Galal to ET: ‘Rahim’ is a series with unpredictable incidents

CAIRO – 19 June 2018: After his booming success last Ramadan in “Zel El-Rais” (The President’s Shadow), this Ramadan, the heartthrob Yasser Galal played Rahim, an Egyptian businessman who works in money laundry and dollar smuggling. Galal portrayed Rahim in a way that made us all love the brave, fair, strong and romantic guy. Galal talked to Egypt Today about his successful Ramadan series "Rahim".

What attracted you to "Rahim"?

After the huge success of "Zel el-Rais" (Shadow of the president), I received a lot of scripts but I chose to cooperate again with Fenoon Masr Production company which trusted me last year and gave me the first opportunity as a hero in "Zel el Rais". The company, owned by the two producers Remon Makar and Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, was keen to cooperate with me again in another series with a completely different plot and a new drama line. We asked Mohamed Ismail Amin, the script writer of "Zel el Rais", to find a new idea for the series and he came up with "Rahim"; we all liked the idea instantly.

Did you expect "Rahim" to achieve success? Why do you think it succeeded?

I have to say that I didn’t enjoy the booming success of "Zel el-Rais" last year because I was worried about the next step. Upon noticing the success of the early episodes of the series, my only concern was to be able to take another step that is even more important and successful. "Rahim" succeeded as a result of the huge effort exerted by the whole cast, not only me. The success of "Rahim" was built on the rich characters and the surprising events that take place each episode. "Rahim" is a series with unpredictable incidents; this is one of the main reasons for its success.

Weren't you worried working with Mohamed Salama in his first directing experience?

I wasn’t worried at all. The producers completely trusted Salama and I personally trust their opinion because they only support good talents. When I first met Salama before shooting and he told me about his vision and ideas, I knew that I was dealing with a talented director who knows what he is doing. If actors work only with veteran and famous directors, then when will the rising directors take their chance? It is our duty to trust the rising talents to be able to continuously renew and enrich the drama scene. I learned a lot from Salama; he possesses a vivid vision, enthusiasm and an exceptional capability to work hard and pay attention to every single detail.

Who was responsible for your look in "Rahim"?

I sat with the producers and the director and we agreed on the most suitable look for the character; we agreed on the long beard that people talked about a lot (Galal laughed).
The action scenes in "Rahim" grabbed the audience attention; tell us more about these scenes.

"Rahim" contained more action scenes than "Zel el-Rais". The action dose in "Rahim" is both more difficult and more dangerous; I was about to die while shooting the famous jump scene that stirred a wide controversy on social media.

Such jump wasn’t performed before in the history of Egyptian drama; the normal jump is usually performed either from a roof to another roof of the same height or from a roof or a window to the ground, but I jumped from a roof to a balcony which had a glass window. The director, the produces, my colleagues in the series and Amr Mcgyver all told me not to perform this scene because it was too dangerous, but I insisted.

I followed Salama and Mcgyver's security instructions and successfully performed the scene. It was the most dangerous scene I have ever performed; my head was about to hit the wall and I fell on the floor; it was so painful. Despite all that I was extremely happy with the audience reactions to the scene, the matter that relieved all the pain I felt. Performing such action scenes requires the actor to maintain a certain level fitness.

Tell us more about the appearance of super star Ahmed el Sakka as a guest of honour.
The appearance of my lifetime friend and famed super star Ahmed el Sakka as a guest of honour in one of the scenes added a lot to "Rahim"; Sakka is famous for supporting all his friends. The audience loved Sakka's scene.

How do you evaluate the competition between Ramadan series this year?

The competition between Ramadan soap operas is for the benefit of the audience; I prefer to say that all Ramadan stars are cooperating with each other to entertain the audience rather than competing with each other. The drama field needs variety; each star has his/her own taste and the audience who loves him/her.

The presence of a lot of series in Ramadan satisfies a wider base of audience and enriches the Egyptian drama. I wish all my colleagues success because each one of us has his place in the hearts of the audience and no one will ever take the place of the other. I usually don’t enjoy success because I get more concerned about the next step.

Tell us about your upcoming cinema projects

I delayed all cinema projects because I was keen to support my success last year in "Zel el Rais" with my success in "Rahim". "I don’t want to make a movie only to participate in the movie marathon or to exploit the success of 'Zel el Rais' and 'Rahim'; I want to present an influential movie to be a strong comeback for me in the cinema. There is a cinema Project that will surprise all my fans but I can’t reveal any of its details now."