What is bad news for Haifa Wehbe means big business for film piraters. After Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mihlib's decided to ban the latest film "Halawet Rouh", starring the Lebanese diva, large quantities of pirated versions of the film have taken the Egyptian streets by storm.
According to the Middle East news portal Elaph, the complete film recorded in cinema is being sold for 4 US dollars. The overall quality of the DVDs is said to be acceptable.
"Watch the banned film for Haifa," sellers call out from cinema house entrances around Egypt, and they are making bank from a high demand for the DVD, the price of which is equal to that of a movie ticket.
The movie, said to have been inspired by Italian actress Monica Bellucci’s 2000 hit Malena also garnered about $150,000 in the one week before it was banned.
