The Story of 'Saneed' in Egyptian Cinema

SadaNews - A number of artistic stars have succeeded in leaving their special mark in the history of art, without having achieved absolute stardom in the works they presented.

These stars have been dubbed "Saneed", as their constant brilliance came in the role of the second man, who supports the protagonist in his artistic journey, and the balance of the artistic work shifts without him.

The "Saneed" has held a special place throughout artistic eras, as each time period had its own "Saneed"; thus, one "Saneed" leaves, and another takes his place.

Among the stars who succeeded in this were Abdel Moneim Ibrahim, an artist born in Beni Suef Governorate in 1924, who was given the title "Charlie Chaplin of the Arabs".

Abdel Moneim Ibrahim managed to capture attention in the role of the second man, as seen in the films "Rumor of Love" with Omar Sharif and "Sugar Hanem" with Kamal El Shenawy, even though he was hesitant to accept the role, fearing his family's anger over him playing a woman’s role.

Among those who excelled in the role of "Saneed" was Tawfiq El Dekn, who was called "the charming villain" due to the comedy he wrapped his evil roles in.

Despite his great success in those roles, the villainous characters brought him troubles, as it was said that his mother died because of him, due to her being affected by public talk about him being a perpetual villain.

However, this was denied by the son of the late artist in press statements he made years ago, affirming that everything said about his father, including that his mother died because of him, was untrue.

Tawfiq El Dekn passed away, leaving behind nearly 500 artistic works, in which he did not perform lead roles, but he left an unforgettable mark, and his phrases became very famous.

Among the stars was also the late Hassan Hosny, whose works were associated with an entire generation, and young stars sought him out for participation.

This was mentioned by Ramez Galal in a previous interview, confirming that he would go to Hassan Hosny at his home to convince him to participate in his films.

Hassan Hosny presented hundreds of artistic works, and five films in which he starred were selected among the top 100 films in the memory of Egyptian cinema: "Al-Karnak", "The Bus Driver", "The Innocent", "The Wife of a Important Man", and "Why, Oh Violet".

In the same era, the star "Lotfi Labib" shined, who shared artistic works with Hassan Hosny.

He even joked about this, assuring that he, Hassan Hosny, and Salah Abdallah are the stars of the midfield in Egyptian acting.

Lotfi Labib presented more than 400 artistic works, and in his later years, he decided to leave the field to Bayoumi Fouad and Sayed Ragab, so they could carry the torch after him, due to his advancing age and health conditions that forced him to step away until his passing.

On the part of the actresses, Mari Munib succeeded in becoming one of the most famous actresses who did not play lead roles, even though some artistic works were named after her, as despite her roles as the mother-in-law in films like "My Mother-in-Law is an Angel", "My Mother-in-Law is a Nuclear Bomb", and "The Charming Mothers-in-Law", these works were not starring her.

However, she gained widespread fame and became the most famous mother-in-law in Egyptian cinema, as she presented her roles with a comedic touch that resonated with viewers.