MY EXPERIENCE DIRECTING BAKAN DABO BY BAREWA
The name, Zarewa is not new to Hausa movie buffs, popularly known as Kannywood and beyond. He has paid his dues in the industry over the years in script writing/script playing, directing and editing. Besides, he has starred in a couple of films, the number of which he cannot exactly remember. In fact, he is profoundly renowned in the make-belief world, north of the Niger .
Abubakar Abdu Zarewa has played different roles too in his acting career, but he is particularly remembered for his bad boy roles as Yandaba (social miscreant) or boss in most of the flicks. A list of some of the very latest works that have the Zarewa signature are Takaddama which he wrote and screen played, Ibro da boda, another of his initiative which he also directed and edited.
Others are Mujaddadi which he edited, Dansanda Abokin Kowa in which he starred and edited as well as soon to be released flicks like Kudi Gasar Kowa and Bakan Dabo. Of all of these efforts, the young film guru who has carved a niche for himself confessed that Kudi Gasar Kowa and Bakan Dabo were most challenging with the latter bringing out the best in him.
He has this to say about the huge budget epic on the Kano Emirate and the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero. “Bakan Dabo is an eye opener. It is quite different from what we used to have. I appreciate the tight storyline and its reality, because it is true life story. But there are many things I have never seen in my life like Durbar and Sallah celebration which is a rich culture here”.
According to him, even though he has been around for sometime, he has never witnessed the Durbar physically during Sallah festivities as he only read or hears about them. “I have never seen Durbar face to face, but working with Bakan Dabo has provided me the opportunity. Also, it is through the film I now know of the activities in the palace. The film is very educative, informative and entertaining”.
“For instance, before now, I did not know the process involved in sighting the new moon that heralds Sallah celebration. The Bakan Dabo project has afforded me all of that. I witnessed it courtesy of working with the Bakan Dabo crew. All I know of it before now is what I read in the newspapers or the impression people people give about them.
“I make bold to say, if all the directors in Kannywood are like Muhammed Auwal George, no one will come and dictate and insult the industry practitioners. There is no one like him here in the industry”, he quipped. He went on to commend some of the cast like Dauda Galadanci (Emir of Kano) in Bakan Dabo and Salihu 'Hotman' Isah who played Ooni of Ife , a bossom friend of the Kano royal father as well as its producer, Mahmud Sarki Fada for their efforts in the flick.