"Bohemian Rhapsody" won four Academy Awards Sunday, giving the Freddie Mercury biopic the most trophies at the 91st Oscars ceremony.
Rami Malek, an American with Egyptian roots, won the Oscar in the category of best actor to highlight "Bohemian Rhapsody's" haul.
Malek, a 37-year-old Los Angeles native, in a heartfelt speech talked about being the son of Egyptian immigrant parents, praising his mom and said he knows his dad is looking down on him, during his acceptance speech, which was hailed by Arabs and Egyptians as a proud moment.
Egyptians on Twitter have already gave him a tittle “The Egyptian King” expressing how proud they are of him.
Shereen El Seewi an Egyptian in Dubai, says: “I feel so proud to see one rising star of Egyptian heritage being recognized internationally. We might actually be celebrating another Omar Sharif in the making.”
Another Egyptian Yasmine El Tayeb, told Gulf News: “I felt very proud the moment I opened Instagram and found my news feed flooded with pictures of Rami Malek and his Oscar! Way to go Rami!”
Hiba Hani, an Egyptian/Emirati living in, Dubai says: “I first saw Rami Malek when he played a pharaoh in ‘Night’ at the museum, and I fell in love. I'd always hoped he'd succeed, but knew it was unlikely because of his ethnicity. So as an Egyptian, I was thrilled that he won an Oscar. As a fan of Queen, I am even more thrilled that he was recognised for his outstanding performance in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It is an honour that he represents Egypt to the rest of the world, and I can't wait to see what he will do next!”
Nour Montasser says: “I always felt like there is a ceiling for us, as a cultural minority, in certain industries. Egyptian representation in Western industries is rare. So when you see Rami win something of this scale, so confidently and rightfully so... It’s an undeniable validation that talent does not discriminate, and that we cannot allow our people to hide their potential behind industry barriers.”
Dima, a Palestinian and a big fan of Rami Malek, told Gulfnews: “Am very happy that Rami won, not only the first Arab to win the Oscar but the first actor to win from the first nomination, he proves that we have lots of talents that need a chance.”
Radwah Adel, an Egyptian who works on an entertainment talk show in Dubai, expressed her happiness for the nomination of three Arab names to the Oscars this year in three different categories.
Besides Rami, two Arab producers nominated for the Oscars were Lebanese Nadine Labki and Syrian Talal Derki.
“Maybe Nadine and Talal did not win but they represented the Arab cinema on the night. And as an Egyptian, I am ecstatic because Rami didn’t only win a simple or minor category. He won big and he broke the debate that was going on: whether or not to consider him an American or an Arab. But he endorsed his origins in his speech last night and made all Egyptians proud.”
From the streets of Egypt our reporter asked people of their feelings:
“It’s a great honour for every Egyptian to see an Egyptian actor, even if he was an immigrant, to win the prestigious Oscar,” said Tamer Shaaban, a 21-year-old Egyptian.
“His pride in his Egyptian roots is inspiring. His win of the best actor Oscar is not surprising after the prizes he has recently clinched. I look forward to watching his film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and enjoy his performance,” added Shaaban.
“Rami Malek? I don’t know an actor of this name. Probably you mean Ahmad Malek whom I saw in several [Egyptian] films and TV serials,” said Abdul Rahman Hussain, a fabrics merchant. “But if he [Rami Malek] is an Egyptian, then we should be happy for having a son of Egypt raising its head high abroad. Long live Egypt!” added Hussain, repeating a trademark slogan of Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi.
Rami Malek’s win also kicked off an online sensation. “Congratulations Rami, I knew u were going to be a star since u first scene I saw u in Twilight. Go ahead,” a fan named Laila tweeted.
The Egyptian Ministry of Migration, meanwhile, congratulated the 37-year-old actor for his Oscar. The ministry’s twitter account posted a photo of his along with his quote: “I am the son of immigrants from Egypt, I’m a first generation American and part of my story is being written right now.”
