Renad Ghanem

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH –– After a long sabbatical leave, legendary Egyptian actor Adel Emam is finally making a comeback to the silver screen with his new series “Naji Attallah Team.”



Expectations are high of Emam as he was a well-known actor in the 80s, and the last serial he acted in was “Tears in Rude Eyes” in 1982. Since then, Emam was only acting in movies and doing plays in theaters.



In the serial, Emam plays a role of a retired officer who has an administrative job in the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv, Isreal. However, Emam faces a lot of hardship at the hands of the Israeli forces for objecting against the brutal treatment of Palestinians. The Israeli government then freezes Emam’s bank account and forces him to go back to Egypt.



Back in Egypt, Emam recruits and trains five students to rob a bank in Israel. According to MBC.net, the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahranot published a report expressing their resentment of the image of Israelis in the serial. The report also stated that the serial shows Israel as an espionage country. Emam denied knowing about any report published in Yediot Ahranot, and hence refused to comment on it.



Although Emam said he was shocked upon receiving criticism on his serial –– even before being aired on TV. He wants to know how a particular serial can be judged only on promos.



“If the promo has made the Israelis angry and they have attacked me, then I’m sure they will be more upset when they watch various other events unfold in the series,” said Emam.



Emam reacted in a similar manner to the negative reaction shown by Israelis when he made his movie “The Embassy in the Building” in 2005. The movie revolved around Emam returning to his apartment in a building after many years only to discover that it has been occupied by an Israeli embassy.



The series is written by Youssef Ma’ati and directed by Rami Emam, the eldest son of Emam. The serial being aired this Ramadan has cost the producers a whopping 70 million Egyptian pounds, out of which Emam will pocket a check of 30 million Egyptian pounds.



Emam’s fans are elated to see him back on the small screen as his serials based on serious issues are known for their use of humor and satire.