Nigerians love Bollywood: Namaste Wahala director Hamisha Daryani Ahuja

Hamisha Daryani Ahuja has donned many hats over the years–that of an entrepreneur, a motivational speaker, an author… But a decade ago, when she launched her restaurant Bistro 7 in Nigeria, could she have dreamed that she would eventually make a Bollywood-style Nollywood film? Typically, filmmakers say no, but the dreamer that Hamisha always has been, she says yes. And now, this dream project is streaming on Netflix.

Excerpts from a conversation…

Tell us about how you turned filmmaker.

I have been an entrepreneur my whole life. We came to Nigeria and started a businesses here. After seven years of running my restaurant, Bistro 7, I decided it was time to do something new. I am a motivational speaker as well, and I spoke about ‘Dreaming Big’ sometime ago. When you speak about such topics, you begin embodying them. So, I decided to sell my stake in the restaurant and with the additional time I got, I decided it was time to go after the big dream: filmmaking.

What was the inspiration behind doing a cross-cultural film like Namaste Wahala?

Like many Nigerians, I am a major Bollywood buff. In fact, Nollywood (Nigerian film industry) has taken a lot of inspiration from Bollywood. So, I thought it would be interesting to make a film relevant for Nigerians but one that the global audience can also recognise. Namaste Wahala is like a 90s Bollywood film. It is a Nollywood film, but what truly makes it Bollywood is that there is a lot of dancing around trees, Indian music, and so on...

How fun was shooting the film, considering that there’s a coming together of two cultures?

Very. Bollywood people were coming to Nigeria for the first time and it was also the first film they are shooting in English. It was a first for a lot of people — it was the first film for me, my DOP… This was Ruslaan Mumtaz’s first English film… This excitement rubbed off on all of us on the set.

Being a big fan of 90s Bollywood, does it seem to you that there is a dearth of romcoms generally?

Oh, 100 per cent! I miss the cheesy movies I grew up on. I love modern Bollywood, but I do miss the old-fashioned romance, like in Kal Ho Na Ho. Namaste Wahala looks to address this. I think we need more feel-good films.

If you were to remake an old Bollywood movie, what would you choose?

My most favourite film is Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, followed by Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. I guess, some film that has Shah Rukh Khan in it. When you rewatch a film ten years later, you still feel what you did when you originally watched it. I would want to create that with the remake.

What challenges did you encounter, Namaste Wahala being your debut film?

Now that I have made the film, I feel like I have graduated from a film school. You only learn by doing. A bigger challenge was that I was also producing the film. The experiences from running my businesses helped, but there was always an internal clash between the director and the producer in me. Going forward, maybe, I will take up just one role.

What’s next for you?

With this film, I see the potential so many people have. I have launched my production company, Forever 7 Entertainment, and we will be handling TV shows, reality television, more films…