Egyptian actor talks about playing the role of Prophet’s uncle in al-Farouq series

Egyptian actor Abdel Aziz Makhioun found playing the role of Prophet Mohammed’s uncle Abu Taleb in the TV series “al-Farouq” challenging as well as enjoyable and expected the drama about the life of Islam’s second Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab to be a huge success.

“I was first nominated for the role by Syrian director Hatem Ali and I did not hesitate for one moment especially since the script is very promising,” Makhioun told Al Arabiya.

Makhioun explained that the scriptwriter Walid Seif managed to master the Meccan dialect, which is quite different from the classical Arabic used currently.

Makhioun said it took him a while to get prepared for the role of Abu Taleb and he read a lot about him before the start of shooting.

“He is a very difficult character [to play] especially as he lived such a long time ago.”

Regarding the most complicated scenes in the series, Makhioun said they were many of them, but there was one in particular that was the most challenging.

“It was a scene with the Prophet and since the he cannot be impersonated, I had to look at the camera and imagine that I am talking to him. This was very hard to do.”

Makhioun added that costume designers managed to create replicas of the clothes worn at the time.

“The clothes we wear in the series are mainly made of flax and cotton.”
When asked if he had to consult any religious scholars before agreeing to play the role of the Prophet’s uncle, Makhioun said that he didn’t need to.

“The names of scholars who revised the script offered me the reassurance I needed. It was enough that a scholar like Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is extremely knowledgeable and reliable, is among them.”

In addition to personally enjoying the role, Makhioun said that the series, to be aired in the holy month of Ramadan, will add a lot to Arab audience.

“The series tackles the dawn of Islam and portrays the characters of Omar ibn al-Khattab and the Prophet’s companions in the most accurate manner.”

The series, he added, is also very timely since studying the character of Omar ibn al-Khattab can be very beneficial in the contemporary political scene.

“The series sheds light on the system of governance Omar adopted as a Caliph and which basically revolved around equality and social justice. It also tells a lot about the relationship between the ruler and his subjects,” he concluded.