Movie artistes spend a lot of time on sets in the course of film productions, which makes it easy for friendships and even romantic relationships to be built.
Apart from taking up roles as couples or lovers in movies, there are many cases where film actors dated their colleagues in real life, performing in reality what is demonstrated on the screens.
In Kannywood, the Hausa-language film industry in northern Nigeria, there have been stories about couples who fell in love with each other while working together.
But while there were successful ones that lasted up to marriage, there have been some that crashed before they mature.
Daily Trust highlights some of the Kannywood actresses who dated their on screen co-actors and eventually broke up.
FATI WASHA AND ZANGO
Fati Abdullahi, fondly referred to as Fati Washa, is one of the most popular actresses in Kannywood. Born in Bauchi, she began her career in the industry about 10 years ago, and her talent has rewarded her with major roles in successful movies including Yar Tasha, Hisab, Farida and a TV series, Labarina.
The 30-year-old dated one of the industry’s titans, Adam A. Zango, a fellow actor and movie producer, in an enthusiastic romance that nearly led to marriage.
They were reported to have broken up after about 4 years of dating. Since then, Zango married and divorced two other women, but not much is known of Washa’s romantic life.
NAFISA ABDULLAHI
Nafisa Abdullahi is another screen diva who is among the most sought-after stars in Kannywood. The Jos-born actress has a number of awards to her name, and has also appeared in a number of Nollywood movies.
After playing many celebrated roles with her colleague, Adam A. Zango, in which they were either as married couple or romantic partners, adorable pictures of the two stars began to surface online hinting how close the celebrities were, before it was later learnt that they were in a relationship.
Zango later revealed that he had dated Nafisat for three years and was willing to marry her before fate took its course, implying that they had broken up.
He said, “I really loved Nafisat and we almost got married before we went our separate ways.”
FATI MUHAMMAD
Fati Muhammad is a veteran actress who is among the oldest female Kannywood stars, having been in the industry for over 20 years.
She acted classic Hausa movies such as Sangaya, Zarge and Marainiya, before she married a co-actor, Sani Musa Mai-Iska, and relocated to London, although the marriage crashed after some years.
However, her close relationship with the celebrated actor, Ali Nuhu, had been a major source of interest among her fans with many insinuating that Ali Nuhu had wanted to marry her before she met Sani Musa Mai Iska
Speaking about it, she said she had been really close to Ali Nuhu, and they had dated briefly but they were not destined to get married.
“You know marriage and death are fates in the hands of Allah, so despite my close relationship with Ali, I had to eventually marry another person. But Ali is still like a brother to me,” she said in an interview.
ZAINAB INDOMIE
Zainab Abdullahi, popularly known as Zainab Indomie is a talented actress who starred in some successful movies including Garinmu Da Zafi, Yar Agadez and Ga Duhu Ga Haske.
She revealed that Adam A. Zango and herself had been in a relationship at the beginning of her career in the industry, with him being her mentor. But around 2014, he announced his engagement to another woman who is not an actress.
RAKIYA MOUSSA POUSSI
Rakiya Moussa Poussi is a Nigerien up and coming actress in the industry whose star began shining after she demonstrated her fascinating dancing skills in music videos of popular singers such as Hamisu Breaker, Gazali Miko and Umar M. Sharif.
She was recently a subject of heated conversation in northern Nigerian social media communities after granting an interview on a talk-show hosted by popular Kannywood actress Hadiza Gabon, “Gabon’s Room.”
Rakiya became a trending sensation after she tearfully revealed she is head-over-heels in love with a certain Kannywood singer who jilted her.
Although she did not reveal his name, she said that he is a popular singer and people close to the industry already speculated that the guy is Hamisu Breaker, the Jarumar Mata crooner.
The actress said that she can’t ever stop loving him, that she feared even if she marries somebody else, the ex-lover will always be in her heart.
