CAIRO: The Egyptian Actors’ Syndicate has criticized actress Hala Shiha’s changed attitude toward the movie “This Is Not Me” (Mesh Ana), which she worked on with singer and actor Tamer Hosny.
The syndicate considered Shiha’s comments on the film as “attempts to go backward by spreading obscurantism.”
Hosny started work with Shiha on “This Is Not Me” 18 months ago, but the film’s release was delayed due to the pandemic and it only hit cinemas this month.
As soon as the film’s promotion began, Shiha wrote a post wishing the film crew luck but declared that she was not part of the film because “when I shot the film I was a different person and this is not me now.” She did not attend the special screening of the film.
Shiha married the Egyptian preacher and producer Moez Masoud last February and her appearances in films have since decreased.
On Friday, Shiha wrote a post on Instagram attacking Hosny for going back on his word and not removing the intimate scenes from the film as allegedly promised by him.
Shiha’s statements caused a sharp division in society, between those who supported her and those who disapproved of her actions. A number of artists accused her of distorting art.
The syndicate announced “its total rejection of all attempts to take us back by spreading the dark thought that the Egyptian society has suffered from for decades, whether through public social media pages or private pages for those who retire from acting under the cover of repentance as if the talent they had been granted by God is a sin.”
The syndicate affirmed its full support for creativity and creators in all arts in general, and representative professions in particular, noting that “some artists’ repeated quitting and return to the field shows that they may be governed by personal interests.”
On Instagram, Shiha expressed her dissatisfaction over the release of the “I Love You” (Bahebak) clip from the film and objected to the way the scenes were assembled to appear in the clip.
“I was surprised by Tamer Hosny’s presentation of a clip that combines separate scenes from the film, especially after the last post in which I explained who I am,” she said.
“This is Not Me” — written by Hosny and directed by Sarah Wafik — stars Hosny, Shiha, Maged El-Kedwany, Mohamed Abdel Rahman, Sawsan Badr, Eyad Nassar and Sherine.
