CAIRO - 16 July 2021: We as humans go through constant change which is a natural element of our life journey and personal development, yet we as non public figures have the luxury of anonymity which can't be applied to the actress Hala Shiha.
Confused by this statement? Don't worry, we will give you a summary of the latest issue that has been dominating social media.
The singer and actor Tamer Hosny, embarked on a film entitled 'This Is Not Me' more than 18 months ago with Hala Shiha, but due to the Covid19 panadmic the film release was delayed and only hit our cinemas this month.
As soon as the film's poster and promotion marketing came out, Shiha wrote a post wishing the film crew good luck but declared that she is not part of the film because as she wrote "when I shot the film I was a different person and this is not me now". Hosny didn't comment on this statement.
Today things were suddenly escalated as Shiha wrote another post on Instagram attacking Hosny for going back on his word, as she had requested that he removes all the intimate scenes from the film and allegedly he promised her that he will.
A promise that was broken as clips of the film and song showed Shiha in romantic scenes with him.
Shiha, said in her post that she felt ashamed of her scenes and was weeping as she watched them, and went on to remind Hosny that he himself had said in an interview that he doesn't want to die as a singer, insinuating that he wants to repent and doesn't see singing as something that goes with Islamic teaching.
Shiha posted the YouTube link of the interview in her post.
Wrong or right is not our call to make and each one of us have their own values and beliefs but let's examine some facts.
Shiha returned to Egypt and acting few years ago after more than a decade of detaching herself from the acting industry.
She returned with a new look, ditching her hijab, and tried to reclaim her previous life.
Divorced with four children it seemed as though Shiha was embarking on a new self discovery, one that caused her mental and emotional stress due to the vile attacking comments she kept receiving from so called fans or keyboard warriors.
Soon enough she started working with big names such as Mohamed Ramadan and Yousra but all of this started to take a different direction last summer when she announced her marriage to the Egyptian preacher Moaz Masoud.
Suddenly she deleted many of her photos from Instagram, unfollowed Hosny and Ramadan and wiped out any image that linked her to her role in the Ramadan hit of 2020 'Ahed's Betrayal'. Again that is her personal space and she is free to do what she likes.
But her latest stance on Hosny's film is questionable, for example you signed a contract and shot these scenes without anyone forcing you, yes you were a different person but why would a production company bear the cost of your own personal struggles, might sound harsh but in the work ethics you must honour your contract.
These scenes might upset her but they are vital to the story of the film and the audience thrive on romantic scenes.
Was it Hosny's right to promise her that he will cut her scenes out? No, though he is the star of the film but it's a group project that involves hundreds of people, so unless they all agreed he had no right to make such a promise.
In the same manner was Shiha right to share Hosny's interview ? Would he want the public to know that he doesn't see his profession in compliance with religion? Probably not, so why would Shiha do that, is it her way of getting back at him for his failure to fulfil the promise, and if so then two wrongs don't make a right.
Hosny didn't remain silent to her accusations this time and posted his own response on social media stating that he never promised her the things she claimed on her post and he reminded her that no one forced her to do the role which she got paid highly for and the fact that the director of the film and he personally tried for months to contact her to finish doing the voice over or take part in the film poster but she kept ignoring them.
Other actors and people within the industry were quick to condemn Shiha's attack on their profession most notably two members of the Adel group whom had worked with her, writing if acting is against religion so are you ok with spending a non halalfied money.
Shiha has always been an actress that is close to the audience heart, a girl from next door that many can identify with, she is now focusing or thriving to do good and in a not so direct way she has denounced acting or singing, so where does that leave her and others in the industry.
If Shiha, has another change of heart in the future and returns to acting, would anyone be willing to take a risk and work with her, knowing that she might go though another change.
Finally and more importantly Shiha as we mentioned earlier wants to be a force of good in this world which is admirable and we wish her all the best in her choices but what is worrying is that everytime she is married or in a relationship her character changes, this might well just be a coincidence and she could have been struggling internally and these men were merely tools that gave her the confidence to be who she wants to be.
But for many young girls who follow and like her they will see a woman who changes life direction according to the man she is with, is this what we want girls to follow? It's a dangerous ground that needs to be addressed because so many girls might now allow a man to influence their choices and the way they live.
As we said at the opening of the article, no one can judge Shiha, she is being open and honest about her personal journey, which is braves many hide their mental and emotional struggles, carrying on in pretence and not being true to themselves just because of public image or survival, Shiha is more daring, to open up yourself to criticism and sadly abuse is a courageous step that not many would take.
The only issue though in our perspective is the impact of her action on others, live the way you want but don't let others bear the consequences of your choices.
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