27 Dec. 2001 - 2 Jan. 2002
Issue No.566
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 27 Dec. 2001 - 2 Jan. 2002 Issue No.566 |
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In the limelight
Everyone seems to agree that he is the star that illuminates every Ramadan. Al-Ahram Weekly paid a visit to Yehia El-Fakharani, the man who has taken the TV screen by storm, at his Abbasiya home
Heavyweight, fair and usually sporting an infectious smile, Yehia El-Fakharani has captured the attention of Ramadan TV viewers for 10 years in succession -- especially the women. Half of the female population seem to want him as a husband. The other half would make do with him as a father.
This year, El-Fakharani starred in the channel 2 serial Lil- 'Adalah Wogouh Kathira (Justice has many faces). He himself preferred the title Gaber Ma'amoun Nassar for the series in which he co-stars with Dalal Abdel-Aziz. (see related article)
El-Fakharani's rise to fame as a "Ramadan success" started in the early nineties with Layali El-Helmiya (Helmiya Nights). By that time, however, he was already an experienced actor with a career extending back into the seventies.
Early on in that decade he decided to change profession -- from medical doctor to actor -- and began his new career with the successful TV series Abnai' Al-A'izaa Shukran (My Dear Children, Thank You), followed by Syam Syam (Syam's Fasting), both screened during Ramadan. El-Fakharani made an immediate mark on TV audiences and became known as a comedian. Success followed success, and El-Fakharani followed with Al-Khoroug Min Al-Ma'azaq (Overcoming the Obstacle), Alf Leila wa Leila (Thousand and One Nights), Zizinizia and Opera Aida, all of which were also screened during Ramadan.
My heart almost skipped a beat when I met him at his home in Abbasiya. He made me instantly comfortable in his presence -- no false airs for this man. This despite the fact that he is not feeling his best these days, having undergone a kidney operation just a month ago.
His house itself is a reflection of his personality: simply furnished and dominated by warm dark wood hues. El- Fakharani refuses to change despite his new-found status. "I believe that it is us who give things their value, and not the other way around," he told me.
The first thing that you notice as you walk through the door is the smell of food. Sure enough the kitchen is to your immediate right -- El-Fakharani told me that this is the place he prefers to eat. "The only thing that I can't resist is food," he said sheepishly as he urged me to help myself.
El-Fakharani feels that Ramadan is his lucky and successful month. "Because of the focus on TV during the month, Ramadan either confirms your success as an actor or pushes you several steps backward," he told me.
El-Fakharani considers his role as Gaber Ma'aoun Nassar in Lil Adalah Wogouh Kathira to be "one of the most difficult" he has ever played. The character he portrays is "very complicated." Nevertheless, El-Fakharani has found similarities between Gaber and himself: his love of family, for example.
But then, El-Fakharani was always drawn to complex characters. "While they need more effort to convert them into flesh and blood, they are also invariably more charming to the audience," he said. "They also show the capabilities of the actor."
The characters which he portrays mean a lot to El- Fakharani. To him they are "flesh and blood" people that "you meet every day." He doesn't like taking on historical characters as he feels there is very little he can add. He is willing to make an exception, however, for King Farouk -- whose life story is told by a movie script currently awaiting the approval of the minster of information. "I think there are many misconceptions regarding the man's history that need to be corrected," says El-Fakharani. "People needed to see him as a human being."
El-Fakharani is currently busy preparing himself for a stage production in which he will be cast as the mythical popular naive character Goha. He is also getting ready for a production of King Lear, set to open at the National Theatre.
On my way out of the room, I noted three of his favourite things framed on the wall. There is an article written about him, published in Al-Akhbar newspaper in the seventies. Next to it is his graduation certificate from the faculty of medicine. Thirdly, there is a metal sheet upon which are engraved the words: "What would be the use of gaining the whole world if you lost yourself?" This is the motto by which he has chosen to live his life.
Interviewed by Hanan Sabra
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