Upper Egypt is the land of
secrets, stories and ulti-
mate charm. Egyptian superstar Nelly Karim has decided to challenge herself and put on a Sa’idi dialect for her Ramadan series Omla Nadra (Rare Coin). Egypt Today sits down with
Karim to talk about the new series and her first experience playing the part of an Upper Egyptian. Stepping out of her comfort zone, Nelly Karim
delivers once again, this
time taking on the role of
an Upper Egyptian in the
hit drama series Omla
Nadra.
1-Why did you choose to portray a woman from Upper Egypt?
I always enjoy watching the series set in Upper Egypt, especially those that highlight the heritage of the area. People who haven’t visited Upper Egypt, haven’t visited Egypt. When I went to a palace in Upper Egypt, I was amazed by the charming na-
ture of the Nile and the people there. Every time I go, I imagine that inside every house and behind every door there is a story that is worth narrating.
2-You said that you enjoy watching series that take place in Upper Egypt, do you feel that you were influenced by any of these series while portraying the role of Nadra?
No, I wasn’t influenced by a specific character, I just love to
watch old Upper Egyptian series especially “El Daw’ El Shared” because it is a very distinguished series.
3- How did you manage to master the Upper Egyptian dialect and pull off an authentic Sa’idi look?
At the beginning I was afraid of the Sa’idi dialect, but lin-
guistics expert Abdel Nabi al-Hawari helped me a lot. He has a vast knowledge of linguistics and years of experience. He is so
passionate about Upper Egyptian heritage, customs and traditions. First he asked to hear my voice in the Sa’idi dialect, in addition to performing some preparations that helped me a lot. I have to admit that without him I would not have enjoyed the
Sa’idi dialect, it is very lovely and has an authentic tone. As for the look, stylist Ghada Wafik travelled to Upper Egypt to see how women dress, then she selected the style suitable for each character. She put in a lot of effort and did a great job.
4-Tell us more about your first cooperation with veteran actor
Gamal Soliman.
The star-studded cast of Omla Nadra was a great support
to me. I finally got to work with veteran actor Gamal Soliman.
Together we mastered some exceptionally difficult scenes and I was thrilled to perform in front of a renowned actor like him—at times I would even forget my role because I would be enjoying watching his brilliant performance and he has a vast experience in performing Sa’idi characters. Kamal Abo Rayya also has a lot of experience embodying Sa’idi roles; I used to watch
these seasoned actors and learn from them how to accurately pronounce the Sa’idi dialect.
5-This series marks your third cooperation with director
Mando El Adl and each time you tackle a different issue re-
lated to women. How important is it for women empowerment to portray women’s issues in drama?
As you said, Omla Nadra marks my third cooperation with Mando El Adl after “Le A’ala Se’er” (For The Highest Price) and “Faten Amal Harby.” Mando and I usually discuss all the details of the series as a whole, not only my role. Upper
Egyptian series have a special style so we needed to pay attention to every single detail. Nadra is a strong character and I personally prefer to spotlight women’s issues on screen even if the character is in crises within the drama, because she will regain her strength again and come back self-reliant, which I see is a must for every woman.
6-Some may argue that women can speak for themselves. As a man, how is El Adl able to convey women’s issues on screen?
Mando loves to advocate for women in his work, as he did in Faten Amal Harby, and he has done the same in Omla Nadra, highlighting the woman’s character with all its details. He is very keen on the performance of each one in the cast. Every character in Omla Nadra is rich,challenging and has its own drama line. We are all happy that we are working together on this series and we hope people like it.
7-Many people now think that a 30-episode series is incom-
patible with the fast pace of the current times, and artists
are now supporting the format of 15-episode series and
working with digital platforms. How do you see the future
of drama?
Working on a 30-episode series is not only tedious, it is also very risky, because filming usually takes months, in addition to the fact that the script sometimes becomes at some point slow-paced and boring. The drama scene today is developing rapidly and a large segment currently find that presenting 15-episode series has more advantages, and therefore it is certain that in Ramadan 2024 I will go for a 15-episode series,because it is more suited to current times.
8- What are your future plans ?
I recently finished shooting two series, the first is Rose and
Leila with my idol Yousra and which is scheduled to be re-
leased on one of the digital platforms. It really is an interesting experience, and the series houses a notable cast directed by the international director Adrian Shergold. The second series is Leh La’aa? (Why Not) part 3, directed by Nadine Khan, and scheduled to be released in the upcoming period. It co-stars Salah Abdullah, Aida Riyad, Ahmed Tariq and Moataz Hisham, among others.
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