In Nasir Gwangwazo’s “Duniyar Nan” Najif (Yakubu Muhammad) found himself accused of two murders; one, his wife and the other, his sister in law’s fiancé. Although he denied both charges, the evidence against him are impossible to refute especially in the eyes of the police and his wife’s sister Bahijja (Ummi El Abdul).

The problem arises when Najif started lusting after Bahijja, who’s staying with them. Bahijja knew there bound to be problems, so she left the house only to be returned a day later against her wish because her parents insisted. We saw her telling Najif after she came back that what he’s trying to do is stupid and they can’t be together if her sister Surayya (Hadiza Gabon) is alive. “What if she’s dead?” He replied.

And when Najif cannot control his sexual desires any longer, he started sneaking in to Bahijja’s room at night. Eventually his wife caught them. Two days later, she was found dead in their bed room.

Interestingly, Bahijja’s parents did what most parents may likely do. Marrying her to Najif so she can take care of her sister’s children. But she was already engaged to Kabir (Ali Nuhu). They explained the wisdom behind their decision to Kabir but he refused to agree. He was found dead the next day at the golf club minutes after an argument with Najif.

The film starts off intriguingly well and it’s racy enough to hold your attention. There were scattered clues that will make you guessing who the killer is until the very end. The seven actors of Ali, Danja etc fit perfectly in the film. Credit must go to the director the way the characters are cleverly etched. This is helped immensely by a very good script from the writer.

Yet, the film cannot avoid the usual traps; for a film of this storyline, one song -which Surayya and Najif did-would have been enough. The other two were only there to stretch the running time of the movie. As a debutant, Ali Gumzak should have made sure Ummi El Abdul is well prepared before casting her in the film. She displays ample lack of ability throughout the film. Surayya didn’t offer much resistance when she was getting murdered, making the scene looked not real. You’d thought the killer would make a mess of it but he walked away without a single bloodstain on his hands or cloth and what are the chances that he’d leave the murder weapon behind after killing her?

Nitpicking aside, “Duniyar Nan” is a thoroughly charming film, brought alive by some great writing and some stellar performances. This one is definitely worth watching.

Reviewed by¹⁾²⁾: Ibrahim Umar Bello Email: iubello50@yahoo.com Twitter: @aaramz