vice and videos 129lovers’ relationship, Khusufi builds up tension through the conflict be-
tween the couple’s fathers. Although this conflict is set off in a sequence
modeled on Ta a l’s slappi ng scene, t he soc ia l back g rou nd of t he cha rac ters
involved is different. At this point, localization goes beyond the surface
level. Ta a l’s cla ss d iv ide is t ra nslated i nto et h n ic ter ms. Hajjo is t he daug h-
ter of a Fulbe cattle breeder, Khalid the son of a Kanuri businessman.
In northern Nigeria, these ethnic groups are linked through a ritualized
joking relationship, which means that the two families are much closer
to each other than the couples’ families in the Indian movie. Musicians
belong to a castelike endogamous group in northern Nigeria; a marriage
between the daughter of a musician and the son of a businessman—like
in Ta a l—would thus have been unthinkable, and perhaps also undesir-
able, for a Hausa audience. Moreover, since the two fathers in Khusufi are
childhood friends and auren zumunci—meaning, the marriage of children
from two families that are on friendly terms with each other—is highly
valued, Khalid and Hajjo are each other’s preferential marriage partners.
Hence, in Khusufi the “unruly emotion” of love, which in other Hausa
films is often portrayed as “somewhat out of control” and “frequently in
tension with the wider social order” (Larkin 2008: 205), is neutralized by
traditional values: boy meets girl and even custom would sanction their
marriage. However, things get complicated when Hajjo and her father
meet Khalid’s stepmother. A transposition of Manav’s vicious aunt, this
woman is portrayed as an envious and selfish wife who fears that her step-
son’s marriage will deprive her of her husband’s riches. The stepmother is
overtly hostile when she meets Hajjo’s father, calling him a dog. W hen he
retaliates by calling her a prostitute, her husband—his former childhood
friend—steps in and insults him as well, thereby betraying their friend-
ship; this provokes Hajjo’s father into slapping him across the face. As in
Ta a l , the two lovers side with their respective fathers, which leaves them
no other option but to break up. In this narrative twist, the young lovers
show their parents great respect, highlighting the fact that many Hausa
videos—despite the challenges they pose for their critics—still try to
negotiate between traditional values and modern desires.
W hile Hajjo puts all her energies into her singing career in the video
industry, Khalid apologizes for his stepmother’s rude behavior and tries to
win back Hajjo’s love. At this point, part one of the movie ends abruptly,