Sofia Essaïdi to play Umm Kulthum in biopic

BEIRUT: Iconic Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum is getting her own biopic, and Sofia Essaïdi has been chosen to play the role of one of the most memorable singers in the Arab world.
The French-Moroccan singer-actress was deemed to bear the most resemblance to Umm Kulthum. But that’s not all, this hottie can sing too.
As a former contestant on the talent competition Star Academy, the Moroccan singer of a French mother is the ideal artist to star in this film, fittingly titled “The Voice.”
“It’s a huge challenge,” the singer said. “I grew up in Morocco in a more Europeanized family because my mother is French, but despite that, we couldn’t miss Umm Kulthum’s songs,” she said.
“My mother always told me stories about her. Thanks to Umm Kulthum, she learned Arabic phonetics.”