Kamal Soltan previews the crop of light entertainment coming to your TV screens during Ramadan A marathon of soap operas is about to start as drama producers vie for the peak hours of Ramadan. This year, several shows cast second-tier actresses in leading roles, basically because first-tier actresses have become too expensive. May Kassab stars in Al-Ataba al-Hamra (Red Threshold) ; Mays Hamdan in Al-Anida (Stubborn Woman) ; Hanan Metawi in Aghla Min Hayati (More Precious Than My life) ; Basma in Qassat Hayati (Love Story) ; Farah Yousef in Mawaed Maa al-Wohoush (A Date With Monsters) ; Reem El-Baroudi in Mamlakat al-Gabal (Kingdom of the Mountain) ; and Rania Yousef in Ahl Kayro (People Of Cairo). Among the second-tier male actors having a go at lead roles are Ahmed Shaker in Ragol Li Haza al-Zaman (A Man Of This Age) ; Eyad Nassar in Al-Gamaah (The Group) and Amr Saad in M amlakat al-Gabal. Once again the Syrians are here in strength: Abbas Al-Nouri, Jumana Morad, Teem Al-Hassan, Jamal Soliman, Susan Najmeddin and Solaf Fawakherji. Here is a selection of the serialised drama shows coming your way soon: Sheikh al-Arab Hammam (Hammam, the Sheikh of the Arabs) stars Yehia El-Fakharaani. Written by Abdel-Rahim Kamal, directed by Hosni Saleh and produced by the Jabiri Company, it tells the story of a strongman of the tribe of Hawwara in Upper Egypt during the early part of the 20th century. The co-stars are Sabrin, Abdel-Aziz Makhyoun and Sameh El-Soreiti. Al-Dali 3 is the third season of Nour El-Sharif's long- running drama. In this season Saad El-Dali, played by Sharif, is abandoned by everyone, including his wife, owing to his love affair with his secretary. Dali's son-in-law, Adham, is murdered by the mafia. The co-stars are Sawsan Badr, Salah Rashwan, Ezzat Abu Awf, Wafaa Amer, Itan Amer, Hasan El-Raddad and Mayy El-Sharif. Mama fil Esm (Mum In The Police Station) is a comedy written by Yousef Abul Maati and directed by Rabab Hossein, with Samira Ahmed, Mahmoud Yassin, Rania Farid Shawqi and singer Ahmed Fahmi co-starring. It centres on the generation gap and the differences of opinion between parents and children. Samira Ahmed quarrels continually with her neighbours and repeatedly ends up at the police station. In Bel Shama al-Ahmar (Stamped with Red Wax) Yousra plays a medical examiner in a police thriller written by Maryam Naoum, Nadine Shams, and Naglaa El-Hiddini and directed by Samir Seif. In Mawaed Maa al-Wohoush, written by Ayman Abdel-Rahman and directed by Ahmed Abdel-Hamid, Khaled Saleh and Ezzat El-Alayli play characters from Upper Egypt. Saleh is a young man who leaves Upper Egypt for Alexandria to look for a job, but then runs into trouble that changes him beyond recognition. The show is about the drug trade in Upper Egypt, and one of the key characters is a powerful member of parliament who is involved in the illicit trade. Produced by the King Tut Company, the show co-stars Soheir El-Morshedi, Farah Youssef, Ahmed Azmi, Tareq Abdel-Aziz and Reem Helal. In Qessat Hobb (Love Story), Syrian actor Jamal Soliman plays the role of Nasser, a school principal who stays single in order to take care of his younger brothers. When he falls in love with the mother of one of his students, events become awkward. Written by Medhat El-Adl and directed by Ayman El-Haddad, the show stars Basma, Khaled Sarhan and Haggag Abdel-Azim. In Abed Kerman, Syrian actor Taym Al-Hassan plays an Israeli Arab who works for Egyptian intelligence. The story is by Maher Abdel-Hamid and the script is by Bashir El-Diq. The show is directed by Nader Galal and co-stars Reem El-Barudi, Abdel-Rahman Abu Zahra, Sherine, Fadya Abdel-Ghani, Mohamed Wafiq and Ibrahim Yousri. Baba Nour (Father Nour) is written by Karam El-Naggar and directed by Mohamed Abdel-Azizi. It stars famous actor Hossein Fahmi, Abdel-Rahman Abu Zahra, Ola Ghanem, Jihan Qamari and Zizi El-Badrawi. This is just one of two Ramadan appearances by Hossein Fahmi, who co-stars in Maktoub Ala al-Gebin (Destined) with Dalal Abdel-Aziz and singer May Salama. In Emraa fi Warta (Woman in Trouble), Elham Shahine plays the role of a woman who commits murder, is handed a death sentence, but manages to escape from prison. It is written by Ayman Salama aand directed by Omar Abdel-Aziz. Shahine also stars in another Ramadan show, Ma Zeltu Anesa (Still Unmarried), a drama directed by Ahmed Yehya about how young women feel about getting married late, or never. Mamlakat al-Gabal is Amr Saad's first leading role on television. Here is a family feud over an archaeological discovery written by Salama Hamud and directed by Magdi Ahmed Ali. The co-stars are Reem El-Baroudi, Ahmed Bedeir and Fattuh Ahmed. El-Kebir awi (The Biggest of All) is a comedy about a village mayor who marries an American woman who gives birth to twins. One of the children is brought up in America and the other in Upper Egypt. The encounters between the two are, as you can imagine, hilarious. Donya Ghanem, Maged El-Kadwani and Maysara are the co-stars. In Maleka fil Manfa (Queen In Exile), Nadia El-Guindi plays Queen Nazli, mother of King Farouk. The drama describes her relationship with Hamad Hassanein Pasha, her going abroad with her daughter, Fayza, and their conversion to Christianity. The drama is written by Rawya Rashe and directed by Mohamed Zoheir Ragab. Kamal Abu Rayya, Hossam Fares and Layla Taher are the co-stars. Other shows are Beit al-Pasha (House Of The Pasha) by Salah El-Saadani; Al-Foreigi (Showman) by Ahmed Adam; Barra al-Sonya (Out Of This World) by Sherif Mounir; Bi Feal Fael (Premeditated) by Taysir Fahmi; Toq Nagat (Lifeline) by Fifi Abdou; Al-Hara (The Alley) by Ahmed Falawkas and Rojina; Montaha al-Eshq (Deep in Love) by Mostafa Qamar; Qadiyet Safiya (The Case Of Safiya) by Mayy Ezzeddin; and Zohra Wa Azwageha al-Khamsa (Zohra and Her Five Husband s) by Ghada Abdel-Razeq. Also in Ramadan there will be the chance to choose among Mozakkerat Sayyeat al-Somaah (Disreputable Diaries) by Susan Najmeddin; Shahed Ethbat (Eyewitness) by Jumana Mourad; Farah al-Omda (The Mayor's Wedding) by Ghada Adel; Suqut al-Khelafah (Fall Of The Caliphate) by Abbas El-Nouri; Hadret El-Zabet Akhi (My Brother The Officer) by Mohamed Riyad and Azmat Sokkar(Sugar Shortage) by Ahmed Id. The list may be getting long, but it's far from over. Ikhtefa Said Mahran (The Disappearance Of Said Mahran) by Hesham Selim; Al-Ar (Shame) by Ahmed Rizq; Al-Saeroun Niaman (Sleep Walkers) by Fardos Abdel-Hamid; Al-Qatta al-Amia (Blind Cat) by Hanan Tork and Ayza Atgawwez (I Want To Get Married) by Hind Sabri are all among your viewing options this Ramadan.
