Production has commenced on the much-anticipated Umm Kulthum biopic "El Set".
The film stars Mona Zaki in the titular role of the legendary singer, Sayed Ragab playing Umm Kulthum's father Sheikh Ibrahim Muhammad Al-Beltagy, and Ahmed Khaled Saleh portraying her brother Khaled Ibrahim Al-Beltagy.
Amr Saad has been tapped to play former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser in the pic.
The cast also boasts Mohamed Farag, Amr Saad, Ahmed Dawood, Ahmed Khaled Saleh, Tamer Nabil, and more.
The biopic will also feature several guest appearances, including Ahmed Helmy, Nelly Karim, and Amina Khalil.
Marwan Hamed is directing the pic from a script by Ahmed Mourad. The film comes as a part of the "Big Time" Investment Fund that aims to raise the quality of Arabic content and filmmaking.
The fund is sponsored by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. It invests in the most important Saudi, Gulf, and Arab films by the biggest stars of the Arab world.
“El Set” is co-produced by United Film Production Company, Big Time Fund, Synergy Films, and Film Square.
An international team has been hired for the makeup and the sound, which will be aided by the latest modern technologies.
Born on December 31, 1898, Umm Kulthum has no equivalent among singers in the world and represented the soul of the pan-Arab world for decades.
Her potent contralto, which could blur gender in its lower register, conveyed breathtaking emotional range in complex songs that, across theme and wildly-ornamented variations, could easily last an hour.
Her death on February 3, 1975, brought millions into the Cairo streets to mourn, and while her influence among Arab singers is incalculable, it extended far beyond it.
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