Ahmed El Sakka: No One Competes with Me in Cinema

SadaNews - Although this period is the hardest for the Egyptian star Ahmed El Sakka, on a family and personal level, following his separation from his media wife Maha El Saghir and the crises that resulted in police intervention, this has not prevented him from participating in the summer cinematic season with the film "Ahmed and Ahmed," which was released today in Egyptian cinemas. He stars alongside actor Ahmed Fahmy, marking the first collaboration between El Sakka and Fahmy, who share the lead roles in this film that combines action and comedy.

In an interview with "Al Arabiya.net" and "Al Hadath.net," when asked about his relationship with social media, El Sakka confirmed that he is not a professional in dealing with social media, and a team manages his accounts, while he only supervises them occasionally. His engagement with social media does not exceed browsing them occasionally rather than continuously.

He added, "I am generally not good with technology, and until recently I was not adept at using smartphones; I preferred my phone to be basic, limited to making calls only."

Regarding the impact of social media on him, El Sakka confirmed that he has indeed suffered from rumors circulating on social media that caused him significant psychological and familial harm. He noted that as these platforms grew, the "rumors and false news increased," which has become a common issue for celebrities in all fields.

El Sakka revealed behind-the-scenes details about the film, which took several months to shoot, confirming that he shares a strong friendship with actor Ahmed Fahmy, which goes back many years when he made a guest appearance in the film "Samir and Shahir and Bahir" in 2010. Ever since, they had a strong desire to collaborate on a film that combines action and comedy, until director Ahmed Nader Galal proposed the script of "Ahmed and Ahmed," and they did not hesitate for a moment to agree to star in the film.

El Sakka added that the behind-the-scenes of "Ahmed and Ahmed" felt like another film, as there were many comedic situations and pranks he played on Ahmed Fahmy. Among these pranks was when he entered Fahmy's room at the filming studio and found him deep asleep, and no one could wake him up despite needing to film a very important scene. So, he brought a large quantity of ice, added some water, and dumped it on him to wake him up in a state of panic.

El Sakka assured that comedy is not foreign to him, as he has presented it multiple times in cinema and on stage, such as in the films "Baba" and "Ibn El Consul." This genre attracts a large fan base of both adults and children, so he hopes that "Ahmed and Ahmed" achieves the desired success.

When asked about competing with artist Karim Abdel Aziz, who is participating in the summer cinematic season with the film "Project X," El Sakka confirmed that he does not compete with Karim as they always complement each other since their artistic beginnings, and there is no sense of competition or rivalry for the best. He revealed the strong relationship he shares with Karim Abdel Aziz, expressing, "Karim Abdel Aziz is the closest friend to my heart, and the brother I cherish."

El Sakka concluded the ongoing debate about stars competing with him in cinema, affirming that he does not compete with anyone, nor does anyone compete with him, because that equation is not within his calculations. What matters most to him is presenting a good artistic work that pleases the audience, who is the final judge.

Regarding the titles some artists give themselves, such as "Number One," El Sakka confirmed that there is no "Number One" in art. Every star who presents good art is "Number One." Even if artist Mohamed Ramadan has called himself this title, he does not intend to belittle his peers but has the right to have a title within the artistic community, just as the audience nicknames him "The Samurai." This is not a diminishment of anyone but merely an artistic title, nothing more.

As for his son Yassin entering the acting field, El Sakka confirmed that he did not intervene in that decision and kept his distance until Yassin decided to pursue acting, which was also unrelated to the works he starred in. His first participation was through the series "The Choice," and he participated this year in the series "Sayed El Nas," "and I did not interfere in his nomination for both works," as he put it.

Regarding some criticisms targeting his son, El Sakka revealed that this is a natural occurrence and that all star children suffer from it. He still endures harsh criticism to this day, saying: "One should focus solely on their work without paying attention to discouraging opinions. This is my advice to him."