Miffed Laila Ulwi Bewails Small Role, Threatens to Exit TV Series

Artist Laila Ulwi has threatened to withdraw from the series Hadith Al Sabah Wal Masaa (Morning and Evening Speech) after the screenwriter Mohsen Zayed’s refusal to rewrite the script at her request. 

Ulwi objected to appearing in only 12 out of the series’ 30 episodes.  

The series would have marked the return of Ulwi to viewers in TV-land after a more than four-year sabbatical.  

She has also asked for higher pay of 12,000 pounds per episode. 

Ulwi’s protest against the script has delayed shooting, despite the fact that the series was strongly promoted for airing next Ramadan.  

The series is based on a story written by the Egyptian Nobel prizewinner Najeeb Mahfouz and has received special attention from Egyptian TV. 

Officials at the Egyptian TV production department have intervened and convinced Zayed to add some scenes to the series. He has accepted, provided that the scenes serve as the dramatic interests of the series, rather than Ulwi, who will appear in them. 

“I don’t write ‘made-to-measure scenarios’ for the stars. I wasn’t told who would play the role when I started writing the scenario,” Zayed told the daily Al Sharq Al Awsat. 

The series stars Hanan Tork, Sawsan Bader, Dalal Abdel Aziz, Khaled Al Nabawi, Kamal Abu Raya, Abla Kamel and Ahmed Khalil.  

It is being directed by Ahmed Saqer, and includes songs with lyrics by Fuad Hajjaj and set to music by Ammar Al Shireai – Albawaba.com