Cairo - Hazem Al-Masri
Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaher
Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaher said he wanted to reconcile the people with the police by playing the role of an honourable police officer in the series 'Adam,' which aired last Ramadan and
was very successful. Zaher said he asked police officers to help him understand the role. Zaher also said he has a strong friendship with the Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny.
The interview went on as follows:
AT. Would you tell us about the role of the state security officer you played in 'Amad'?
AZ. The series was written and shot before the revolution. However, frankly speaking, the revolution helped increase the space for freedom. I felt like I was performing on a national duty. I tried to reconcile the people and the officers and to say that honourable officers still exist. Actually I was more enthusiastic to work in the series after the revolution, because I lived through it and I participated in the People's Committees as well.
AT. Did you meet personally any state security officer to help you with the role?
AZ. I have many friends in the police and they helped me meet with some security officers. I have learnt a lot of details, like the way to hold a pistol and the methods of torture practiced in some horrible apparatus.
AT. Before airing the series, many Facebook groups demanded to stop its release. What is your opinion?
AZ. Neither I nor the team worried about boycott campaigns, as the series was of importance and it imposed itself. Moreover, Tamer is my close and best friend and I really wanted him to play in the series as well.
AT. What is the bond that connects you to Tamer Hosny?
AZ. Tamer has been my best friend for nearly 15 years. We live in the same neighbourhood and his house is only a street away from mine. I consider him as a brother.
AT. Did this friendship play a role in recommending you to work with him?
AZ. My name was among the first names recommended for the series, because Tamer loves my acting. If our friendship had played a role in recommending me, I would have been starred in all of his movies.
AT. Was the end of the series written as we saw it from the beginning or was it amended afterwards?
AZ. The end was written before the shooting. However the dialogue wasn't written yet and the change was made after the revolution.
AT. To what extent are you satisfied with this work?
AZ. Thank God, the series was awarded the best series in Ramadan, after the audience was rated around 80 per cent in the Arab world. Despite Tamer's exposure by the boycott, the organisers were urged to follow up the series.
AT. What is next?
AZ. I have just finished shooting 'Bayt Al-Eila' ('Family home'), a series where I played the role of a married man called Medhat who has a daughter and lives a quite life, until a something happens to turn his life upside-down. The role will be a surprise for the audience. Also, I am starred in 'El-Sakr Shaheen' ('Sheheen the Falcon'), another series where I will play the role of Monther, an aggressive young man seeking to possess everything, so entering in conflict with Shaheen, played by the Syrian actor Taim Hasan.