CAIRO, 13 November 2006 — The resounding success of Syrian actor Jamal Suleiman in the Egyptian television film “Hadaig Al-Shaytan” (The Devil’s Gardens) has triggered much controversy among Egyptian actors, the daily Al-Riyadiyah reported yesterday.
Suleiman has been playing the role of Mandur Abu Al-Dahab, an Egyptian gangster who terrorizes people in Upper Egypt amassing money through illegal means.
Many Egyptian actors criticized the move to give a leading role to a foreigner.
Egyptian actor, Ahmad Maher, shocked the Egyptian film industry with his scathing criticism of Jamal saying, “If the Syrians take the roles of Egyptian characters what are Egyptian actors supposed to do? Will they have to play the roles of Europeans?”
However, Adel Imam, a respected actor in the Egyptian film industry, welcomed brilliant actors such as Jamal to Cairo irrespective of their nationality.
Unperturbed by the furor around him, Jamal said that the film offered an exciting experience for him. He added that the theatrical profession has been flourishing in Syria creating a great demand for the professional skill of Syrian actors internationally.
He cited the examples of Ghassan Massoud who has been recognized as an actor of world class while the Syrian director Hatem Ali is directing a film on the life and history of the Egyptian King Muhammad Ali Pasha.
In Jamal’s view there is no clash between Syrian and Egyptian actors. “The conflict is basically between the superior and inferior works,” the actor said in an article posted on the Internet recently.
Though he was chosen for the role in “Hadaig Al-Shaytan” after severe scrutiny, Jamal said that his first serious worry about taking up the role of a character from Upper Egypt was the unfamiliar dialect of the region, which is a challenge for even many Egyptian actors.
“However the hurdle was overcome when I practiced speaking the dialect under the supervision of an Egyptian dialect expert,” the Syrian actor said.
Another challenge was the contradictory personality of the character Mandur Abu Al-Dahab who is a cruel and unscrupulous crook while simultaneously madly in love.
As an actor of superb skill, Jamal has won several awards from various parts of the Arab world.
His notable films include “Halim” on the legendary Egyptian singer Abdul Halim Hafiz, ‘Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi” on the great Muslim king Saladin, “Khan Al-Harir,” “Al-Thoraya,” “Shabaka Ankabout,” “Ikhtifa Rajul,” “Khayt Al-Dam,” “Al-Mahkoum,” “Saqr Al-Qaraysh” and “Al-Taghriba Al-Filistiniah.”
