From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
A highly dramatic and intriguing Hausa movie, Mai Martaba was last weekend, premiered in Kano and in many film houses across the North. The high profile event was graced by Kannywood actors, media practitioners, academics and movie enthusiasts while the film itself was top-notch, which was adjudged as a great addition to the movie industry in Nigeria
Subtitled in English language for wider audience and reach, Mai Martaba, meaning “Your Highness,” not only tells a story of intrigues, greed, power, rivalry, villainy and injustice in the kingdom of Jailaba, but also highlights the usually unspoken desperate strife and tension that rage among princes in the contest for succession to the throne in many kingdom of the North
Filmed in Daura, Katsina State, with hundreds of casts, the film is a story of an ancient kingdom beset with reoccurring raids from outside and shaky peace within. The unsavory situation climaxed with the rumour of the Emir’s (King Sanaya) intention to anoint his own daughter, Princess Sangaya to succeed him. The rumour was eventually confirmed by the Emir himself, a confirmation which raised the bar of the contest and drew the blood of all potential successors. This flared up emotion, anger and tension and laid the ground for intriguing plots to unseat the Emir, all of which worked together to facilitate the tragic death of the Emir.
The main gist of the film, however, has just begun. Did the Emir die of natural cause or was he murdered by an assailant? If so why? And by who? Was it by one of his beloved wives? Who was behind the dastardly act? What is the role of the princes of the ruling clans in the death of the Emir? Were there external support from outside? Answers to this leads to the denouement of the well crafted film, but certainly not the end of the film.
At the red carpet , where the post -view analysis and commentaries took place, the debate that spurred among viewers were evident that the film was a remarkable success.
Hardly any two critiques concurred to the same line of thought. Some felt that the powerful Emir was right to have appointed his daughter to succeed him despite an oath he entered with his predecessor to appoint his predecessor’s son when the time comes. Others disagreed and accused the Emir of greed and selfishness, saying that his self interest drove him to ignore his succession pledge.
Must he also appoint a woman against norms of the civilized Hausa culture where the role of women are restricted and does not include lording it over the male folks? So many questions! But that is the beauty of art as it is susceptible to various interpretations”
Kolawole Omoniyi, Manager, News, Cool FM, appreciated the film, Mai Martaba in an interview with Daily Sun, saying that, “The sound quality, the picture, the narration and the acting are nothing but great” while lauding the rich cultural heritage of the region depicted by the film.
“The rich landscape, the springing horses, the battlefields, the pre-colonial huts, the dress styles and linens, the lifestyles of yesterday, the artifacts of northern traditional monarchial system abound in the film are all additional take aways for any viewer who wants something else from the usual faces and film styles in the industry” he asserted.
John Adajo, a post graduate student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria held that, “For me, I am intrigued by the timing of the film. Premiering it today in Kano is significant to the extent that it echoes the reality of the struggle for emirate succession that is resonating in the state. The story line and characters may be slightly different with what is happening in real life, but this is what we say that drama is a reflection of real life experience.”
Producer/ director of the film, Daneil Aboki, told Daily Sun that it was a challenging project, adding they spent two and a half years on the pre-production and post-production of the film.
He added that the movie featured Kannywood actor Adam A. Zango as the only popular artist from Kannymood Movie Industry, adding that the emphasis was to give opportunities to new actors:
“The only star actor in Mai Martaba happens to be Adam A. Zango because, initially, I wanted like 100 percent new actors. So all the actors in Mai Martaba, I built them because I wanted to tell a story on the strength of the story, not on the faces of celebrities.”
He believed that such a move would expand the value chain of the creative industry, particularly in the northern part of Nigeria
Aboki identified funding as one of his major challenges in the course of the production, saying Mai Martaba is arguably “the most expensive Hausa movie.”
“Over N 25 million was spent on high-tech equipment alone because we had to bring most of it from Lagos, let alone the pre-, during-, and post-production costs,” he said.