Abdul-Ilah Al-Sanani to “Al-Sharq Al-Awsat”: My role in “Al-Asouf 3” will shock the viewer

The history of social life continues to seduce Saudi drama during Ramadan, with its interesting files dealing with the lifestyle at that time, the oil boom and urban renaissance and its consequences for the lives of individuals.

And the Saudi actor, Abdul Ilah Al-Sinani, is one of the stars of this drama. He is the hero of the series “Al-Zahria,” and one of the heroes of the “Al-Asouf” series, which viewers are waiting for this year in its third season, both of which are shown in the month of Ramadan.

Al-Sanani speaks to “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” while filming the last scenes of the series “Al-Zahria”, which continued filming on the eve of Ramadan, indicating that it is a work that deals with a time period that begins in 1978, in a village called Al-Zahria, far from the city of Riyadh, in which he presents the character of “Shaman”. He explained that the village will witness many social conflicts, with the beginning of the renaissance and the accompanying government appraisal, re-planning, the introduction of television, and the establishment of a school for girls’ education.

Al-Sinani referred to the conflict within the village in the search for sovereignty and features of development by visiting the city of Riyadh, and sending one of its sons to study there, and its reflection on the village community. He explains that what will be shown is the first part of the series “Al-Zahria”, with the possibility of presenting a second part in the next Ramadan, as the work will develop and move to another period of time, with each period extending for about two or three years, indicating that the work brings together stars from young people to by the pioneer generation.

Al-Sanani in “Promo” of the series “Al-Asouf 3”

– Mohsen Al-Tayyan

Viewers are waiting for the third part of the “Al-Asouf” series, and what will happen to the conditions of the Al-Tayan family, of which Al-Sanani is one of its most prominent sons with the character of “Mohsen Al-Tayyan”, who was a jealous, opportunist and average-income man in the past two parts, and by asking him about the newness of this character, especially after his appearance in The “promo” of the work, while talking greedily about collecting money, says, “Mohsin Al-Tayyan is looking for wealth in twisted, intelligent ways, and he will become something in the work.” He added, “Mohsen in the third part will be the surprise, as there is a point he will reach that no one imagined that this man would reach one day. He will cover all; He will become a completely different person. And there is a whole new line, and I think it will shock the viewer, it is true that the composition of the character has not changed, but it will appear from a different angle, and we will see him go his way and reach his goal.”

– The intersection of “Al-Zahria” and “Al-Asouf”

When asked about the extent to which “Al-Zahiriya” intersects with “Al-Asouf”, which in its two parts dealt with the last two periods of the seventies and eighties in the city of Riyadh, he confirms the complete difference between them, indicating that in “Al-Asouf” the focus was on the mother and that she is the pillar of the family, while in “Al-Zahria” the viewer finds the family that The father rules it in a village inside a neighborhood owned by a domineering person who seeks sovereignty and works in trade, and controls this village, in addition to the conflict between his brothers and sons, and social relations that deal with the conditions of the village at that stage, such as polygamy and others.

Al-Sanani points to the difference in the location of the filming as well, as “Al-Asouf” deals with Riyadh as a city with its cars and cement buildings, and a modern lifestyle related to real estate affairs and scholarships abroad, while in “Al-Zahria”, it is rare to have a car in the village, where houses are spread Mud, palm trees and livestock, in an agricultural area, makes the series provide a historical overview of the villages that existed in that era.

But was Al-Sinani not afraid that his appearance in two works dealing with the past would distract the scenes in Ramadan? He answers: “It is true, but the advantage of (Al-Asouf) is that it came out in two parts, and thus the scenes were saturated with it, in addition to the fact that the third part deals with a somewhat modern era, and it talks about the period from 1990 to 1995, which is a close period, and also changed the format of the series to an extent. Big, while in (Al-Zahria) it is as if we are going back to a stage before the first part of (Al-Asouf).”

Al-Sinani adds: “I used to do one job a year; But (Al-Zahria) came to me after (Al-Asouf), specifically four months ago, and I was very excited about it, especially since it was written by Amal Al-Faran, and directed by director Saed Bashir Al-Hawari.

The series “Al-Zahria” is the first and largest production of its kind for the Radio and Television Corporation in Saudi Arabia. It deals with the cultural heritage in all its forms, whether in homes or clothes, as well as folklore such as dancing, singing and performances, which prompted Al-Sanani to thank the authority for the full and great support for this work.

Nostalgia Ramadan Drama

With the large number of works that provoke the viewer with feelings of nostalgia for the past, the case of nostalgia emerges in the Ramadan drama, so how does Al-Sinani see this? He answers: “TV depends on chips. And a large segment watches comedies, and most of them are young people. There is another very large segment that believes in the heritage and in going back to the past. Therefore, we are in front of several types of viewers in Ramadan, and television channels are trying to satisfy all segments.”

Al-Sinani believes that the appearance of the series “Al-Asouf” represented a different case for Saudi drama at the time, which prompted many to imitate it at the beginning of the first part. He added, “I believe in the importance of the legacy for rooting identity, rooting the Saudi drama, and giving a clear imprint to Saudi drama in the Arab world,” considering that returning to the local heritage and presenting it in drama would create a widespread impact for Saudi business.