CAIRO, 14 February 2007 — Egyptian actress Sumayya Al-Khashab has blamed her director Ismail Abdul Hafez for her reported poor performance in a recent television serial “Hadaeq Al-Shaitan” (Devil’s Gardens) compared with her roles in other films.
She said most of her best scenes in the film were deliberately deleted.
Sumayya also charged that her co-star, Jamal Sulieman, was given preferential treatment at her expense, according to a recent report on a website (Egypty.com).
The film’s director, Ismail Hafez said that Sumayya’s allegations were not true, and he had not cut any of her scenes from the drama.
Ismail argued that he has been an experienced television film director since 1960 and would never simply cut a scene without a valid reason, adding that he regretted working with an actress who tells such stories in order to get attention.
Sumayya announced that she would never again take a leading role alongside Jamal or work with the production company.
The film was, however, given the Viewers and Critics Award for its popularity during the holy month of Ramadan.
The cast of the serial “Hadaeq Al-Shaitan” also included Salah Abdullah, Abdullah Farghali, Ahmad Salama, Khayrieh Ahmad, Anam Salouseh, Osama Abbas, Amerieh Al-Adi and Mimi Jamal.
Sumayya has been praised for her roles in other films such as “Kheyana Mashroua” and “Raya wa Sakinah.”
