Episode 28: Most Tear-Jerking Episode in "El Ekhteyar"

Yara Sameh

Egyptian actor's Amir Karara TV series “El Ekhteyar” (The Choice) has left the public feeling overwhelmed Thursday night after the screening of the 28th episode.

Karara plays the role of martyr Colonel Ahmed el-Mansy in the series. El-Mansy was the commander of Sa’ka Forces (Thunderbolt Forces) battalion 103, who was martyred with several other members of his battalion on July 7th, 2017.

The 42-year-old actor has received wide recognition for his outstanding performance from day one, following its premiere during the holy month of Ramadan.

They were killed during clashes between Egyptian army forces and militants in a terror attack launched on an Egyptian armed forces checkpoint in El-Barth Village, Rafah, North Sinai.

The series became on the most searched on Google top-trending searches in Egypt after the screening of the 28th episode on Thursday night.

It also trended on twitter trending list under several hashtags namely “#Mansy the legend” (#منسي_الاسطوره), “#El-Barth_Massacre”(#ملحمه_البرث), "martyrs of the country" (شهداء الوطن), and “heaven above” (الفردوس الاعلي), as many celebrities and twitterers paid tribute to the martyrs of the country.

[caption id="attachment_123621" align="aligncenter" width="710"] Amir Karara - TV series “El Ekhteyar”[/caption]

The episode featured the final stage in the life of Mansy and other members of his battalion 103 as they fended off the militants’ terror attack launched on an Egyptian armed forces checkpoint in El-Barth Village, on July 7th, 2017.

Moreover, several celebrities took to social media following the screening of the series, including Ahmed Helmy, Ahmed Salah Hosny, Ahmed El Sakka, Tamer Hosny, Salah Abdallah, Mahmoud El-Bezzawy, Ahmed Rizk, Naglaa Badr, Ghada Abdelrazek, and others.

Celebrities who have spoken about the martyrs of the country, which you can read below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAdxRf4Hdi6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAdfyZKj2e2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAd7_GphaTc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://twitter.com/tamerhosny/status/1263635331565457408?s=20

https://twitter.com/SalahAbdallah/status/1263454873359724545?s=20

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAd2uKkByK3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAeNbPyg7iX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

"El Ekhteyar" message

TV series "El Ekhteyar" is the first to present the life of the commander in artistic work. It was often praised on social media and news outlets for highlighting the terrorists’ dark principals and ideology, which are based on blood, betrayal, and opportunism.

Each episode in the series triggers patriotic feelings and a sense of gratitude for the Egyptian army inside each citizen for their brave and heroic stands.

It also drives a sense of anger towards the terrorists and extremists as it showcased their true colors, which is filled with dark motives against their “greatest enemy”, the Egyptian army.

"El Ekhteyar" is loaded with unforgettable moments masterfully presented by great director Peter Mimi, who managed to create a national epic with the true meaning of the word.

Ahmed El Sakka is scheduled to make a guest appearance in the last episode of the series. He will play the military prosecutor who is interrogating terrorist Hisham Ashmawy ‎(played by Ahmed Elawady).

It also stars‎ Sarah Adel, Dina Fouad, Ahmed Fouad Selim, Mahmoud Hafez, Diaa Abdulkhaliq, Abed Anani, Ehab Fahmy, Enaam Salosa, Afaf Rashad, Islam Jamal, Hazem Samir, Maha Nassar, Ashraf Meslehi, and others.

The TV series is written by Baher Dowidar, directed by Peter Mimi, and produced by Synergy Production Company.

Mansy martyrdom

“Since the beginning of Ramadan, we were wary of this day. The scene of the martyrdom of Ahmed el-Mansy exceeded all my imagination. Ahmed el-Mansy was martyred in the same way,” Manar Salim, the widow of the el-Mansy, said in a televised remake.

Salim pointed out el-Mansy was always waiting for the martyrdom and was always saying “that he would not live long in that life”.

She also expressed her thankfulness to the creators of the series for their creativity in the series, as well as for representing el-Mansy’s humanitarian stances.

“Artist Amir Karara excelled in embodying the personality of the martyr Ahmed el-Mansy. He put a lot of effort.” Salim stressed.

She added: “the creators of the series told them that the episode would be tough, and in truth, the scenes were really very difficult,”

"In the montage they were very sad and therefore they issued a statement appealing to the families of the martyrs not to watch the episode." Salim continued.