The greeting “namaste,” synonymous with yoga, and the Pidgin term for trouble, “wahala,” now widely recognised through the global rise of Afrobeats, reflect the growing Indian and Nigerian influences on the English language. Yet despite these cultural intersections, the film industries of the two countries Bollywood and Nollywood have historically operated in parallel rather than in partnership.
That divide was challenged by Indian-Nigerian filmmaker Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, who deliberately set out to bridge the world’s two most prolific film industries with her debut feature, Namaste Wahala. The romantic comedy, whose title loosely translates to “Hello Trouble,” was conceived as a cultural meeting point between India and Nigeria.
“Nollywood has grown up on Bollywood,” said Ahuja, who was born in Mumbai and raised in Lagos, in an interview with AFP. “I kept wondering how come they never come together?”
Her vision resonated globally when Namaste Wahala was released on Netflix in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, quickly becoming a hit and signalling the potential for deeper collaboration between the two cinematic powerhouses. The film’s impact was such that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi referenced it during his visit to Nigeria in late 2024.
Building on that success, Ahuja has confirmed that another Namaste Wahala film is currently in development. Since her debut, she has also created the Netflix series Postcards and is preparing to premiere an animated children’s show, Simi and Friends, later this year.
Without formal film school training, Ahuja describes Namaste Wahala as her “schooling” in filmmaking. Shot in Lagos, the film tells the story of an Indian investment banker who falls in love with a Nigerian lawyer, exploring themes of family, tradition, and cultural acceptance as their parents struggle to come to terms with the relationship. The production weaves together English, Pidgin, and Hindi, reflecting the linguistic and cultural blend at its core.
“I decided to jump in without a thought,” she recalled from Lagos, the city she now calls home.
Ahuja believes the strong reception to her work is rooted in the deep cultural similarities between India and Nigeria. Together, the two countries represent some of the world’s largest and most influential diasporas. “Our cultures are so similar very expressive, very family-oriented,” she said, noting that Nollywood is second only to Bollywood in terms of annual film output.
Her upcoming animated series Simi and Friends continues this cross-cultural storytelling. The show centres on a young girl with a Nigerian father and an Indian mother, whose lunchbox includes both plantain and samosas symbolising the everyday blending of the two cultures.
“It’s fun, it’s light,” Ahuja said. “I’m bringing India and Nigeria together because it works. People see themselves in it.”
She argues that these shared values also explain why Bollywood films have long been popular in Nigeria, offering stories that emphasise family, tradition, and social values more closely aligned with local sensibilities than Hollywood productions.
Music also plays a central role in her work. While not a direct sequel, the forthcoming Namaste Wahala film will feature prominent Afrobeats influences, reflecting Nigeria’s global musical impact. Ahuja describes the project as a fusion of 1990s nostalgia and modern sensibilities, expressing confidence that Afrobeats will resonate with Indian audiences as well.
Producing across cultures, however, has not been without challenges. Ahuja recounts moments of cultural adjustment on both sides from Indian actors expecting luxury “vanity vans” on Nigerian sets to the difficulty of sourcing familiar Nigerian food during shoots in India.
Beyond her roles as director and producer, Ahuja sees herself as a cultural translator. “Not just of language,” she said, “but of culture.”
