CAIRO - The biopic film Al-Fagoumi (The Ranter), starring Khaled el-Sawi, is an interesting journey through Egyptian society over the past 60 years. The chief character is celebrated satirical lyricist Ahmed Fouad Negm, who, in the time of late President Anwar Sadat and then the disgraced Hosni Mubarak, was infamous for his stinging lyrics. This octogenarian lyricist still wears the traditional Egyptian dress for men, the galabiya, at home and in public. Negm shot to fame after the defeat of the Egyptian Army in 1967. Angry university students, who blamed the regime of late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser for the defeat, launched mass demonstrations in 1968, urging the defeated leader to try his generals. Together with his blind companion, lute player Sheikh Imam, Negm was invited by the young demonstrators to recite his patriotic lyrics, which denounced the bourgeoisie, a new class in socialist Egypt, consisting of senior members of the armed forces and the entertainment community. Escorted by hundreds of young demonstrators, Negm was led off to prison to pay the price for his stinging criticism of the regime. Despite Nasser's grave mistakes, Negm refused to rub salt into the leader's wounds for the nation's defeat in the 1967 War. Tears welled up in Negm's eye when Nasser died and millions attended his funeral, convincing the singer that Egypt was on the verge of collapse. When Nasser died in 1970, Negm shifted his stinging attacks to his successor, Sadat, harshly criticising him for endorsing a peace accord with Israel. Sadat had him detained, but this did nothing to deter Negm, who resumed his criticism of the late President, especially when he turned on the country's communists and other leftists. Surprisingly, Khaled el-Sawi, who plays Negm in Al-Fagoumi, doesn't look at all like the veteran singer. Negm has always been bony and frail-looking, while veteran actor el-Sawi is well built and has a ruddy complexion. But el-Sawi's wonderful acting evokes the lyricist's spirit, compelling the viewer to overlook the physical differences, as the flow of political, social and economic lyricism mesmerises him. Al-Fagoumi, written and directed by Essam el-Shamaa, also investigates the relationship between the ruler and the ruled over the past 60 years in Egypt. The director cleverly uses the mass demonstrations in Al Tahrir Square to remind the viewer that Negm also contributed to the recent revolution. Surprisingly, the lyrics and songs Negm composed in the 1960s were played by loudspeakers in Al Tahrir throughout the revolution the young revolutionaries loved them. In an interview with the press to celebrate the premiere of the film, producer Hussein Maher disclosed that he had bought the royalty for Negm's autobiography Al-Fagoumi about seven years ago. "I then delayed making the film several times, but the January 25 revolution gave me the impetus I needed," stressed Maher.
