Egyptian moviemakers need someone to solve a riddle or issue a fatwa - if there are fatwas for the cinema - to understand the new equation. They know that the solution is not difficult, but the real riddle lies in the public taste. To be more precise: who ensures that the solution will be permanent this time? Who is sure that the public will change its taste once again and change the compass of production for the third or the fourth time in less than ten years?
Comedian Mohamed Heneidy seems to have a final solution to the equation. Four years ago, comedy was the top in the movie business and whoever tried to compete with it by a serious film was like a madman. After that, serious films took the lead and comedy renounced its throne. A series of political, social and musical movies appeared and kept abreast of the current events. In addition, there was a clear openness from the censorship in Egypt. Therefore, those films were very good. Comedy, which gave up its throne for years, returned once again with seven movies in the face of a single serious movie called "Al-Wa'd", which is starred by young singer Ruby and the up-and-coming actor who appeared for the first time in Al-Daly soap opera Asser Yassin. The movie is also starred by great actor Mahmoud Yassin, who seems to be a common denominator in the new wave of films after he drew attention in the Al-Jazeera (Island) movie that was starred by Ahmed El Sakka.
Heneidy stars a movie titled "Ramadan Mabrouk Abu El-Alamain Hamouda", the longest title in the history of the Egyptian cinema. The movie made unexpected high revenues years after Heneidy failed to compete with actors Mohamed Saad and Ahmed Hilmi, who became the first star in the last three years thanks to a number of movies that got the admiration of the public and the critics.
The equation proposed by Heneidy is based on the idea that comedy has not disappeared and will never disappear. He said: "Those who though that comedy disappeared do not understand the Egyptian public, who is sarcastic. I would not exaggerate if I said that the actors themselves should learn from the Egyptian public." Therefore, comedy was in need of a new production to meet the mood of the public nowadays. However, comedy will not exclusively take the throne, as the mood of the public changed several times in the past decade, which is the age of the new cinema (since the production of Ismailia Rahyeh Gay movie). We cannot longer laugh all the time. It has also become impossible to shed tears or contemplate and think all the time.
Last Bairam, for example, a single serious movie and seven comedy movies were produced. Last mid-term leave two serious movies were produced compared to four comedy movies. But accusations against comedy as was the case in recent years - except the movies of Adel Imam and Ahmed Hilmi - will not last long!
