The greeting “namaste” is associated with yoga. The Pidgin word for trouble, “wahala”, is widely used across the world thanks to Afrobeats. These examples speak to Indian and Nigerian influences on the English language.
But the film industries of the two countries, each a regional behemoth, have rarely crossed cultures.
Indian-Nigerian filmmaker Hamisha Daryani Ahuja did just that. She named her first movie Namaste Wahala. This film was aimed at bringing together the world’s two largest film industries, Bollywood and Nollywood. Ahuja said in an interview, “Nollywood has grown up on Bollywood.” She was referring to the popularity of Bollywood films in Nigeria.
Indian director Hamisha Daryani Ahuja poses for a photograph in Lagos.—AFP/File
“How come they never come together?” she said. Her film became a global hit. Netflix released it during the COVID-19 pandemic. This release signalled the start of a collaboration between the two massive movie sectors.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi even mentioned the film during his visit to Nigeria in late 2024.
And another Namaste Wahala film is now in the works, Ahuja revealed.
Since the 2020 release of her debut film, Ahuja has also had a Netflix series called Postcards. She is preparing to premiere Simi and Friends this year.
She had no formal movie-making training. Namaste Wahala — a cross-cultural rom-com whose title means “Hello trouble” — was “her schooling” in film, she said.
Shot in Lagos, it tells the story of an Indian investment banker. He falls in love with a Nigerian lawyer. Their parents struggle to accept their union. A potpourri of languages, actors switch between English, Pidgin, and Hindi. “I decided to jump in.” She recalled this during a recent interview in the bustling mega-metropolis of Lagos. This is where she lives.
India and Nigeria combined might be the world’s biggest diaspora. “We have mass populations. More than that, but maybe less tangible, our culture is so loud,” the 41-year-old said.
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