Yes, We Smoked Shisha At Our Wedding – TY Shaban

Tanimu Yahaya who is popularly called TY Shaban, recently got married to beautiful Kannywood actress, Samirah Ahmed, a union which came as a surprise to many. To top it all, events that marked the marriage ceremony have left tongues wagging. In this chat with MAIRO MUHAMMAD MUDI in Kano, the actor/producer defended the introduction of an unusual event in celebration of their marriage, he also talked about his life in the film industry

TY Shaban informed LEADERSHIP WEEKEND that entertainment is in his blood because he started since he was 11 years old by playing music. He points out that he never had much of an interest in the movie industry but music, which he started with Sani Danja has always been his first love.

He said their English songs were well- accepted in Kano which fetched them several invitations by some producers in Kannywood. While Sani accepted the invitations, he declined the offer, opting to stick only to music but the rapid success being recorded by the Hausa film Industry made him have a re-think and jump at the opportunity. That marked the beginning of his journey to becoming an actor and producer.

On his challenges as a producer and actor, Shaba said the challenges he faces are the same with any other person in the industry where he pointed an accusing finger at pirates who he believes are the ones killing the industry.

“Another big problem that could make Kannywood a forgotten industry if not for our resilience is lack of viable and vibrant markets for our films. There is only one channel of distribution of our films which is making it impossible for us to produce in large quantity. Most of us are operating at a loss or little profit that could not give way to proper development in terms of introducing high quality equipment for the industry and good remuneration for those that work in Kannywood.”

The Degree holder who is an indigene of Kano is also of the opinion that lack of cooperation between stakeholders of the Hausa film Industry is another cog in the wheel of progress in the industry.

He suggests coming together and getting more educated-” these are keys to solving these lingering problems.

His face quickly lit up when he was asked about his latest marriage to his heartthrob, Samirah Ahmad. Forgetting about challenges in Kannywood for a moment, Shaban who is already married with children gave a wide grin, taking LEADERSHIP WEEKEND down memory lane on how they met.

“Samirah and I came from the same film industry- 2 Effect and initially, I only saw her as a sister and she respected me as a big brother even calling me ‘yaya’. We usually offer each other advice and, I cannot explain it but, I just found myself falling in love with her and it led to marriage. We got married last month.”

There were no holds barred as Shaban and Samirah presented their marriage the way of celebrities, with high society events that drew people’s attention.

The introduction of Shisha smoking at one of the events was seen as untraditional and had some of his colleagues voicing their unhappiness on the pages of newspapers. An unapologetic, Shaban told LEADERSHIP WEEKEND that he owes nobody any explanations.

“I really don’t know why some people are making this an issue, I am a Muslim and I will never do anything against my religion.

There was nothing like ‘Shisha Night’ as part of our wedding programme, but Purple Night where we employed services to provide us with good healthy food and drinks. Shisha was also provided in that occasion but there was nothing intoxicating in it. Moreover, Shisha is an Arab cultural display and my wife is related to Arabs; it was to honour her and her culture.”