Mas’ud Umar, popularly known as M. M. Sidi, is a famous actor in Kannywood; he became very popular through Hausa film series like Kwana 90 and Dadin Kowa of Arewa 24 TV channels. In this exclusive interview with IBRAHIM HAMISU in Kano, he reveals that suffered to convince his parents to allow him to take to acting.
Background
My name is Mas’ud Umar popularly known as M.M. Sidi. I was born in Gwammaja Quarters, Late Rabi’u Usman Baba’s street, Kano. I attended primary school, but could not complete my secondary school education because my father directed me to drop out and join Islamiyya School so that I could memorise the Holy Qur’an. Fortunately for me, I was able to learn a lot in the Holy Qur’an and even became a teacher in the Islamiyya School. I met the girl I married in school. She was my student there. We now have three children.
How did you find your way into film making?
I had developed a passion for Hausa films since when I was a kid. I used to go and watch stage dramas and martial arts organised by Dabo Film Association. In the beginning, they used to drive me away because I was too young until I became a bit older. One day, I met the chairman of the association, Malam Kabiru Nakwango, describing the procedures of joining the association. I quickly bought the registration form. My ambition then was to appear on the television screens. I used to tell my friends that whenever I grew up and became rich I would go to India and appear in their films. Joining that association made my dream come to reality.
In which year did you make your first appearance?
Besides the number of years I spent doing stage dramas, I started real films in 2013; that’s nine years ago.
The film industry is a very vast field; what part of it did you join first?
I started learning stage dramas and martial arts, then song composition. That was because all of the professions were practised at Dabo Association.
What was your first film?
My first film was Ahadi in which I played the role of a small child that later grew up and became Shehu Hassan Kano.
How many films have you appeared in so far?
My God! There are really many. But the films I played the lead actor in are not fewer than 20 besides the cameos. Some of them are Hakuri da rashinsa which my first boss in Kannywood produced for me. Besides it, there are Dabi’ar zuciya; Dadin zama; Camfi; Halin so; Mijin aure; Kwana casein and Dadinkowa.
Other films that I was the director were nine or ten. Some of them are: So bayan aure; Matan kirki; Zuma da madaci; Daurin zato, and Jinin mahaifiyata.
What have been your achievements?
Alhamdulillah! I’ve achieved a lot. Firstly, I’ve achieved my dream. The world has accepted me as a film actor. Secondly, I make a living out of it. I shall remain forever indebted to the Almighty Allah.
What about the challenges?
Sincerely, I faced a lot of challenges right from the beginning of my film career. My father is a Qur’anic teacher; so my siblings used to reprimand me and claimed that I dumped the good teaching of our house and veered the wrong way. I suffered a lot before they understood me. Many times I intended to leave it because I didn’t want to upset my father or give a bad name to my home. That was the reason my father directed me to drop out of secondary school and go for Islamic education. I remained patient and obedient until they finally understood who their son is and prayed for me, and advised me not to do anything that goes against religion and culture.
Who is your role model in Kannywood?
My role model in acting is Kabiru Nakwango, and in script writing it’s Nazir Adam Salihi. Nazir is my best script writer and I’m trying to copy his writing. I also learned a lot from Ali Rabi’u Daddy.
Is there any film that you like most and also suffered a lot in?
Yes, Zuma da madaci is the film I like so much. This is because I portrayed my life in it, and I suffered a lot in it. I’ve never suffered in any film like that one, but Alhamdulillah, we recorded a lot of successes and challenges that I’ll never forget.
Can you remember another film that was very difficult for you?
That’s Kwana Cas’’in. It’s the film that I made a thorough preparation for before we started because of how the film was arranged. The nature of the work was also different from other films because in Kwana Casa’in, we sometimes shot only one scene because of the standard arrangements of the film.
What is your ambition in the film industry?
My goal is to join Hollywood and appear in many of their films.
What advice would you give aspiring actors?
Well, the advice I’ll give to the people that would like to join the film industry is that they should have good intentions. Their intentions should be clean and they should kindly follow all the legitimate steps and rules of joining the film industry. They should also be patient, respectful, and obedient. If they do so, they will achieve a lot.
How do you envisage Kannywood in the next 10 years?
In my expectations, regarding how the work is changing, in 10 years, we’ll rub shoulders with the big international film industries. This is because the Kannywood industry is very fast in development compared to other international industries.
What is your message to your fans and colleagues?
My message to my fans is that we are grateful for the support we get from them. All the things we do are for them. If they don’t support us, we won’t achieve anything. For my colleagues, we should try to do the right things. Try and do what you will never regret doing wherever you find yourself.
