Egyptian actor-director Mohamed Sobhy (left) during the session at the Sharjah book fair.

Egypt’s veteran star actor– director Mohamed Sobhy attended a symposium titled “Art and its role in human development” at the 40th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).

With his sense of humour, the session witnessed a big interaction between Sobhy and audiences. He spoke about his current work, his initiatives to present efficient artists who add value, and the relation between art and humane development.

Sobhy lauded the efforts of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, in building people through culture and art. “His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has long been aware of the importance of culture and art as they are among the most prominent tributaries for building people and societies.”

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Sobhy is not in favour of the opinion that drama or art should reflect reality using shocking ways. “It’s neither freedom nor creativity to only highlight bad models or show them in drama, movies or theatre. In my TV series Yomyat Wanees (Wanees’s Diaries), aired in the 90s, there were many dumps in Egypt at that time, so I presented a dump and how children turned that into a garden. And this is the role of art, to transform ugliness into beauty,” said Sobhy.

Sobhy sees a big difference between presenting real comedy or just jokes to make trends. “There’s a difference between real comedy and jokes. I only announce my plays on my official Facebook page.  Some asked me to make more eyecatching ads for my plays, to add more details and jokes. In my opinion what you need to know before going to the theatre is who is the writer, actors, and director, arrive at your judgement only after watching. But I won’t change the ad just because my audience know me and I respect them. My theatre is fully booked / tickets sold out every night,” said Sobhy.

Sobhy sees that a good work of art starts in having a well-written story and script. “Unfortunately, some actors remove parts of the original script and insert their jokes and that’s why I advise aspiring writers to write a good story and comedy, not to follow others who write only jokes.”

Sobhy sees that media and artwork play a big role in forming public taste, that’s why artists have to do their best to overshadow ugly taste.