Scriptwriter Ahmed Abdallah tells Kamal Sultan that the critics are just doing their job The scriptwriter Ahmed Abdallah was born in Bein Al-Sarayat in Cairo on 1 April 1965. He graduated from the Law College at Cairo University in the same class as actors Khaled El-Sawi, Khaled Saleh, Mohamed Heneidi, Mohamed Saad, Salah Abdallah and Hani Ramzi. While in college, Abdallah would direct stage plays based on translated scripts. After graduation he began working for the theatre, producing three shows: Alam Qetat (World of Cats), Alabanda (Nonsense) and Hakim Uyun (The Eye Doctor). He then went on to write film scripts, and has written scripts for some of the biggest box office hits of the last decade: Abboud Ala Al-Hodoud (Abboud on the Borders), Al-Nazer (The Headmaster), Ibn Ezz (Born to Money), Al-Lembi, Karkar, Askar fil Moaskar ( Soldiers in the Camp), Yana Ya Khalti (Me or My Aunt), Fuul Al-Sin Al-Azim (Great Beans of China), Ghabi Mennu Feeh (Naturally Born Imbecile). All of the above were comedies. Then, in 2008, Abdallah ventured into a totally new genre. The film Cabaret drew accolades from audience and critics alike and the film went on to win several awards. He followed that with Al-Farah (The Wedding), which was released in 2009 and starred the actors that appeared in Cabaret : Khaled El-Sawi, Donia Samir Ghanem, Jumana Murad, Maged El-Kedwani, and Karima Mokhtar. This was Mokhtar's first film after years of retirement. Abdallah's most recent film is Hadd Semea Haga (Anyone Hearing Anything?), starring Ramez Galal and directed by Sameh Abdel-Aziz. Abdallah tells me that he is proud of the film, although the audience and critics gave it a cool reception. Abdallah recently started writing for television. He is now finishing his first serialised drama, Al-Harah (The Alleyway), which, as the title suggests, takes place in the backstreets of a poor neighbourhood where, come elections time, corrupt politicians attempt to buy the votes of the locals. The show will star the same actors of Cabaret and Al-Farah. The experience proved more difficult than Abdallah had expected. "The show has exhausted me completely. I wanted to write something different from the usual format of slow-moving soap operas, where the climax has to wait for the last one or two episodes. I wanted to include a powerful plot in every episode, but found that to be quite difficult. The characters of the show resemble those of the films Cabaret and Al-Farah, and that's why the casting is similar. The names of Yasser Galal, Jumana Murad, Sawsan Badr, Rojina, Karima Mokhtar, Maged El-Kedwani, Salah Abdallah, and Showikar have been suggested. The show will be directed by Sameh Abdel-Aziz. Abdallah's recent film, Hadd Semea Haga was not much of a success at the box office. I ask him how he felt about that. "I have an old habit of never reading reviews while my films are in the theatres. I wait until the film goes on to satellite television and then begin searching the Internet for comments on the film. I heard some of the comments from my friend the director Sameh Abdel-Aziz. "I believe several people have mentioned that the film was adapted from an American film, which I don't deny. In fact, the film's premise has been tackled in many films before all over the world. It is a story of the relationship between a writer and one of the characters of his novels. This idea cannot be attributed to one writer, so it is hard to pinpoint the source. I have also altered the basic idea, turning it into a struggle between good and evil. That's why I didn't see a need to acknowledge the adaptation on the credits of the film, although I mentioned it in all of my press and television interviews." Before Ramez Galal was finally cast in the lead role of Hadd Semea Haga, several actors had turned it down. "I suggested several names, such as Mohamed Heneidi and Mohamed Saad. But they were scared off by the premise of the film because it was a bit philosophical. I believe that it was this philosophical idea that may have discouraged the audience. Egyptian and Arab filmgoers are not yet accustomed to this kind of writing. Also, the fact that the film was screened during the Eid Al-Adha didn't help either, because this is the season when the audience is looking for comedies. This is why the comedy Amir Al-Bihar [Prince of the Sea] by Mohamed Heneidi was such a big hit. Anyway, the film is still in the theatres and I believe that it will do better during the mid-term recess." I ask Abdallah why he cooperates exclusively with producer Ahmed El-Sobki and director Abdel-Aziz. "El-Sobki is an exceptional producer who provides all the funds needed for my films," he says. "Contrary to what many people think, he never interferes in anything and doesn't impose anything or ask me to change scenes to reduce cost. As for Abdel-Aziz, he is a mature director with a vision and brilliant attention to detail. I have worked with him in four films and hope for the cooperation among us to continue. We get along so well, and this reflects on the quality of our films." So why did he stop working with producer Magdi El-Hawwari? "I owe El-Hawwari big time for giving me the chance to write the scripts of films such as Abboud Ala Al-Hodoud, Al-Nazir, Ibn Ezz, and Eyal Habbibah (Youngsters in Love). I'm not saying that we have grown apart, but things have changed. He moved on to television while I was trying to work on artistic archiving for cinema. But this doesn't mean that we cannot work again if the right idea comes along." Is it hard dealing with negative reviews? I ask. "I used to be really irritated by negative reviews at first, and then I got used to it. Critics review films because this is their job, and theirs is a valuable work that helps the industry. It was only after Cabaret that critics started praising my work, and that felt good. I do of course care about what is written about my films." Is it not odd that we still don't have women comedians in this generation? Abdallah dismisses my concerns. "I believe that things have changed. Right now we have several female comedians, such as Yasmine Abdel-Aziz, Abla Kamel, Nashwa Mustafa and Maye Kassab. But no producer is willing yet to bet on them because male comedians tend to bring in the money." Abdallah is getting ready to publish his first collection of poems. He has written a song for the late singer Zekra. And he wrote songs for his stage plays. He used to act while in college and appeared in one scene in Abboud Ala Al-Hodoud. But he doesn't do that anymore. "Acting is difficult," he murmured.
