NIGERIAN actor Ali Nuhu has explained why actors in the north of Nigeria fail to appear in a lot of movies made by producers in the south.
The actor revealed on Sunday Scoop that this is because of the differences in religious and cultural backgrounds of the actors.
He mentioned that while most of the movies in the north are geared towards Islam and Hausa culture, movies in the south are more often geared towards Christianity and Igbo, Yoruba or Benin cultures.
As a result, the actors in the north are not very comfortable with the roles they are given in these movies made in the south.
Ali Nuhu noted that it is unhealthy especially for the growth of the movie industry in Nigeria and wished that the movies could cut across both sides of the country in order to gain a larger audience.
He said, “There is a disconnection between the film industries in the northern and southern part of the country. There are many reasons for this; one of which is the market.
“In northern Nigeria, the stories usually have Muslim themes with Hausa tradition, while in southern Nigeria, it is mostly Christian stories with either Igbo, Yoruba, Benin or southern cultures.
“As a result of different cultures and backgrounds, northern actors are not usually comfortable with the roles they are given in the southern film industry.
“That makes it uncomfortable for them to be part of the industry.
“Having said that, I don’t think the dichotomy is healthy for the industry because when movies cut across both axis, they tend to attract a wider audience.
“If there is a way the gap can be bridged, it would be of immense importance to the industry.”
Touching on how he has been able to stay relevant in the movie industry for this long, Nuhu explained that he had to find his niche and what the audience love and stick to that.
“When I started out with movies in southern Nigeria, I used to experiment with different kinds of roles.
“And with time, I started realising the type of roles a large chunk of my fans wanted me to play and I adhered to that.
“If I am not comfortable with any role given to me, I tell the producer outright that I cannot do it.
“Every actor should have a target audience and endeavour to give them what they want per time.
“That is how I have been able to cope over the years,” he stated.
