A director and producer of a Kannywood series movie, Ahmad Bifa, has said he has banned an actress, Hafsat Tuge, from featuring in his movie, Amaryar Tiktok, due to allegations that she featured in the film without her husband’s consent and that she is not a divorcee.
The incident started after one Sani Umar Gwarzo, who identified himself as the husband to the actress, said he would drag the director to court for featuring his wife in his movie without his consent.
However, the actress said the man was lying, adding that he divorced her over three months ago.
Speaking to Freedom Radio about the development, the director said he had stopped the actress from featuring in the movie until the issue was resolved.
Ahmad Bifa said although she had fulfilled all the requirements to continue with the movie, he would not continue with her since the matter has been reported to the court and that her appearance may affect the popularity of his movie.
He said before joining the movie, he screened her and got consent from her guardians, whom she stayed within Kano.
“I have no option but to drop her from the movie because of this issue of whether she is married or not. But all I know is we didn’t feature her until we were assured that she registered with all the Kannywood associations, including the censorship board,” he said.
Meanwhile, the actress, Hafsat Tuge, said the man, whom she described as her ex-husband, was doing everything to destroy her career because he was envious of her progress.
“My ex-husband is just envious of my progress because he never thought I would become what I am today. He has said several times that I will never progress in life.
“But as a matter of fact, he divorced me. When I came back from a trip, I approached him, but he said if I was still seeing myself as his wife, then I was deceiving myself. That is indirectly a divorce.”
She said she would go to court for action against his plan to destroy her carrier, adding that he also wanted to paint the Kannywood industry black.
Daily Trust