Yasmin Abd El Aziz is superwoman of Arabia, she is the hope for female lead cinematic roles. For decades the lead role of all the major Arab blockbusters has been a male. Most of those movies the man takes credit for the success of those movies and he gives secondary roles and supporting ones to a number of female case. Never in the modern history of Arabic film has a woman been able to carry a movie and make it into a blockbuster making millions of dollars.
You name is box officer favorites like Ahmad Saqqa, Ahmad Hilmi, Mohamad Hinidiy, Mohammad Saad, Adel Imam and Ahmad Eiz has always played the leading role in their movies, a huge cast of female actresses have propped them up, but never taken full credit for the success of the movie. Gada Adel, Zina, Mina Shalaby, Noor, Mai Eizdeen, Dina Samir Ghanim Ghada Abdel Razik, Hind Sabry, Mona Zaki, Hana Turk and Yasmin Abd El Aziz. Now those are all fine talented actresses by with few exceptions they have all played secondary roles in which they support the hero. Playing mostly the lady the lead actor falls in love with. To be fair few of those names have taken the lead in films (Hind Sabri in Jeneenat Al Asmak and Mona Zaki in E'Hky Ya Shahrazad) and their movies have been well received by critics and viewers alike, but those two movies have never been a huge commercial success.
Not until someone took a chance on Yasmin Abd El Aziz and gave her the lead role in El Dada Dody. A family comedy about a reformed babysitter that gets intermingled in a web of trouble with criminals after her and cute children and their antics. The movie was a huge commercial success in the of 2009, it was the dark horse of the season. It beat many of the films where the established male lead actors' movies came second to Yasmin Abd El Aziz's movie.
Many actors and show business execs were quick to dismiss El Dada Dody as a one hit wonder, that Yasmin will not be able to pull another commercially successful film. Yasmin followed soon with a post Ramadan movie in the Eid season of 2010 with El Talata Yeshtaghalonha, a comedy about a geeky girl that looks like Ugly Betty that manages to ace her high school diploma and get the highest score in the republic. Then she goes to college and falls in love, and there in college she meets all sorts of characters (the party punks, the activist Marxists, the conservative religious) and of course she runs into various troubles and hilarious scenes. Needless to say the movie was a hit and families flocked to see it in theater. Yasmin established that women actresses can carry a movies and make millions with that she refuted what has become a fact that women cannot take the lead. With that now Arab female roles will see a surge. Other seasoned actresses started sending Yasmin some love for opening the gate to them and showing them what it takes.
Yasmin's Stardom did not come from thin air, she has been making movies for years and in 2007 she has even co started in Alraheena "The Hostage", along the handsome Egyptian actor Ahmad Eiz. This movie was a huge commercial success and in away helped launch the career of Ahmad Eiz as a leading male.
The formula for a movie where a female actress leaders should be like the one Yasmin Abd El Aziz used, she is cute and guys like that so they will love to see her movies. She is childish and funny so you know gets lover to see her. She is wonderful in physical comedies, the one thing that makes a movie fun for the entire family is the clean physical comedy. Unlike many lead male roles, Yasmin does not do dirty jokes or sleazy lines either so that makes viewers comfortable. So in order for a movie to be a box office success the Disney formula woks magic. Securing the children, families and adult demographics guarantees you a blockbuster. Yasmin Abd El Aziz has recorded a song for each of her films and those songs helped promote the movie. She plays up her childish spirit and natural cuteness running around with cute children in dazzling colors. Those are essential to give families an idea about the film and its plot. As someone who appreciates good music and comedy, I enjoy the way Yasmin delivers her comical lines and her confidence by not being self aware.
So Thank You Yasmin.
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