I love my work, but I just couldn't act when so many people were suffering," Yousra told tabloid! during a brief meeting while in Cairo months ago. And the Egyptian superstar stuck to her principles throughout the year, even pulling out from a Ramadan television series in summer 2011 out of respect for those that lost their lives during the Egyptian revolution of January 25 and beyond.
This surprised many of her fans, as Yousra had become known for being one of the top attractions in the Ramadan television race. In fact, her drama series are always top of the commissioning lists of numerous GCC satellite networks as she is also tremendously popular with audiences in the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
With the situation now calmer in the country, Yousra is back at work, with a few projects in the pipeline. But the actress is still wary of the situation in the region, and believes there is still a long way to go before the entertainment industry regains its strength. tabloid! catches up with the actress for a quick chat.
You have been absent from the spotlight for some time now, but you are now working on several new projects, including the film Game Over. Tell us more about it.
Yes, this marks my return to the big screen following my appearance in Bobbos a few years ago [co-starring Adel Imam]. The film, which will be out later this year, is a light comedy that aims to tackle many of Egypt's current issues. The beautiful Mai Ezz Al Deen also stars in the movie; she is great young actress.
The Egyptian Press Syndicate recently hosted a conference under the slogan ‘freedom of creativity', which you participated in. Are you afraid that the new government will try to control the arts too much?
Ask any artist and they will tell you that everyone should have the freedom to express themselves creatively. We are a democracy and therefore should have the right to say what we want to say. I honestly hope the people of Egypt pay attention to rebuilding Egypt rather than cover everything up. We need to be able to be free to choose what we want. Most importantly, we all must work together and forget our differences in order to make Egypt rise again.
What challenges do you think the entertainment industry will now face?
Egyptian art will face several challenges; however, I have great hopes that it will change for the better, thanks to the gradual changes taking place in our society. The process will take time though — many projects have been delayed after production houses feared tremendous losses. During the demonstrations last year, for instance, a lot of cinemas had to close which resulted in low revenue. So the business side of things still has some time before it strengthens again.
What do you make of the change in the country so far, and the fact that religion is playing a huge part in the government now?
I am not happy with the classification of religion, which was introduced by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Why are people being referred to as Salafists or Copts, for example? We are meant to be one nation. Your Egyptian citizenship should be the basis of society — not what your religious or political views are.
Are you going to be returning to television soon?
Yes, I am actually working on a drama called Sharbat Al Loz, written by Tamer Habeeb and starring the great actor Sameer Ganem.
Here, I play a simple, working-class woman who lives with her brothers, and it looks at a lot of the social issues regular individuals experience in the country. Expect this during Ramadan.
Wehbe cancels shows
Haifa Wehbe has cancelled all of her upcoming live performances, and has vowed not to perform again until the bloodshed taking place in Syria comes to an end.
"I cannot be performing and appearing at concerts and having fun when so many people are living through tragedy just for asking for their basic right to live free," said the Lebanese singer. "I am glued to my television and really can't get over the tragic events occurring across the region."
Playboy offer
Dominique Hourani has revealed that she received a proposal to pose for the cover of Playboy in 2006. However, she turned it down out of fear of the magazine "tarnishing the image of an Arab woman".
The Lebanese model and singer revealed she received a phone call from executives while she was on tour in the US.
"I was in Michigan for the Arab Music Festival, when I received the phone call with the offer. They even offered to send me a private plane to pick me up, and take me to their headquarters in Los Angeles," she said. "However, I turned it down because I felt the magazine wanted to ruin the image of Arab females by saying "Look — she's Arab and she's posed nude!' It wasn't a good idea."
Basma marries politician
It's a match made in revolutionary heaven. Following a year-long relationship, Egyptian actress Basma has married politician Amr Hamzawy in a private ceremony. Basma met Amr — who is a member of the Egyptian People's Council — in Tahrir Square on January 25.
The wedding ceremony was restricted to family members and very close friends.
Arabia online
"I wasn't assaulted by a gang when on my way to meet the Libyan Ambassador. Basically, I had scheduled this meeting to talk about the destruction of the statue of the late Egyptian President Jamal Abdul Nasser in Libya. There's no big story."
— Egyptian director Khalid Yousuf
"My next release will be Anany, which is collaboration with the great Emirati poet Shaikha Fatima Bint Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. It will be composed by Ebrahim Al Suwaidi."
— Emirati singer Hussain Al Jasmi
