Coming to a theater near you in Riyadh this Wednesday and Thursday night comes a film produced by “Realistic Pictures”. The Academy Award winning director of “Get Down and Freaky” and “Got Girls?” has gone to a whole new level to bring to you: “Planet of the Shabab”.
The story begins with “Sultan”, a young spoiled Saudi in his early twenties who comes from a rich family. Attending class one Wednesday morning and not paying much attention to what the professor is saying, he writes a note on a piece of paper and tosses it to his classmate “Nasir”.
The note reads: “What do you want to do tonight?”
Nasir picks up his mobile and sends an SMS to Sultan. “I’m soooo bored, man. Let’s hang out at our usual place.”
After leaving the university at about 2 p.m., Sultan returns home. He comes in, kicks off his shoes, and runs upstairs to his room on the second floor of the mansion — all while talking on his mobile to his buddies about the evening’s gathering.
“Ah, I can’t wait,” he tells himself in his room. Suddenly, he hears a loud thump on the door. His mom has asked their Indonesian maid to go upstairs and tell Sultan to come down for lunch. “Mama says to come down and have lunch,” she says in broken Arabic.
“Tell her I’m not hungry!” he replies angrily.
“But mom says.....”
The maid is cut off by, “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Are you freaking deaf or something? Go away!”
Taking off his thobe and throwing it on his bed, Sultan opens his wardrobe and picks out a jersey and baggy pants.
At the corner near Pizza Inn in what some refer to as Riyadh’s Champs Elysees, the guys gather.
“There here is,” Nasir tells his other friends as Sultan’s car pulls up. Blasting the song “P.I.M.P” by 50 cents in his all-black tinted brand-new BMW 760, Sultan waves. He steps out, and after greeting his buddies “gangsta” style, he tells them, “how do you like my new set of wheels?” referring to the new car.
“When did you get it? Mabrouk man!”
“My dad bought it for me last week. I wanted to surprise you guys”.
“Let’s go for a spin”, suggested one of his friends.
“The night is still young,” says Sultan. “Besides, there are still chicks in the mall at this time.”
Moments later, one of the guys starts to show off his break-dancing skills. The crowd start to circle around him as they cheer. Traffic starts to come to a standstill as passing cars full of other shabab lower their windows or pop through the sunroof and scream “Yuhooooo! Go for it sport!”
At about 10 p.m., Sultan, Nasir and two of their other friends hop into Sultan’s car. They take turns driving down Tahliya Street, Olaya Street and Dabab Street. They hone in on any car with tinted rear windows and a driver in the front, knowing that there are girls in the back.
They then drive by the entrance of Faisaliah Mall where some women are standing outside the entrance waiting for their drivers. With the music still blasting, they slowly approach the curve. “Did you see the look on that one? She definitely wants it, man,” says one of them.
“Hey honey, need a ride?” Sultan says as he gets close to her. The woman ignores them.
“I told you we should have worn thobes... some chicks don’t dig our clothes,” said Sultan’s friend.
After passing by McDonald’s for a quick bite, they decide to give their night a final chance by passing by Tamimi supermarket before retiring. All four guys step down and walk in the supermarket after parking the car in the already flooded parking lot with other Shabab hovering around.
“You had better clean good, Sadeeg,” says Sultan to the Asian national who offers to clean the car.
They spend half an hour at the cassette store near the entrance hoping a girl, any girl, will come in. None does. “Better luck next time, guys. Let’s go. I told my dad I was passing by my cousin’s and I don’t want him to make any calls,” says one of them.
Grittily realistic, I think you’ll agree.
