” she emphasized.
She added that, though she is beautiful by all standards and people are telling her to go to some of the communication outfits like Glo, MTN, Zain and other multinational organisations to solicit for ambassadorship of their companies, she said she will not do so, because she is fully aware of what is happening there and the stories of how some of her colleagues got such ambassadorship and endorsements.
She is happy being a business lady, an actress and also networking with some directors and producers.
This is what she intends to do until she settles down as a housewife. Though, even if she settles down, she will continue with her business.
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