Athar El-Hakim's new drama for television will be highlighting public issues in the competition for Ramadan audience Athar El-Hakim belongs to the generation of actors that burst into the limelight in the 1980s along with Mamdouh Abdel-Alim, Khaled Zaki and Hala Sidqi. Despite a successful career, El-Hakim did not start out with acting plans. After graduating from the American University in Cairo she worked in public relations before finding her way into acting. Her first appearance was in Qatel Ma Qatalshi Hadd (The Murderer Who Killed Nobody) with Adel Imam, and she later landed leading roles with Farid Shawqi in Al-Ikhwa Al-Ghorabaa (The Estranged Brothers), Maqass Amm Qandil (The Scissors of Uncle Qandil) and Shawish Noss Al-Leil (Midnight Sergeant). El-Hakim, who was born on 18 May 1958, appeared with Ahmed Zaki in Al-Hobb Fawqa Hadabat Al-Haram (Love on The Pyramids Plateau) and Ana La Akzeb Wa Lakeni Atagammal (I Don't Lie, But I Make Myself Beautiful); with Adel Imam in Al-Nimr Wal Ontha (The Tiger And The Female); and with Omar Sharif in Ayyub -- the Arabic name for the biblical Job. Now El-Hakim is back with (On a Tight String), a television series written by Emad Nafei and directed by Khaled Bahgat where she will be co-starring with Mahmoud Qabil, Kamal Abu Rayya and Maali Zayed. She is enthusiastic about this new role. "The show tackles public issues from bank loans to carcinogenic wheat," she told Al-Ahram Weekly. "I play Amira Fakhreddin, a doctor of economics and head of an investment bank. My character is trying to stand up to businessmen who want to get loans without adequate collateral. She is married to a lawyer with great ambitions, played by Abu Rayya." Hakim is delighted to be working with the other stars in the show including Qabil, Riyad El-Kholi, Hamad Khalil and Zayed, whose role Hakim describes as "extraordinary". "Some people said that Maali and I fell out during the making of the show, but this is not true. Actually I'm always pleased to work with her, and we have partnered in Al-Halal Yeksab [Honesty Wins] and Anbar Wal Alwan [Anbar and Colours] as well as the television drama Umm Methaliya [Perfect Mother]." El-Hakim's previous roles for television included Layali Al-Hilmiya (Nights in Hilmiya), Zizinia (which is a neighbourhood in Alexandria), Nahnu La Nazraa Al-Shawk (We Don't Plant Thorns), Al-Farar Min Al-Hobb (Escaping Love), Freska (biscuits), and Tarwid Al-Sharesa (The Taming of the Shrew). Her latest show, Al-Hobb Baad Al-Modawala (Love After Consultation), is currently being re-run on a satellite channel. After making Al-Hobb she had a three-year break from television. "I am particular about what I do and I only accept good scripts. And when this role was offered to me three years ago, I liked it and decided to give it all the time it needed. I turned down more than one television series because I can't shoot two shows at the same time. I am actually opposed to doing more than one show per year. I have a family as well and I must make time to spend with my children. If I worked on two shows, when would I see them?" She has positive expectations for the new drama, and says it will succeed despite the tough Ramadan competition. "Although the shows screened in Ramadan are often at a disadvantage because of the great number of shows launched that month, I believe it will do well thanks to the lovely script written by Emad Nafei, an Egyptian writer who has lived abroad for 20 years, and the excellent director Khaled Bahgat," she says. "I worked with [Bahgat] for the first time and came to appreciate his talent. Also the show is full of surprises." The Weekly asked El-Hakim about the Turkish shows that have recently become so popular on Arabic stations, but she did not want to make a judgement she described as "premature". "I can't judge success except through continuity," she said. "This is the test of time, so to speak. Several shows were screened in the past that turned out to be big hits, such as Dallas, Falcon's Crest, The Bold and the Beautiful and so on. These shows got popular for a while then people forgot all about them. We need more time to judge the Turkish shows. Two or three successful ones are not the final word." So what does she regard as her finest roles? "I treasure my roles in Al-Hobb Fawqa Hadabat Al-Haram, Al-Nemr Wal Ontha, Foqaraa La Yadkholun Al-Janna (The Poor Who Don't Go to Heaven), Qanoun Ika (The Law of Ika), Mann Yotfe Al-Nar (Who's to Extinguish The Fire?), and Al-Malaayin (The Damned). I also loved my parts in the shows Al-Hobb Wa Ashyaon Okhra (Love and Other Things), Layali Al-Hilmiya, Zizinia, Freska, Al-Farar Min Al-Hobb, and Nahnu La Nazra Al-Shawk. I particularly liked Tarwid Al-Sharesa, in which I played a comic role, and I hope to play more comic roles in the future -- but only if the scripts are good." She speaks with more reserve about her future in film. "I have acted with the giants of film: Farid Shawqi, Madiha Yosri, Ahmed Zaki and Nour El-Sherif. And I can't go back to film except in the right role. When the directors I worked with, Ali Badrakhan, Khairi Beshara and Ali Abdel-Khaleq, go back to making films, then I am willing to work again in film. Otherwise it is better for me to stick to television and call it a day. Actually, I am not the only one who isn't acting in film. There are many actors of all generations who are doing the same. When my generation came out, there were three generations around: the Farid Shawqi generation, the Nour El-Sherif generation, and the younger generation. And we made nearly 100 films a year, dealing with a wide spectrum of issues. Back then, artists were involved in production. Nour El-Sherif, Mahmoud Yassin and Farid Shawqi all produced. I believe that the absence of the artistic producer has brought down the artistic level. And the fact that the government is no longer involved in production has also taken its toll." El-Hakim believes that her three sons have a future in show business. Omar (18), Ali (16), and Abdel-Rahman (15) are interested in acting, writing, and music, and their mother is encouraging them to stay the course -- just as she did. Interview by Kamal Sultan
