ALBAWABA - The highly-praised Syrian TV drama "Ibtasim Ayuha al-Jeneral," Arabic for "Smile, You General," will start showing during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The 30-episode series is directed by Orwa Mohamed and written by Samer Radwan. It was filmed in Turkey and produced by the Spain-based Metaphora Company.
The story revolves around a tyrannical-ruling family that managed to seize the reins of power in a fictional country.
A conflict, however, arises between two brothers in the family, one who inherited the presidency from his father, while the other is is terminally-ill general who wields significant power in the country.
The dispute surfaces when it is revealed that the general has had secret affairs with numerous women, including the wives of influential politicians as well as his sister-in-law. The president seeks to cover-up the scandal, which threatened his own rule.
The Syrian actor, Maxim Khalil, is taking the lead role in the series, playing a character by the name of "Al-jeneral," Arabic for General. The term connotates an army rank, or someone holding a top rank, who commands and leads an army.
While the series is said not to name drop any country, some suspect that the lead actor is portraying the person of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad. Khalil has dismissed the speculation, however.
Many other Syrian actors join Khalil, such as Abdul Hakim Qatifan, Mazen Al-Natour, Sawsan Arshid, Reem Ali, Azza Al-Bahra, Abdul Qadir Manla, Marah Jabr.
