Unveiling the Perfect Muse: Why Mona Zaki Was the Only Choice to Play Umm Kulthum, 5 Years in the Making

Writer Ahmed Murad believed that actress Mona Zaki is best suited to portray the character of Umm Kulthum, in his new film “The Woman” directed by Marwan Hamed, which is slated to hit theaters in 2025.

During his conversation with Al-Sharq, Murad said: “Mona Zaki is one of the most important artists in the Arab world, due to her precious choices she has reached a prominent level of artistic maturity, which qualifies her to present artistic vision of character, in a professional manner.

He added, “Mona is someone who is always concerned about her work, but she is a collaborative person and puts in a lot of effort throughout the preparation of the project,” indicating her full awareness of her experience on “The Woman.” Faisali’s role throughout his artistic career represents “he is a professional and sophisticated artist who understands that no work… satisfies the entire audience, and he is not afraid to engage in experience despite its difficulties.”

Saeed Ragab, Ahmed Khaled Saleh, Tamer Nabil and several honored guests, such as Ahmed Helmi, Amr Saad, Mohammad Farag, Nelly Karim and Amina Khalil, along with Mona Zaki are participating in the film “The Woman” written by Ahmed Murad and directed by Marwan Hamed.

An idea and a dream

Ahmed Murad revealed the scenes of the preparation of the film “The Woman” that it was just an idea and over time it turned into a dream he had to implement it “I once spoke to the director Marwan Hamed about this project, and he told me: it It will be a very difficult film, because the audience knows a lot about it, and what about the new ones that we will introduce first?

He continued, “We had working sessions for two months to outline the features of the film project, until we agreed to start implementing it. We have been working on it for almost 5 years, especially in 2019.”

He noted that he went through the process of researching and examining his personal diaries, gathering all the information about him, continuing, “I looked at everything that was written about him from East to West, and I conducted an opinion poll with the university. Students, as well as foreign youth, about their views of Umm Kulthum, and what they know about her, with the aim of establishing… a system of how to present it in the present, even though she has been gone for almost 5 decades, and her influence. still exists in public, as if he were present among us.”

He asserted that “the film was full of difficulties and challenges, perhaps the most notable of which was that a large section of the audience refused to present the biography of Umm Kulthum in an artistic work, as if it were a religious figure, the costuming and the difficulties in execution, especially since the events were a happened in ancient times.”

He went on to say: “Mona Zaki worked a lot to play the role, and director Marwan Hamed, who put in a lot of effort and was under tremendous pressure, and I always find her presence a big support for me.”

About the desire to present a film about a singing personality, he said: “This kind of work is very popular all over the world, especially since it is about personalities who have achieved huge success and the audience needs to know their true stories, because they are the most influential.”

Foreign experience

Regarding the use of foreign expertise in the implementation of the film, he explained that “Marwan Hamed sought the assistance of expertise in all areas inside and outside Egypt and each film has its own theme and the technology and skills present in the film. A surprise for the audience.”

He noted that the filming of the film took 36 days with various breaks, as it was filmed between Egypt and several other countries, noting that the project is fully completed and has recently entered the editing stage, although its theatrical release date has not yet been set.

About the audience’s comparison of his film with previous works on the story of Umm Kulthum, he said: “Part of the structure of the film (The Woman) is that we present a work about a singer, which the audience thinks about. They know a lot, but there are definitely things that are still unknown to the audience.”

He added, “Everyone’s journey can be tackled in different ways and perspectives, and in the new film we have chosen a specific perspective, and it has nothing to do with comparisons or competition at the box office,” explaining that “Umme Kulthum’s character is about her. allowing many artistic works to be presented.”

Effective cooperation

Ahmed Murad talked about the Big Time Fund and the General Entertainment Authority’s support for the film “The Six”, especially as it relates to big-budget films, saying: “Successful Egyptian cinema was not solitary, it was always collective. Production, whether Arab or foreigners.”

He continued, “Big Time Fund’s support with United Companies will enrich the art industry, and their presence in the film gave us the vision we wanted,” stressing that “there will be collaboration between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in production. Serve the art, Especially since movies are so expensive.”

New project

Ahmed Murad touched on the latest developments in the third part of the film “The Blue Elephant” starring Karim Abdel Aziz, explaining that he has finished the writing stage, and preparations are scheduled to begin in the coming period. Start filming as soon as possible.

He also added that he currently has two movie projects in the works and is still in the writing stage, noting that he has about 6 movies written and they haven’t had a chance to go public yet, though they are too many. Big work “Any screenwriter who writes an artistic work does not guarantee the realization but we have to practice writing all the time and wait until we get the right opportunity to realize it.”

Regarding the extent of his choice to present films taken from novels or otherwise, he insists that there is no need to perform works inspired by literary works, citing his experiences with the two films “The Originals” and “The Six”. As the second and third parts of “The Blue Elephant”.