Mai Martaba: Kannywood’s Most Expensive Film Premiered In Kano

A large crowd of movie enthusiasts gathered in Kano on Friday for the highly anticipated premiere of the Kannywood movie titled ‘Mai Martaba’ (Your Highness) – a title of respect used to address members of a royal family.

Touted as one of the finest productions in northern Nigeria, the movie’s debut marked the end of two and a half years of extensive pre-production and post-production efforts.

Directed by the multi-award-winning film producer and broadcaster, Prince Daniel Aboki, ‘Mai Martaba’ was filmed in Daura, Katsina State, with a substantial cast of around 500 actors. The film features prominent Kannywood star Adam A. Zango alongside rising talents such as Shugaba, Ghali Abdullah DZ, Muktar Aminu Haruna, and Auwalu Isma’il Marshal, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of the Northen region.

Notable performances also include young starlet Fatima Mohammed as Princess Sangaya, Tasi’u Ali as MaiKabaas Turaki, and Yahaya Sabo Abubakar as Wakili.

Following the premiere, Prince Daniel Aboki addressed the audience, emphasising the challenges faced by the northern film industry in competing with modern filmmaking standards. “Mai Martaba was conceptualised and produced to bridge this gap by scaling up production in the region so as to compete with its counterparts globally,” he said.

The film’s impact is already evident, as it has been nominated for international awards. “Mai Martaba has been selected for the Septimius Awards, an international award ceremony in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, showcasing feature films, documentaries, shorts, animations, television series, and screenplays,” Aboki announced.

Aboki, who also serves as the Group Programme Director of Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Nigeria Info FM, Arewa Radio, and Kids FM, Nigeria, highlighted that the cast primarily consists of new actors. “The only star actor in Mai Martaba happens to be Adam A. Zango because, initially, I wanted like 100 per cent new actors. So all the actors in Mai Martaba, I built them because I wanted to tell a story on the strength of the story, not on the faces of celebrities,” he explained.

He believes this approach will expand the value chain of the creative industry in northern Nigeria. However, he identified funding as a major challenge during production, noting that “Mai Martaba” is arguably “the most expensive Hausa movie.” “Over N25 million was spent on high-tech equipment alone because we had to bring most of it from Lagos, let alone the pre-, during-, and post-production costs,” Aboki revealed.

“Mai Martaba” is a story packed with action and adventure, exploring themes of power, love, greed, and betrayal. It is a spin-off of “Kasar Jallaba,” an ongoing radio drama series on 95.1 Arewa Radio. The film narrates the tale of an ancient kingdom that thrived through Trans-Saharan trade but faced internal strife within the powerful Agadashawa ruling clan, leading to the collapse of the dynasty.

The fall of the Agadashawa dynasty paved the way for the enthronement of King Jallaba of the Jallabawa clan during a time when uranium was discovered on Jallaba land. To prevent the return of the Agadashawa to power, King Jallaba I decreed that all successive Emirs would voluntarily step down and name a successor from within the Jallaba clan before old age.

However, on his deathbed, Sanaya, the son of the late King Jallaba, appointed his daughter, Princess Sangaya, to succeed him, igniting a fresh crisis within the kingdom.