Samir Sabri Reveals Secrets at Ihsan Abdel Quddous Salon

Once again, renowned Egyptian actor Samir Sabri built a charming ambiance full of memories and tales about his long journey in the world of art and cultural life in the literary salon of the late writer Ihsan Abdel Quddus at Gezira Sporting Club.

Writer and novelist Rasha Samir ran the dialogue, who managed to explore the riches of Sabri's heart.

Sabri pronounced his own opinion on the Egyptian Golden Age, which was full of unusual stars, during a journey spanning more than half a century.

[caption id="attachment_112388" align="aligncenter" width="2304"] Ihsan Abdel Quddous family with Samir Sabry and Dr. Rash Samir[/caption]

* Time changed

Sabri sealed his testimony about the era in which he lived. "It was full of patriotism and tolerance on all levels," he said.

"Students in my school, Victoria College, included Cohen, Marcus, and Mohamed, and religion type was never questionable," he added.

We used to save time for our families, which we miss now, he says, adding whenever I go for a dinner banquet, attendees are asked to shut down their cellphones as it disrupts the intimacy of the gathering.

* Lessons in Media

I learned from radio experts, such as Baba Sharou, Galal Moawad to respect the guest and leave them the space to talk and express their ideas. I learned that the guest is important whether he is a minister or concierge, and we learned the importance of timing when it comes to the audience.

Also, I learned a lot from iconic Egyptian radio host Amal Fahmy. She taught me that the question comes from the guest’s answer and when I host an artist like “Sabah”, I will have to satisfy all kinds of audience.

A housewife wants to know details about her latest surgery, and the young girl wants information about her clothes, and that the man wants to know about her relationships with her husband. The questions should cover all listeners' interests as they differ.

[caption id="attachment_112389" align="aligncenter" width="1728"] Mohamed Ihsan Abdel Quddous[/caption]

Also, I must have a background on the guest, and I should not adhere only to the program maker, even though they were prominent figures such as Moufeed Fawzy, Imad Al-Din Adeeb, Hala Sarhan, Mohamed Abdel Moneim, and others.

"I have good loving parents," Sabri said, noting that all his dreams came true as his parents prayed for him.

When he stared in the movie "Wa Bel Waledayen Ihsanan" portraying the character of an Ungrateful son, His father went to the movies and listened to the comments of the viewers, insulting the character as if it were real.

I also received a prize from the late President Anwar Sadat, who acknowledged my role, saying that the character was conceived flawlessly.

[caption id="attachment_112382" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Ihsan Abdel Quddous[/caption]

* Ihsan Abdel Quddous & Cinema

Samir stated that he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Warwick in England on literary works in Arab cinema.

He added that he considers the actress Magda Al-Sabahi an ingenious producer- she presented the novels of Abdel Quddous, such as "A Nose And Three Eyes", Choosing the beautiful actresses Naglaa Fathi and Mervat Amin to play alongside her, not minding their appeal.

On his favorite movies, he said that the late star Nadia Lutfi was credited for the movie Black Sunglasses "El Naddara el Sawdaa", and Soad Hosny in "Bi'r al-Herman" & "Shorooq we Ghoroob".

Sabri remarked that there is a conspiracy against the Egyptian accent since the Turkish drama series have been translated in the Levantine accent.

We see in Turkish series the delightful illustrations, the beautiful girl and the graceful young man despite the plainness that the Turkish society carries in reality.

Also, recent Egyptian production, which is called "realistic cinema" should not be presented in the name of art.

The realistic cinema was presented in "El-Azima", "El-Zouga al Thanya" and "Doa'a El Karawan", Sabri stated, adding that the recent drama has noting do with realism.

"As for what we are seeing now, it is a systematic deformity to lose our soft power," he remarked.

Sabri concluded by saying that he hates failure and has managed to succeed in fulfilling all his dreams, yet, as the late Mustafa Amin said 'in our country, people do not like the successful one'.

"I learned from my teachers that if someone hit me with bricks, I do not pay attention and if I walk uprightly, my enemies will be confused," he said.

Contributed by: Taarek Refaat